Slip and Underglaze: Painting on Clay
Photo: Roman Kraft / Unsplash
Slip is liquid clay, often coloured, that can be painted, poured or trailed onto a pot to add pattern and contrast. Underglazes work similarly but offer a wider, more reliable palette of colours that survive the heat of firing.
A maker can brush fine details, dip pieces for bold blocks of colour, or trail slip in flowing lines like icing a cake. Once the decoration is dry, a clear glaze is laid over the top to seal and protect it, locking the artwork beneath a glassy surface forever.
It is the closest the craft comes to painting, and it gives our decorators room to bring real personality to a piece — the hand-painted rims and motifs that make each one quietly individual.
