Marbling Clay

Marbling clay is the process for creating multiple colour layers or effects in your pottery. You can either use different coloured clays, or you can stain the clay to produce different colours. If you use different clays be careful to make sure they have the same firing range and shrinkage rate, otherwise it will be disastrous. The safest way is to start with the same clay and add different colours to it by using stains or oxides. This way you won’t have any firing dramas.

Recommended percentages for stains are between 8% and 12% and for oxides between 2% and 4%. Mix the powdered colourants with water to make a paste, then work that into the clay and wedge until the colour is uniform. Don’t forget to wear gloves when working the coloured paste into the clay.

After making up a variety of different coloured clays, you can then begin your construction process. Either prepare your clay for throwing or hand building. If you handbuild, roll each piece of coloured clay into a coil, flatten with a rolling pin and stack, patting them down each time to stick them together.

Basically you can now make anything you want with this layered clay. Use it as stripes and cut vertically or elongate the loaf, cut it in half, stack the halves and repeat to thin and refine the layers and make patterns. [see images]

TIP - When slicing the loaf, undulate the cutting wire slightly. This will bring out more of the rings in the cross section.

HACK - to easily centre your clay for throwing and keeping as much of the pattern as possible, make your marbled clay a few days before, put it in the bag and spray with some water.