Ceramics: Creating pattern through repetition

I made these round ceramic pieces with my plaster stamps, and they have been biscuit fired. I then decided to use these to push into squares of clay, to get a negative of the designs on the circles. this meant that as well as the original pattern from the stamps, it also transferred the surrounding circle.

I think these tiles could be used as wall decoration, set out in the same grid as the circles they got their pattern from.

Ceramics: Using coloured slip

I wanted to make a bangle, inspired by Erin lightfoot's ceramic bangles, but I wanted my pattern to be on the inside, Like the copper rings I made. I did this by painting patterns onto white clay using coloured slip, before making it into a bangle.

For my first bangle, I decided to use the diamond shape I have been looking at, and use these as a base pattern, and put other more intricate patterns onto these. I used different types of pattern I have been looking at, animal pattern, pattern from process and patterns which have another purpose.

I then used the same method of painting with slip, but onto smaller pieces, which I then made into beads with pattern on the inside. I tried to keep the outside as plain as possible to contrast with the patterned interior.

 I then wanted to experiment with putting texture on, so I decided to make a scaly, snake skin texture, because this used the same shape repeated so would make a regular pattern. Once I had put the texture on, I joined the ends and carefully cut so the outside was completely flat

 This gave the inside edge a wobbly effect, which I quite like against the very clean line of the outside.

 My last bangle just had pattern painted on all around the inside, with the hope that when it is being worn, it will look completely plain and simple, and only the person wearing it will know what is on the inside.

Ceramics: Natural pattern.

After a visit to West Midlands Safari Park, I started to think how pattern is used to hide animals in their natural habitat, and started thinking about how I could hide things in pattern, instead of hiding the pattern itself. I think this will make my jewellery a lot more patterned and decorative, but also keep the idea of hiding  something in it, so what you see at first is not all that it is, and the jewellery will be more special and valuable to the person who owns it. I first looked at the pattern on zebras, and how this helps them to hide and be protected from predators  I then thought how a zebra shape could be hidden in a patterned background, carrying on the stripes outwards.

I used a photo of a zebra I took at the safari park as a guide for the outline and stripes, then continued the stripes out, up to the edge of the piece of clay. when the clay was a bit drier, I carefully took the zebra shape out, then stuck the outside part onto another piece of flat clay with slip.

 This made a base which the zebra fitted in, and could be taken out like a jigsaw piece. I am planning to fire them with the zebra in, using a powder to stop it from sticking. Because clay shrinks as it dries, when it is fired, the thicker base part may shrink at a different rate to the zebra, so it may not fit exactly, so by leaving the zebra in it, I am hoping that this will be less likely.

I have made two small tunnels on the back, which will hold the weight of the piece, which I hope to use as the centre piece of a necklace. I have left a gap between them, to leave space for a small metal clip, which will hold the zebra in place. I hope to use oxides when it has been fired, to make the indented stripes black, and leave the more prominent parts white.