Slip trailing
Slip trailing is a ceramic decorative technique in which liquid clay, known as slip, is applied to the surface of pottery to create raised lines or patterns. The slip is typically applied through a narrow nozzle or tube, allowing the potter to draw lines and motifs directly onto the clay surface.
The technique is usually carried out when the pottery is in a leather-hard state. The slip is squeezed onto the vessel in continuous lines, forming decorative elements such as spirals, dots, geometric patterns, or stylized motifs. After drying and firing, the applied slip becomes permanently fused with the ceramic body.
Slip trailing can be used either as a decorative element on its own or in combination with other techniques such as glazing or incised decoration. Depending on the color of the slip and the clay body, the patterns may appear as contrasting raised designs.
While the technique has been widely used in many ceramic traditions around the world, similar methods have also appeared in East Asian ceramics and may be combined with other slip-based decorative processes.
Because the applied slip forms a raised texture, slip trailing creates both visual and tactile decoration on the surface of pottery.
