Ceramics Surface Design Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to surface design in ceramics.

Colorant

An element or compound

Burnish

To polish the surface of a leather-hard

Sprigging

Adding a decoration in relief

Mishima

A surface design technique whereby an impressed design is filled with a different colored clay slip.

Bisque ware

Ceramic ware that has gone through the first firing at a relatively low temperature (generally cone 010 to 05) and still maintains its porous state.

Underglaze

Any coloring element, such as oxides or commercial colorants, is applied before glaze application.

Relief

Sculptural or decorative forms that project from a background, classified by the degree to which it is raised from the surface.

Carbonates

Compounds containing carbon and other elements are used in making and coloring glazes or clay bodies.

Inlay

To fill an incised or impressed area with contrasting colored clay.

Oxides

Compounds containing oxygen and other elements that are used in making and coloring glazes or clay bodies.

Greenware

Unfired pottery or clay sculpture.

Flux

A material that promotes melting or increases the glass-making qualities of a glaze.

Terra sigillata

A fine slip surface treatment used as a coating for burnishing or decoration.

Impress

To create designs in soft or leather-hard clay by pressing with textured tools, stamps, or chops.

Neriage

Japanese technique in which different colored clays are combined to achieve a marbled effect.