Sphinx

I just put a new tile into the kiln this afternoon and had a few process images I decided to share. When I work with tiles I begin by rolling a slab and then painting a layer of underglaze onto it. After the slab stiffens I trace an image onto it and begin carving, however for this tile before carving I attached all of the individual feathers (which were then underglazed and also carved). From this point I smooth out the surface with a mixture of water and brush and small carving tools. I then paint on the additional underglaze features and wait for it to be ready to load into the kiln. Bellow you can see the different between the carved tile, the fully decorated tile, and the original drawing I did.

finished carving

first round of underglazing pre-bisque

original sketch

For this tile I plan on adding additional under glaze one it's out of the kiln and re-firing it.