Wall, table and tray are the most obvious places of display for this large and exciting tile.An expert demonstrates how you can make one.

Another project by Harold Castor of the Sculptors and Ceramic Workshop, this large ceramic tile embodies a design technique that is at an all-time high now in popularity.The steps in making this are clearly shown in the photographs.

Work on large, flat surface or board that's been varnished to protect it, and dust the board with flint to prevent clay from sticking to it.Use a de-aired clay available from clay manufacturers.

Uses for such a tile? There are as many as your imagination can conceive.The tile can be hung on the wall, used to make a tray, be placed on a coffee or end table, etc.However it is used, it can add beauty to your home.This ceramic picture or plaque will be a decorative focal point for your decor.•

Pull off small handfuls of clay as you need it, and slam them down on board just alongside each other; this combines the mass to prevent any weak areas and also to prevent air bubbles collecting.

Top right, clay is leveled to approximately 5A inch thick, using a saw-toothed scraper.Scraper provides a textured surface in clay which can be effectively incorporated into the over-all design.

Trim the sides of the clay mass to make an even rectangle.You will find that rectangular shape is more effective in working out design than any form.However, you can vary shape if you so wish.

Plan design and layout on paper and then trace on surface of clay.Mr.Castor prefers to work spontaneously since clay can easily be scraped to hide undesirable lines.Tool has a simple curve.

A wood-wire tool with a straight cutting edge is used tc incise and spread clay areas, as well as to develop intriguing planes and variations of dimension and plane.Don't use cramped strokes.

Above, piece is ready for slow drying un­til it is leather-hard.Don't dry it in the sun or in too hot a room or it will dry too fast and crack, necessitating repair.

If cracks do appear, knit them together in herringbone fashion, to fuse the clay into one surface.Clean up design: add fine lines in any areas you think too smooth.

Design is now ready for color—stained engobes in this case.Make engobes with a good powdered underglaze color; raw ox­ides may be used instead.Recipe used here is (proportion of parts): china clay 25; ball clay 20; ground flint 30; potassium feld­spar 17; whiting 2; magnesium carbonate 6.This provides engobe that will fuse to a Jordan clay body in stoneware tempera­tures.It is white in color, may be stained with underglaze colors.Separate batch into quantities needed for each color.Add water to powdered color, grind it up well.

To apply the engobes to clay use a mottler (wide soft-hair brush) for larger areas, a No.6 sable brush for smaller areas.Apply color with a dry-brush technique to the background areas first.

Other colors are added to the design.Decide on basic color plan in advance.You may choose all different colors, or work with variation of many blues or reds or greens, depending on tile's use.

Scratch or sgraffito lines in parts of the design right through engobes, to reveal clay underneath and enhance design.When fully dry, place tile in kiln for firing.Be sure glaze from former pieces fired in kiln has been cleaned off; use kiln-wash.

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