Ralph Esposito

Curriculum Project #1
Fulbright Hays Summer Seminar, Greece and Bulgaria
Summer 2008

Topic: Traditional Bulgarian Pottery

The Troyan Technique

Grade Level:
This project can be adapted to students of any level
studying ceramics. The specific audience for my use will
be post - high school/college students in an introductory
ceramics class.

Stage 1 - Desired Results

Understanding:
Students will gain awareness of Bulgaria including a brief overview of its history, arts, and culture.
Students will understand this traditional slip decorating technique and its complexity and discover
creative variations of it.

Student Objectives:
Students will become aware of Bulgaria, its location
and historical overview, the breadth of its culture
and arts, and particularly traditional Troyan pottery.
They will gain an appreciation for the skill required
to create this type of decoration and learn that it can
be an inspiration for creative experimentation and
discovery in their own work.

Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence

Performance Task
After viewing images, demonstrations, and participating in discussions students will be required
to attempt the Troyan style of slip decorations on their own ceramic projects. They will also be
required to attempt more personal creative variations of this techniques on at least one other ceramic
project. Their completed projects and responses in discussions, demonstrations, and critiques will
provide evidence of learning and acquisition of skills.

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Stage 3 - Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
Students will view images of Bulgarian geography, visual arts and historical artifacts. They will also
briefly discuss Bulgarian history and contemporary arts. The students will then be required to construct
some type of pottery or clay project. Depending on their skills and the type of projects they attempt, they
may try the slip techniques on parts to be assembled later or on completed pieces. If skilled in throwing,
they may attempt to use the slip designs on wheel made works. If not, they will use the techniques on
slabs of clay that will then be used to construct their projects.

Overview of Activities:

Day 1 View slide show on Bulgaria/Troyan pottery

Day 2 View demonstrations of techniques
Day 3 Make first attempts at slip techniques-flat
Day 4 Refine techniques and experiment with them
Day 5 Plan/begin projects using techniques
Day 6 Finish projects
Next week Dry work, bisque fire, glaze, and final fire.
Bulgarian Potters
Next week Critique, discuss and review

Note: schedule is based on three one-hour classes per week

Information about Troyan, Bulgaria

Troyan is a small town in North Bulgaria located on the banks of

the Beli Ossam River in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains.
The region has been inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic
era. During the Bronze Age a Thracian tribe lived in this valley.
They were a people with highly developed arts and culture.
Crafts have thrived there since the first half of the 19th century
during which the Troyan School of Ceramics was born. The
town itself was officially declared in 1868 and has become
famous for its handmade artwork, especially ceramics which
are sold worldwide. Today Troyan has 25, 000 inhabitants and
a Museum of Folk Crafts and Applied Arts in addition to the
School of Ceramics. The Troyan slip designs are well known
throughout the world and can be seen across Bulgaria today.
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Information about ceramic techniques and materials

The traditional Troyan ceramic style is usually hand thrown on a pottery wheel using a local red clay
body. Once dried to the leather hard stage (half dry), the pots are trimmed of excess clay. After a bit
more drying the pots are immersed in a red clay slip. A slip is any clay in a liquid state, in this case
liquid clay with color. Next, other colors of slip are added by using an ear syringe or other devices to
feed the liquid onto the pot. This was originally done with a cow horn that had a hole drilled in the
tip and a chicken feather quill inserted in the hole. Applied while the pot is spinning on the wheel,
alternating lines of different colors of slip are created that make horizontal bands on the piece. The lines
are so close that they touch. Next, while the wheel is stationary larger blobs of slip are added at the top
of the bands of color. These are frequently blobs of one color topped with a contrasting blob added in
the center and sometimes a third color on top of that. Now the artists bangs on the wheel top or stomps
on the flywheel to cause the blobs to slide down the side of the pot. This jarring creates a downward
movement in the horizontal bands as well. The bands between the blobs do not move. Finally the
finishing touches are created by feathering the bands in between and around the areas where the blobs
and bands have moved downward. (See photos.) After controlled slow re-drying
back to the leatherhard stage, any additions (handles, knobs, etc.) are attached.

