Slip Carving, or Sgraffito

Colored slip (a liquid mixture of clay) is painted in a thick coat over moist greenware. When the greenware is leather-hard, the slip is carved away, revealing the contrasting color of the clay beneath. The resulting pottery is then bisque-firing and glazed normally.

Slip Trailing

A raised pattern is formed on the greeware by trailing a line of slip onto the greenware before bisque firing.

Other decorative techniques include painting greenware or bisqueware with underglazes (high-temperature paints), or applying dyes either under or over glazes,

Raku

Bisqueware is glazed and fired in a kiln to approzimately 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, then removed and placed in a sealed container of combustible materials to draw the oxygen from the piece. Raku pieces may exhibit intricate crackled surfaces, or metallic lusters and sheens, depending on the glazes used. Unglazed areas absorb carbon from the combustion and become black.

Note that raku pieces are purely decorative; they should not be used to hold liquids or foods.

Smoking, or Pit Firing

Greenware is burnished to a smooth polished surface, often using smooth stones. The greenware may be bisque fired, or it may be placed directly in the smoke pit.

In either case, a fire of charcoal or wood is used to heat the pottery to temperatures of up to 1300 degrees Fahrenheit. The pottery is covered in slow-burning materials, such as sawdust, damp straw, or manure. As the material slowly smolders, the pots absorb carbon and other by products from the combustion, taking on rich grey, brown, red and black colors.

Pit Firing is the technique used to produce the famous blackware of the New Mexico pueblos.

Salt Firing

Household salt and other chemicals can be placed in the kiln during firing; the resulting chemical vapors are deposited on the pottery, creating rich natural textures and colors. Salt firing often requires a special dedicated kiln, since the chemicals leave deposits that can contaminate future firings.