SLIP DECORATION Slip has been used for centuries to decorate pottery. Fragments of red slip on pottery aged 5000 years have been discovered in Japan, the region in which it is believed to have originated. Slip ware is the term used to describe pottery that has been treated with liquid clay ie slip, either by dipping the entire vessel and scratching it off or applying it using different techniques. Slip can be coloured or mixed with flocculant to change its viscosity. Pottery which has slip applied is most often left unglazed. For the primitive kiln it is a method of decoration which does not require chemicals or commercial glazes. There are a variety of interesting decorating techniques using slips. Slip trailing is the most widely known method of decoration. Liquid clay is poured into a dispenser to deliver a stream of slip onto damp or leather hard clay.
Feathering Slip is an effect thought to have been drawn by a feather. Bands of contrasting colour slip are applied using slip trailing. A soft flexible sharply pointed tool is drawn through to create a chevron pattern.
Combing is the process of drawing a fine comb through a trail of slip to create a feathered effect
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Fine Dot Slip is the precise application of small dots of slip to create a pattern or design. The final dried decoration will be raised off the pottery vessel.
Marbling slip. Once slip is trailed over the pottery a marbling effect is created through turning or shaking the piece.
