Historically, man has desired to create living spaces which were beautiful, durable, and user friendly.  With that in mind, ceramic tile has been made by man for 4000 years. Beautiful decorative tilework has been important in the creative arts all over the world and all through the ages from the oldest pyramids to the Renaissance in Italy. 

Check out this discovery of Roman mosaic tile floor recently discovered in Italy.  (A different style than you will be creating, but still SO cool!)

Examples of ancient tiles from around the world (hover over for dates/places):

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!  You get to join some of the greatest artist through the ages and design your own ceramic tile. The size will be 7"x7" square. 

* I will give you a piece of paper on which to create your design.  This will be the pattern you will use to impress your images on the clay, so make sure you draw things exactly the way you want them.

* You will begin by rolling out a clay slab.  Your piece will need to have 3 "layers."  Part of your design will be the layer you roll out.  Part of it will be built up, and part of it will be inscribed into (but not through) the tile.

* Putting some sort of border around your tile is a good idea to help contain the image and protect the edges from getting too thin and breaking off.

*Remember to also think about TEXTURE and PATTERN when designing your tile. This is what makes the piece interesting, especially when we glaze it!

INSPIRATION: