218 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
HANDICRAF TSMAN 
June, 1911 
Conducted by A. Russell Bond 
Home-Made Pottery—IV 
aw) glazes are so -refined, so restful to the 
wy eye, and by their unobtrusiveness harmo- 
ves Ra nize so well with almost any surroundings, 
that they have practically supplanted the 
bright glazes except for’ the more utili- 
tarian articles of daily use. The charm 
of a mat glaze is its color, and perhaps 
more than that, its texture. It follows, therefore, that sim- 
plicity of shape is best calculated to emphasize these two 
qualities. But it is permissible to add to the shape some 
suggestion of modeling, provided it is not too pronounced 
in character, for it serves rather to call attention to the color 
and texture, just as a patch emphasizes the beauty of a 
lovely face. 
Individual pieces, no two alike, are easily made either by 
incising or modeling in low relief. The choice between 
these two methods usually depends on the shape of the 
piece, and must be left to the discretion of the worker. It 
may appear premature to speak of glazes at this stage, be- 
fore the piece is ready to receive it, but it is not really so, 
for in many if not all cases some attention must be given to 
the ultimate result from the very start, and if this is intelli- 
gently considered a certain beauty must result. 
Incising, where a mat 
glaze is to be used, should 
be boldly drawn while the 
ware is still green, and as 
the glaze is very thick, 
should be deep enough to 
allow the design to be plain- 
ly seen after the glaze has 
been fired. A tool with a 
smooth, rounded point 
should be used. This will 
probably leave a little 
roughness on the edges, and 
when this is the case, often 
the result of the ware being 
too soft, it can be put aside 
for a time, and when leather-hard these feathery edges can 
be carefully pared away with a knife. When bone-dry it 
may be further smoothened with a little worn sandpaper, O 
or OO. 
If you use a repeating border, the quickest and surest way 
of dividing the piece in the requisite sections is to use a plate- 
divider, which will give you any number of divisions you 
please. One of these can be bought for twenty-five cents, or 
it is an easy matter to make one on a piece of white card- 
board. Having decided on the space a section of the design 
By W. P. Jervis 
Plate divider and modeling tools 
is to occupy, make a careful drawing, and from this make a 
tracing. On the reverse side of this tracing go over the out- 
line with hektograph ink and allow it to dry thoroughly. 
Place on the desired position on the ware, and either with a 
flat wood modeling tool rounded at-the edge, or the thumb 
nail rub it gently and evenly, and a perfect print on the ware 
will result. One such tracing will give you a dozen impres- 
sions. With a little care when perfectly dry the tracing can 
be re-inked, though it is usually better to make new ones. 
This hektograph ink costs fifteen cents a bottle, and will last 
for a year’s work. Strongly diluted with water, it makes 
an excellent medium for sketching on clay ware and entirely 
disappears in the firing. Simple additions in low relief to 
any shape may be added by means of coils of clay. ‘These 
should be rolled very thin and placed in the desired position 
on the pieces with the assistance of a little water. Taking a 
flat wooden tool, the coil is drawn gently but firmly into the 
body of the piece until it loses its applied look and becomes 
apparently a component part of the piece. Be careful not to 
leave any hollow places, or in drying the piece is apt to break 
loose. Inthe case of a leaf, the clay is drawn only from the 
inner surface of the coil and in quantities sufficient to leave 
only a thin edge. This edge can be manipulated with the 
fingers or thinned with a 
knife. The examples shown 
here have all been made 
from these clay coils, and 
the work goes very quickly. 
Be sure that every particle 
of clay drawn from the coils 
is sufficiently damp and is 
pressed firmly into the 
piece so as to preclude the 
possibility of its separating 
during drying and firing. 
Very good decorative ef- 
fects can be obtained by 
what is called grafhto, a 
modification of the Italian 
word sgraffiato. Clay of one color being superimposed on 
another, a design is drawn out and the upper clay removed 
with a sharp tool, thus leaving the design in the lower strata 
of clay. For mat glazes this can be carried further. After 
the design is made, the spaces between can be removed with 
a flat- pointed tool. This gives a fine texture to the 
ground, and while it differs from the ordinary grafhto, some 
very good results may be obtained. To secure this texture 
the clay must only be removed in small sections at a time. 
Where fine lines are required a needle mounted on the 
