Ceramic Terms

2. rolling the clay out into long, snake-like ropes of clay.
5. a colored slip that is used to decorate clay pieces. It will not run or drip
6. refers to a glaze that does not contain any toxic substances once it has been fired
9. a thin coating of glass fired onto ceramic objects for visual or functional purposes
12. finished leather-hard or bone-dry clay pieces not yet fired
13. the process of repeatedly throwing down the clay onto a flat surface to remove air bubbles
17. the quality of being easily shaped or molded
18. stage when clay holds enough moisture to still be dark in color, but is no longer plastic
19. clay pieces that have been fired, but not glazed
20. applying a layer of underglaze, and then scratching off parts to reveal the clay color underneath
21. a special kind of oven for firing things like pottery and bricks

1. an initial firing of raw clay to burn out physical water
2. a glaze that looks pink when you paint it on, but will be completely transparent after it is fired
3. clay that is mixed with water. It is used as a ‘glue’ to join separate pieces of clay together
4. refers to the way that a glaze will run and drip as it melts during the firing process
7. a portion of clay that has been flattened into a sheet with a rolling pin
8. a fine-grained natural soil material that is plastic when wet, but becomes hard, brittle and firing
10. refers to a family of partly transparent but colored glazes
11. an unfired piece must reach this stage of dryness before it can be bisque fired
14. color which does not allow other colors to show through
15. roughing up the surface of your clay before attaching two pieces together
16. technique in which the clay is pinched & manipulated with the fingers into the desired shape