DRAW TWICE, SLIP ONCE

This illustration shows how I end up making or rather designing a number of the more "complex" slip trailed designs that I use over black slip. Since the technique is essentially a one attempt kind of process I have felt that it is good to get a good idea of the design and then lay it out in thin ink over the black slip before letting the white slip loose on the canvas. This particular design is a rather old one dating back to Cleveland where I was asked to make two large 20"+ platters that would hang for a real estate office. As you can see this plate is covered in a variety of layers of houses that were meant to depict Cleveland Heights and University Heights at the time, I wonder where they are now? I guess it just doesn't hurt to have a plan before you just go ahead and ruin a 20" plate, remember to draw twice and slip once.