Mishima Pottery Techniques: 4 Step-by-Step Inlay Methods for Ceramic Artists
Mishima pottery (or inlaid pottery) is a ceramic decoration technique that involves inlaying slip, underglaze, or glaze into a carved design to create intricate fine line patterns and designs onto pottery.
You might also hear the inlay method called Sang-Gam, which is the original Korean name for the technique. The term Mishima comes from a Japanese island known for sourcing clay for Hagi-ware pottery, though it appears that the technique itself started in Korea. No matter what you call it, read on for 4 ways to inlay your own pottery!
Mishima Pottery Modern Artist Inspiration Gallery
4 Ways to Inlay Designs Into Clay
Method #1: Carve, inlay, & wipe: using underglaze at the leather hard or bone dry stage
Image credit: Jenna Vanden Brink
Step by step guide:
Using a pin tool, or an x-acto knife, deeply cut fine lines into leather hard clay to create intricate patterns and designs.
At the stiff leather or bone dry stage, apply a watered down underglaze (1:1 ratio) to your piece to fill in the fine line designs.
Wipe the piece off with a clean damp sponge (like this Xiem Pro Fine Texture Sponge). Remember, if you are working with a bone dry piece, be extra careful with the delicate pottery.
Want a short video demonstrating this process?
Jenna Vanden Brink (IG @jennavandenbrink) is a ceramic artist who does intricate inlay work using this method. You can check out Jenna’s inlaying tutorial reels here and here.
Potter Josephine Mae (IG @josephine.mae.design) also has a reel tutorial on this method here.
Why choose this method over others:
This method allows you to do fine line inlay if you don’t have access to wax resist and/or your pottery studio prohibits the use of wax due to fumes at firing.
Method #2: Carve, inlay, & scrape: using slip at the leather hard stage
Image credit: Leela Chakravarti
Step by step guide:
Using a fine point carving tool (like this one from Diamond Core Tools), a sharp pin tool, or an x-acto knife, carve your design out into the surface of your almost leather hard piece.
Apply a yoghurt-like slip to the surface of the piece, pressing in the slip into the carvings with your brush
Once the slip is leather hard, scrape the slip off with a metal rib (like this steel scraper from Kemper).
Want a short video demonstrating this process?
The second half of this 5 minute video on Youtube demonstrates the scrape off inlay method with slip.
Potter Leela Chakravarti demonstrates this method using stamps instead of carving in a reel here and here.
Why choose this method over others:
Scraping the slip levels out the inlay with the surface of the piece for a more uniform finished surface.
You can have larger and wider inlaid designs.
Method #3: Wax resist, carve, inlay, & wipe: using slip, underglaze, or Mayco Stroke & Coat at the leather hard stage
Image credit: Meesh Pottery
Step by step guide:
Apply wax (like this blue toned one from Amaco) over the surface of your leather hard piece. The wax acts as a barrier to keep certain chosen areas free from color.
Using a fine point carving tool (like this one from Diamond Core Tools), a pin tool, or an x-acto knife, carve your design out into the wax resisted surface. Since your carvings aren’t filled with wax (because you carved them out), the slip or underglaze will adhere to your clay. Make sure the carvings aren’t too shallow because the proximity to the surface level will mean the color may get wiped off later on.
Apply slip, underglaze, or Mayco Stroke & Coat (compatible with your clay and firing temperature) onto the surface of the piece, making sure to fill in the carvings.
When the slip, underglaze, or Stroke & Coat is dry, wipe the piece off with a clean damp sponge (like this Xiem Pro Fine Texture Sponge).
Want some short videos demonstrating this process?
This Instagram reel demonstrates how I use the wax resist inlay method to create fine line florals with underglaze.
This Instagram reel demonstrates how I create rainbow inlay with underglaze.
The first half of this 5 minute video on Youtube demonstrates the wax resist inlay method with a contrasting slip.
Artist Becca Sands of Simply Sands Ceramics discusses her wax resist inlay process here.
Why choose this method over others:
The wax resist barrier makes wiping off the excess color off your piece a lot easier.
You can add layers of color to your piece by covering the surface of your piece with slip or underglaze before applying the wax resist. After the wax resist is applied, when you carve into the piece, the colored surface will be removed, and you can then inlay the carvings with another color (or more, like the rainbow mug above) of your choice.
Method #4: Carve, fire, inlay & wipe: using underglaze or glaze at the bisque ware stage
Image credit: Meesh Pottery
Step by step guide:
Before bisque firing, prepare your inlaying surface. Using a fine point carving tool (like this one from Diamond Core Tools which I used on the roses carved into the red mug above) or a pin tool, carve your design into your leather hard pottery. Make sure the carvings aren’t too shallow, or the proximity to the surface level will mean the color may get wiped off later on. Use a soft fat brush or your fingers to clean away any burs, then bisque fire your piece.
Apply underglaze or glaze onto the surface of your bisque fired piece and fill in the carvings. If using underglaze, a more watered down underglaze will fill into ultra fine lines faster.
Before the underglaze or glaze dries fully (it’s okay if it dries, it’s just more work to wipe off then), wipe the underglaze and glaze off the surface off the piece with a clean damp sponge (like this Xiem Pro Fine Texture Sponge). The underglaze or glaze should remain in your carvings.
Want a short video demonstrating this process?
Potter Alicja Zasucha (IG @upland_clay) demonstrates and discusses this method in a reel here.
Why choose this method over others:
The sturdy bisque fired piece can handle a little more vigorous sponge wiping.
You can add layers of color to your piece by underglazing or slip-coating the surface of your piece before carving, like the red mug featured above. In the featured mug, red underglaze was applied to the surface of the Laguna Speckled Buff clay at the leather hard stage before carving the intricate roses. After the piece was bisque fired, the carvings were inlaid with a matte white glaze.
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