Steps in the process

Obtain clay from your local ceramic supplier. I have experimented with a
number of clays and would recommend a low temperature red earthenware. The
color works well and it has good working properties for both handbuilding and
throwing. Roll out slabs or throw forms to start.

• Preparing slips
The simplest way to try the Troyan techniques is to purchase commercially
prepared underglazes or slips (sometimes called engobes) for the temperature
range you will fire. Two readily available brands are Amaco Liquid Underglaze
Decorating colors and Velvet Underglazes. These are usually
too fluid but will work on horizontal surfaces. They are more
expensive than making your own but are very easy as they are
pre-mixed.
Or:
Mix your own slips (see included formulas) for the atmosphere
and temperature range you will fire (should match your clay).
Make sure to get the consistency the same for all colors and
screen well to make smooth. Consistency effects the way the
blobs and bands move.
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• Loading trailing device
I have found that ear syringes for babies are the simplest
devices to use to deliver the slips. To load simply squeeze out
air, hold it, and put tip of syringe into the slip. Then release
pressure and allow it to suck up the slip. Most often it takes
several attempts to fill the syringe. In between each attempt turn
the tip upward, tap the syringe on a flat surface to make the air
rise to the top. Then squeeze out air until slip emerges, hold,
and continue to fill.

There are many other devices including syringes,

basters, injectors, pastry bags, and others that can
be used to apply slip. I have tried many and prefer
the ear syringe for its simplicity and ease of use.

Load as many colors as you wish to use into the

trailing devices. I recommend beginning with no
more than two or three.

• Prepare forms
The clay slab or pot can be wet or dried to
leatherhard. I have experimented with
both and stages in between. Trial
and error will allow discovery of the
preferred stage of dryness.

This technique is most easily done on

flat horizontal surfaces. I suggest first
attempting it on slabs or thrown plates.

• Coat with slip

Next you can coat the clay with a layer of wet slip using a brush.
Traditionally the piece would be dipped in slip to cover the entire thing
but that would take a very large amount of slip. I have used a brush,
poured the slip on, and omitted this layer.

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• Apply lines of alternating colors of slips
Now apply lines of one color of slip with enough space between them for the other colors you will
use. Always attempt to get all air out of the syringe before starting. Tap it with the tip pointing up and
squeeze out air until slip begins to emerge. Hold pressure on it and turn over with tip down and then
apply. If air is inside the slip will “burp” as it is applied and will not make an even continuous line.

It is easiest to begin with only two or three colors. Try to get the alternating lines of slip close enough to
each other to touch. When they touch they “connect,” flatten out and become a single layer of slip that
has alternating lines of color in it. Tapping on the table or board that the piece is sitting on can assist this
process. See photos on page 11.

• Apply blobs
At this point, use the slip device to create a large blob at the top of the group of horizontal lines. Use a
different color to put a slightly smaller blob inside of the previous one. A third still smaller blob can be

put inside of the second one. Tap or jar the piece to flatten slips. Then tilt the piece to see if the blobs
will move downward and move sections of the lines with it. Tapping may help. Be careful as the entire
section of lines will move if it is too wet. Ideally there will only be movement where the blobs are.

The traditional pieces

also display “feathered”
the lines of slip as well.
This is accomplished
by dragging the soft
tip of a feather through
the lines of color and
creating patterns (see
examples). It is usually
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done between the downward moving blobs. I use a very thin and
flexible broom straw for this. The tool must be flexible enough to
not cut into the underlying clay but only move slips that lie on top.

Advanced students who throw can try these techniques on vertical

pieces but it is much more difficult due to controlling the slips on a
curved surface.

