Hello everyone! Goodness it has been a very busy past few months! I wanted to take some time to share with you a new project that I have tried with my 3D Design students.
Recently I was perusing through an old Ceramics magazine I found in our mini art library and I stumbled across an article on Mishima. I had never heard of Mishima before, so I continued to read on.
WHAT IS MISHIMA?
Mishima is an inlay technique that historically originated in Asia. The technique involves carving a design out of one color clay (for example, red) and then inlaying the carved lines with a contrasting color slip (such as white). Engobes can also be used instead of slip. Both clay and slip/engobe must have the same cone temperature in order to bond to together once fired in the kiln. Since I had never been exposed to this technique, it was a learning experience. I have compiled a “how to” with tips that we learned along the way.
LESSON OBJECTIVE:
Students were required to design a plate, dish, cup, vase, or bowl using the Mishima techniques. Students were able to choose either slab or pinch pot techniques for constructing their bases. They were required to create a sophisticated design that lacked cartoons, logos, and copyrighted imagery in favor of their own designs. Designs could be objective or non-objective.
MISHIMA HOW TO:
1. Create the base for dish, bowl, plate, cup, etc. (1 Day)
a. Plaster molds, in addition to heavy Chinet Plates were used as molds to slump the clay to form a base for plates or dishes.
b. Students could also create a bowl, vase, or cup using the pinch pot technique.
2. Carve Design into clay (1 – 2 Days)
a. Students used sgraffito and miniature ribbon tools to create their designs.
b. Clay carved best once the clay was stiff, right before it was leather hard.
c. Lines and designs should be deeper, rather than wider. (This will allow easy removal of slip later.)
d. Students free-handed designs, however tracing paper could also be used to transfer a design into the clay.
3. Fill carved lines with contrasting color slip (1 day)
a. Slip should be creamy, like a milkshake, and lack chunks. This should be prepared ahead of time because it takes clay time to break down into slip.
b. Squirt bottles did NOT work well for filling the lines.
c. Instead, smothering the surface with plenty of slip to fill the lines worked best. Students were instructed to fill with slip until you couldn’t see the design any more.
d. This worked well when students completed this task on a Friday because it gave us the weekend to let the projects dry out for step 4.
4. Let clay dry out (1 – 2 Days)
a. We discovered that clay that was on the verge of becoming bone dry worked best for the following step.
5. Scrape away excess clay to reveal design (1-2 Days)
a. Using a metal scraper, scrape away slip from ceramic project. By scraping the clay away, the design will become visible and the excess clay will be removed from the surface.
b. Designs transferred most cleanly when clay was dryer. If slip was still wet scraping was messy and often disturbed the designs.
c. Be careful with scraping. If too much pressure is applied to bone dry clay, it can break due to its fragility.
d. A paintbrush dipped in water can also be used to remove excess clay or smudged slip from hard to scrape areas.
6. Apply clear coat glaze to Mishima project (1 Day)
a. Paint on the clear coat “until it is pink.” We use clear coat glaze that is colored pink. The pink coloring agent serves as an indicator to help us determine when we have enough glaze on once its dried.
b. Apply clear coat before you bisque fire will help prevent the lines and designs of the Mishima from cracking during the firing process.
c. It is helpful to leave the bottom of the project free of glaze to help the project dry out before firing.
d. Allow to dry on drying rack until project feels luke warm to the touch. (If it feels cold, it still has moisture in it and therefore could blow up if fired too early.)
e. Fire in kiln. Cool. Take out to admire and enjoy!
ADVANTAGES OF MISHIMA
1. A great way to utilize excess clay: Do you have any extra “trimmings” of clay that you don’t know what to do with? Or do you gather slip from pottery wheel excursions but you don’t want it to go down the drain? Save the slip and use it for Mishima!
2. A quick project: Project takes approximately 2 school weeks to complete (with drying time!). Since Mishima only requires 1 firing, you can save time by combining your bisque and glaze firing. This will save energy too. In addition, students learn construction, embellishment, and glazing techniques in 1 project.
3. An Inexpensive Project: Since Mishima only requires over glaze, you do not need to use expensive colored glazes. The design and excitement of the piece is established by the inlay designs. The project lends itself to art teachers being resourceful with their left over clay bodies.
4. Versatility: This embellishment technique can be used on a multitude of functional and sculpture ceramic projects. It lends itself to creative freedom and expression, interpreted by the student artist.
DISADVANTAGES OF MISHIMA:
1. Frustration: Some designs were more difficult to execute than others. This resulted from trying to fill larger areas or not carving designs deep enough. Some students also experienced troubles when they were too aggressive with their scraping. It does require patience. I would recommend having students compose their designs using lines and shapes rather than large spaces.
2. Fragility: When scraping the slip away the ceramic can crack or break. It is important for students to avoid using heavy pressure when completing this step.
RESULTS:
Below are some photos of completed Mishima projects. I am very proud of my students and I hope their work inspires you to give Mishima a try!
Creatively Yours,
Emily
