How to use engobe on a ceramic sculpture: pottery tutorial

Welcome back to the ba+fa studio. In this video, we continue working on a ceramic sculpture that was built in one of our previous videos. After drying and bisque firing, the piece is now ready for its final stage. Instead of glazing, we are finishing it with engobe, a surface technique often used in pottery and sculpture.
Engobe is quite similar to slip — basically a clay slurry. It can be applied both on greenware and on bisque pieces.
It’s often used to adjust the body color, cover small imperfections, or create decorative effects. Many sculptors also choose engobe as the final surface treatment for their works.

There are countless formulas for making engobe, but here we share a simple one that we often use for our ceramic sculptures:

Start with the same clay you used to build your piece
Dry some of the clay completely.
Weigh it.
For each engobe, you will need 100 g of dry clay.
To prepare a basic engobe, mix:
100 g dry clay
40 g frit (any type of frit can be used.)
stains or metal oxides, depending on the color you want.
Add water and sieve the mixture through a 100-mesh screen.

For better fluidity and adhesion, dilute the engobe with CMC.
Avoid applying it too thick, as thick layers tend to flake off after firing, almost like eggshell.
Not too thick and not too thin — with a bit of practice, you’ll find the right consistency.

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