• Drying
Any work made this way must be dried slowly as the slip adds
a great deal of water to the surface of the clay. Pieces should not be covered until the slip has lost the
shiny wet look so as to avoid spoiling the pattern. Once past that
stage, drying should be stopped for at least a day and then proceed
slowly. Slabs should be turned over several times during drying
to avoid warping from excess shrinkage on one side. If too much
slip is applied or the slip has too much water it can cause problems
with the forms like cracking or warping.

This takes much practice and experimentation. Some of the factors

involved are the consistency of the slip, the wetness of the clay,
and the speed at which you attempt the various stages. I have
found it is great to show students the traditional work and explain the technique and then encourage
experimentation. Usually first attempts are not successful and so
they become experiments.

My demonstrations most often have mixed results, which gives

students “permission” to make mistakes. Their first attempts allow
discovery of how much skill is required. I suggest experimentation
with the technique without trying so hard to duplicate the results of
very skilled Bulgarian craftsmen. This lets students tap into their
own creativity and gain an appreciation for highly skilled ceramic
work from another country and culture.

Notes:
For younger students this project can be done with flat slabs of clay and simply cut into interesting
shapes for wall plaques. When leatherhard drill a hole in the slab for hanging. Students with experience
in handbuilding (but not throwing) can use the slabs for creating spoon rests or small trays or other
handbuilt projects. I have tried mixing underglazes with slips, omitting the base layer of slip, and
blending colors in the base layer of slip. Tilting, turning, and inverting pots with runny colors creates

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interesting patterns. Try brushing on colors at
all stages, adding more slips to fill in or change
patterns and any other variations that come to
mind. I encourage this kind of experimentation
with students. I have not yet perfected the Troyan
technique. With enough experiments and trials. I
will get closer. Perfect replication is not necessarily
the result I want. I believe it is important to
emphasize to students that it is not necessary to
duplicate the original technique. By studying and
working with it students learn about Bulgaria,
its arts and this particular type of ceramics. They
will gain an appreciation for the difficulty of the
technique and the skill of the artist that do it.
Finally (and perhaps most importantly) they will
use knowledge gained from study and practice
to create very personal, creative, and individual
projects.

Web sites:
http://www.balkania.org
http://troyan-greenheaven.hit.bg/historyn.html
http://www.ecotroyan.com
http://www.potters.org/

Contact information:
Ralph Esposito
Professor of Art
Carroll College
1601 North Benton Avenue
Helena, MT 59625 USA
resposit@carroll.edu

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Examples of variations of the Troyan slip technique:

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More examples of variations of the
Troyan slip technique:

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More examples of variations of the
Troyan slip technique:

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 Applying a line of contrasting slip.

Applying a base layer of slip that Applying more lines.

uses two different colors of slip.

Applying alternating contrasting lines Filling in gaps. Tapping board slab is on to

to a slab (above and below). flatten lines.

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Slip designs on bowls in the wet stage.

The same bowls after glazing and final firing.

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These are slab wall plaques in the drying stage. Note hole drilled in top for hanging.

completed slab tray

completed slab spoon rests

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Cone 6 White Slip Formula (base for colors)
(Use 20 oz. water per 500 grams dry slip to start - screen thoroughly)

Bentonite 3 30 300
Ball clay (C&C) 28 280 2800
Kaolin (EPK) 29 290 2900
Flint (silica) 20 200 2000
Custer feldspar 20 200 2000
Total 100 1000 10000

Slip Colors
(add to white formula)

For 100 grams base add: For 500 grams:

Light Blue
Mason stain #6376 1.5 grams 7.5 grams

Medium Blue
cobalt carbonate 1 gram 5 grams

Dark Blue
cobalt carbonate 2 grams 10 grams
red iron oxide 3 grams 15 grams

Yellow Gold
rutile 5 grams 25 grams

Red Iron
red iron 20 grams 100 grams

Blue Green
red iron 2 grams 10 grams
cobalt carbonate 0.5 gram 2.5 grams
copper carbonate 0.5 gram 2.5 grams

Black
Mason stain #6600 7 grams 35 grams

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