Tiki mug carving process

When I make a tiki mug I start with a sketch of what I want to do. (The hardest part of the process!)

The sketch then gets transformed to an actual size sketch, taking shrinkage into consideration.

I throw a cylinder, not pictured, on the wheel leaving it solid, in the size I need, sans design. (The design adds .125 to .24 more width to the mug sculpture.)

The actual size sketch is then laid over a slab of clay that was previously rolled out to fit the design. Then I cut the pieces out of the slab to then applique to the cylinder scoring it and using slip to attach.

I cheated and just rolled the heavy cylinder over the design (carefully) to attach it. (It came out better than expected. Usually I just pick up the pieces and attach them one by one.)

So I get a beginning design like this. Latter I'll post pictures and  a step by step carving for mold making.

Thanks for checking out my blog! :)