This stag beetle bowl was made using ceramic slip – I call it ‘ The Stag party’. Each section is cast separately and then joined together inside a plaster mould.
You can buy ready made slip in buckets or make it up yourself if you have a big mixer of some sort, or a blunger. We used this technique during a recent ceramic workshop.
First pour your slip on to a textured plaster tile and leave it to dry until its no longer shiny.
Remove your piece of textured clay…
And place it inside a plaster mould, textured side facing the wall…
You can also dip cotton textiles in slip before placing the cloth inside your mould. It is important that all clay pieces are properly attached to each other and that they lie flush against the wall of the mould.
It is a messy old job! Once the bowl is finished you leave it to dry for a few hours before removing it from the plaster mould.
I will upload the finished results shortly. For more information, this is a link to my work shop diary.