Clay Line Drawings

I've been working on Custom Tile Plaques orders so that they can be shipped to their new homes in time for the holidays.

Today, I thought I'd share a little of the process of creating these tiles. Though I make a fair amount of custom orders, I avoid using molds because I still want the individual handmade look to be present in each one. Instead, I have a set of paper patterns that I use as guidelines.

First, plastic wrap it laid over these patterns and traced using a permanent marker. The plastic wrap is then positioned on top of the soft clay. It helps to brush a small amount of water on the clay so the plastic wrap will stick. Using a rubber stylus, I then press down and re-trace the sharpie line until it has created a nice impression in the clay. The plastic wrap is pealed back to reveal a nice, clean line in the clay. I'll then leave the tiles flat until they are at the leather hard stage before smoothing the edges . I've also done this technique with kids, and it worked great! Just have them create a line drawing on a piece of paper, trace it onto plastic, and then trace it again onto the clay! It always seems to be a crowd pleaser.

On a personal note... This weekend my husband was able to get into the dark room (AKA our bathroom) and print some pictures from our trip out to California earlier this fall. Yay! Here they are hanging to dry in our kitchen. Thanks for taking the time to stop in. I'll be back later in the week.

Best,
Meagan