"One thing I enjoy experimenting with is slip, a liquid clay. It can be built up in layers to create a raised design or to add detail to a carving or sculpture. Our botanicals, the dragonfly and the lizards are made using this technique.

First, make your tile. Then, buy some commercial slip or make some by mixing some smooth clay with water in a blender. Using a paint brush, apply slip to your wet tile, building it up in layers. You may have to wait a bit between layers if it's put on thickly. When the slip is set up a bit you can use the brush to move it around, sculpt it, texture it, etc..., best to futz about with it and get a feel for the way it responds. You can also let it dry and carve finer detail into it (carefully though, as it's quite fragile at this stage). Some interesting effects can be had by using different colors of clay or adding stains to the slip. One of my favorite techniques is to use porcelain slip on a low fire stoneware tile. The porcelain shrinks more than the stoneware, so the design cracks, but the tile itself remains intact. A little black under glaze rubbed into the cracks and...ta-da, the possibility of something really cool.

If you want to make a plaster mold of a tile made using this technique, do it when the main body of the tile is leather hard. Don't worry if the slip is dry, the mold will still come out fine.

So there's a little thing I like to do with tiles. I hope this helps give you some good fooling around ideas."