Slip Trailing Featuring artist Kristen Kieffer

Terracotta cup with barbotine decoration by The Metropolitan Museum of Arts

Slip trailing is a process in ceramics created by squeezing lines of thick, liquid clay or slurry onto a wet or leather-hard clay surface using a squeeze-bulb or tube applicator. Slip trailing as a technique is not new. In fact, we can see pottery with thick clay applied to the surface of its form dating back to the late first century A.D. onward. The terracotta cup above is a marvelous example of a historical piece from Imperial Rome in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. The beauty of the cup's surface and form could still serve as an inspiration for clay workers today.

Jar Pair, Kristen Kieffer

There are many ceramicists today using the age-old technique of slip trailing in their work. Kristen Kieffer, a full-time studio potter, workshop presenter, and ceramics instructor based out of Massachusetts, is one of them.

Deluxe Clover Cups, Kristen Kieffer

Kristen incorporates slip-trailed dots, swirls, and shapes into her layered surface decoration. Her process involves wheel throwing, altering, stamping, slip work, and glazing to achieve elegant, functional pottery. For her slip trailing, Kristen uses a liquid slip that is the same base as her clay body. Doing so creates a raised textural decoration that interacts with her glazes.

Detail, Kristen Kieffer

Wall Pillows, Kristen Kieffer

In slip trailing, the surface effects will change as the consistency of the slip changes. A thin to a medium consistency slurry will be best for slip trailing. The slip should be sieved to avoid clogging the tip of the slip trailer. The speed at which you draw a line will also influence how much material comes out.

Here at Bailey, we have slip trailing bottles and bulbs in a range of sizes to hold different amounts of materials. We also have interchangeable tips in an array of gauges to achieve variations in line quality. Here, you can see some of our most popular slip trailing bottles and bulb sets and examples of lines we were able to create using them.