I make my colorful, layered ceramics out of stained paper-porcelain. To achieve my unique surfaces, I add paper to the clay, as its extra-strong, green nature provides ease in joining and drying while allowing me to roll the clay into paper-thin sheets and cut it with scissors. The paper fibers burn away in the bisque firing, and due to the hard, vitreous nature of porcelain, I am left with a durable material that is strong enough for daily use even when the exterior is left unglazed. Making functional work with paper clay is not without its challenges. Here, I will share my process for mixing colored paper-porcelain, as well as some tips for working with the finished material.
Creating Paper-Porcelain
To make paper-porcelain, start with bone-dry porcelain to mix into slip. Different types of porcelain will have vastly different color responses. I work with a very translucent, white porcelain that requires a relatively small amount of stain to produce a strong color response, but it comes with additional challenges, such as cracking and warping, especially on large, flat pieces. Choose a clay body that is suitable for the size of your project and adjust your color percentage accordingly.
Be sure to weigh your dry clay before you slake it, as you will need this later to determine the percentage of clay in your slip. I prefer to mix one large batch of white paper-clay slip, which I can divide up and add stain to. This allows me to weigh my dry material only once, and it is much easier to distribute the entire quantity of paper pulp into a large batch.
You can use anything from newspaper to egg cartons to cellulose insulation as your paper pulp. I prefer to use toilet paper, as it is cheap and quick to turn into a pulp. Note: Toilet paper contains starch, which will eventually break down in the clay producing gray discolorations and a stinky odor if left for too long.
Depending on the project, I add anywhere from .–1 roll of toilet paper to the dry equivalent of a single 25-pound, wet, pugged bag of clay. For functional work, I use half a roll per bag, as this is adequate for my needs and still leaves a dense and serviceable finished material. While your clay is slaking, add your toilet paper to some hot water, tearing it up as you go. Let this sit overnight (1), along with your slaking clay.
Before mixing the slip, take as much water off as possible. Use a sponge to soak up any water pooling between the slaked clay. Then, blend the mixture with a paint-mixing bit fitted on a drill (2).
Blend the paper pulp up with an immersion blender (3) and squeeze out most of the water. I do this gently with my hands and not through a sieve, as I have found removing too much water can cause the pulp to clump instead of distributing evenly in the slip.
Dump the pulp into the clay slip (4) and mix thoroughly with the drill (5). Tip: This white paper-porcelain slip is great for joining pieces during the forming process, so save a little bit in a container with a secure lid.
Formula for Adding Stain Color
The following formula can be used to determine an exact measurement for adding stain, allowing consistency from batch to batch.
First, calculate:
slip weight = the weight of your full batch of slip, including paper (minus the bucket weight)
dry weight = the weight of your dry clay before slaking
Next, calculate:
dry weight / slip weight = dry:wet ratio
dry:wet ratio x wet weight of small batch of slip = dry weight of small batch of slip
Final calculation:
dry weight of small batch of slip x percentage wanted/100 = amount of stain to add
Now you can weigh out whatever quantity of slip you like (6). Use your dry:wet ratio to determine your clay content and add your dry stain (7). It’s best to either mix your stain with a bit of water before adding it or mix the dry stain in thoroughly with an immersion blender as I do (8). I use Mason Color Works ceramic stains, but you can use any variety of commercial stains. Test your stains in slip before mixing a large batch. Stains labeled as “body stain” will usually have a good color response, as the chemistry is not hampered by the presence of materials commonly found in clay bodies. Mix your clay at the most concentrated percentage you will use, typically between 5–10% in porcelain. You can dilute this later as needed.
Spread the colored batches out on plaster slabs and let them dry until it is wedgeable (9).
Working with Paper-Porcelain
When working with the finished material, you may need to adjust some of your processes—in particular cutting and carving—as the paper clay will often tear when thin pieces are cut with a knife or pin tool.
Use scissors to cut thin decorative pieces.
Add bevels to slabs with a rib instead of slicing with a bevel tool.
Make test tiles at varying stain concentrations. Start with your most concentrated color, then mix half and half with uncolored clay, and continue diluting in this manner as many times as you like. This gives you a wide range of colors, for example, from red to pale pink with one stain.
Drying and Finishing
Dry your finished work slowly and wrap it in cloth. I finish my work with a thorough wet sand at the bisque stage and fire it to cone 6 in an electric kiln. This porcelain is soft and shiny when left unglazed. I add a clear liner to only the interiors of my functional pieces.
Colored paper-porcelain holds many possibilities for unique making and patterning techniques, so explore, experiment, and let inspiration strike.
Marita Manson is a ceramic artist working primarily with porcelain. She holds a BSc from the University of Victoria (UVic) and studied ceramics at the UVic, the Kootenay School of the Arts, and the Reykjavik School of Visual Arts in Iceland. Her work has been shown in galleries both locally and internationally. In 2021, she was an artist-in-residence at Medalta. She is a founding member of the Victoria Mud League. She is currently an MFA candidate in ceramics at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in Alfred, New York.
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I make my colorful, layered ceramics out of stained paper-porcelain. To achieve my unique surfaces, I add paper to the clay, as its extra-strong, green nature provides ease in joining and drying while allowing me to roll the clay into paper-thin sheets and cut it with scissors. The paper fibers burn away in the bisque firing, and due to the hard, vitreous nature of porcelain, I am left with a durable material that is strong enough for daily use even when the exterior is left unglazed. Making functional work with paper clay is not without its challenges. Here, I will share my process for mixing colored paper-porcelain, as well as some tips for working with the finished material.
Creating Paper-Porcelain
To make paper-porcelain, start with bone-dry porcelain to mix into slip. Different types of porcelain will have vastly different color responses. I work with a very translucent, white porcelain that requires a relatively small amount of stain to produce a strong color response, but it comes with additional challenges, such as cracking and warping, especially on large, flat pieces. Choose a clay body that is suitable for the size of your project and adjust your color percentage accordingly.
Be sure to weigh your dry clay before you slake it, as you will need this later to determine the percentage of clay in your slip. I prefer to mix one large batch of white paper-clay slip, which I can divide up and add stain to. This allows me to weigh my dry material only once, and it is much easier to distribute the entire quantity of paper pulp into a large batch.
You can use anything from newspaper to egg cartons to cellulose insulation as your paper pulp. I prefer to use toilet paper, as it is cheap and quick to turn into a pulp. Note: Toilet paper contains starch, which will eventually break down in the clay producing gray discolorations and a stinky odor if left for too long.
Depending on the project, I add anywhere from .–1 roll of toilet paper to the dry equivalent of a single 25-pound, wet, pugged bag of clay. For functional work, I use half a roll per bag, as this is adequate for my needs and still leaves a dense and serviceable finished material. While your clay is slaking, add your toilet paper to some hot water, tearing it up as you go. Let this sit overnight (1), along with your slaking clay.
Before mixing the slip, take as much water off as possible. Use a sponge to soak up any water pooling between the slaked clay. Then, blend the mixture with a paint-mixing bit fitted on a drill (2).
Blend the paper pulp up with an immersion blender (3) and squeeze out most of the water. I do this gently with my hands and not through a sieve, as I have found removing too much water can cause the pulp to clump instead of distributing evenly in the slip.
Dump the pulp into the clay slip (4) and mix thoroughly with the drill (5). Tip: This white paper-porcelain slip is great for joining pieces during the forming process, so save a little bit in a container with a secure lid.
Formula for Adding Stain Color
The following formula can be used to determine an exact measurement for adding stain, allowing consistency from batch to batch.
First, calculate:
Next, calculate:
Final calculation:
Now you can weigh out whatever quantity of slip you like (6). Use your dry:wet ratio to determine your clay content and add your dry stain (7). It’s best to either mix your stain with a bit of water before adding it or mix the dry stain in thoroughly with an immersion blender as I do (8). I use Mason Color Works ceramic stains, but you can use any variety of commercial stains. Test your stains in slip before mixing a large batch. Stains labeled as “body stain” will usually have a good color response, as the chemistry is not hampered by the presence of materials commonly found in clay bodies. Mix your clay at the most concentrated percentage you will use, typically between 5–10% in porcelain. You can dilute this later as needed.
Spread the colored batches out on plaster slabs and let them dry until it is wedgeable (9).
Working with Paper-Porcelain
When working with the finished material, you may need to adjust some of your processes—in particular cutting and carving—as the paper clay will often tear when thin pieces are cut with a knife or pin tool.
Drying and Finishing
Dry your finished work slowly and wrap it in cloth. I finish my work with a thorough wet sand at the bisque stage and fire it to cone 6 in an electric kiln. This porcelain is soft and shiny when left unglazed. I add a clear liner to only the interiors of my functional pieces.
Colored paper-porcelain holds many possibilities for unique making and patterning techniques, so explore, experiment, and let inspiration strike.
Marita Manson is a ceramic artist working primarily with porcelain. She holds a BSc from the University of Victoria (UVic) and studied ceramics at the UVic, the Kootenay School of the Arts, and the Reykjavik School of Visual Arts in Iceland. Her work has been shown in galleries both locally and internationally. In 2021, she was an artist-in-residence at Medalta. She is a founding member of the Victoria Mud League. She is currently an MFA candidate in ceramics at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in Alfred, New York.
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