Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...

My first experience with rolling texture stamps was in a potter's co-op right after high school. As is often the case in facilities where children's classes are offered, the quality of the public domain texture tools there left something to be desired.  At the time, I had no idea what to call these, and simply referred to them as "rollers".  I later learned that the term used in the clay community is "roulettes". My early attempts to copy the chipped and battered roulettes at the facility were complete failures, but the ability to incorporate continuous bands of repeated texture and pattern remained a desired element of my clay work.

My art history education in college took that interest a step further. In all the history of art, the works of Paleolithic and Bronze Age peoples were what grabbed my attention and held my heart. My first glimpse of an ancient Near Eastern cylinder seal renewed my interest in repeated motifs. The narrative qualities of many of those seals also opened a new vista. Not only could a roulette add texture to a pot, it could also add an element of story telling, and it could be a strong graphical element. Now all I had to do was figure out how to translate a desired design onto a useful tool.

Everything came together for me while teaching a class at a summer art camp years later. I was trying to explain to a group of students how to make stamps for texturing slabs, and I wanted them to include a symbol or a design that they felt represented themselves. To show them that the design on the stamp had to be the reverse of the design they wanted on the clay, I drew a picture in heavy water color pencil and then pressed very wet clay onto the drawing. I then laid the clay with the transferred picture on the table next to the original drawing, revealing the mirror image transferred to the clay. "Now," I told the students, "if you carve along the lines left by the pencil, you will make a stamp that will leave that mark on the clay."

Suddenly I thought I knew a way to make my roulettes, and to incorporate the more complicated motifs of the cylinder seals at the same time. Drawing the design on paper and then rolling the clay across it wasn't very successful, but I was still sure I was on the right track. Very few of the designs that I was interested in were intended to be read in only one direction, so I didn't need to worry about reversing my original drawing. I just needed to find a way to go from the flat drawing to the cylinder. The system I devised, in the end, was very simple. All of my finished seals are bisqued clay, but I'm sure that if you prefer plaster or another medium this same technique could be adapted.

I began by planning my design on graph paper, drawing several repetitions to form a short band. I next drew a grid over the drawing to indicate what I think of as the design cell, a single repetition of the design motif with the midpoints marked. Most of my designs are organic or geometric  patterns and as a result, quite flexible. Personally, I don't worry about transferring the design too exactly from paper to cylinder of, often making on the fly revisions, but there is nothing to prevent you from being more precise if you wish.

The next step is to map the design to the cylinder. Of course, if the design cell is tall and narrow, I will use a tall, thin cylinder. If the design is short and wide I'll use a shorter, thicker cylinder. Once I've made an appropriate cylinder of clay, I mark it off into quarters by drawing an x on the top and then drawing lines from those marks on the top down the sides to the bottom.  Next I mark the midpoints on those quarter lines. I now have a rough grid to use as guidelines when I transfer my design. I can always add more guidelines later if I need them.

Now comes the part that was so hard for me in the beginning, getting the design from paper to cylinder. For this step I use watercolor pencils. On the wet clay, I sketch the design using the guidelines I've just made. The pigment in the watercolor pencils transfers to the clay, leaving an easy to read line. Once the rough sketch is done, I smooth the surface of the seal to remove any pencil gouges and then refine the design with another pencil of a second color.

Once I have the design mapped out in colored pencil the way I want it, I can actually carve the design into the slightly soft clay. My favorite tool for carving fine lines in clay is a large porcupine quill, but you can experiment with different tools for different line qualities. When the design is carved, I set the seal to the side and allow it to dry to leather hard. At this stage I can smooth the surface of the seal, remove any finger marks or other blemishes that might detract from the finished impression, and go over the carving again to refine it. This is also the stage at which you might want to drill a hole for a handle, if you choose to use one.

At the bone dry stage I again clean and refine the carving, removing any clay crumbs from my carved lines, by following the carving with a fine paintbrush dipped in water. When the seals are at this stage, you can safely test them by rolling them in soft clay. Some changes can still be made at this point if you aren't happy. (WARNING: Carving bone dry clay generates quite a bit of dust.  You may find it helpful to brush the areas you want to refine with water before carving so that you don't create as much dust.)

When the seal is finished, fire it as you would any bisque stamp and care for it in the same way. Using these steps it is possible to build a diverse library of patterns and textures.

Now that I can quickly and reliably make roulettes, I've discovered that creating and discovering the repeating patterns they involve is an addictive process. Once you start looking for them, bands of repeating pattern are everywhere. My sketchbook is filled with designs copied from buildings seen while walking, fabrics seen while shopping, and sets seen while watching films or television.

Some tips for success:

• Carving roulettes in fine grained clay (i.e. porcelain or earthenware) will allow you to carve more detailed designs.

• If you want a continuous line as part of your design, make sure that the end of the line precisely meets the beginning when you come around the seal. The more smoothly the ends of a line meet and join, the better the impressed line will look.  

• Divide the cylinder into a rough grid and sketch your complete design before you begin to carve. There is nothing more frustrating than carving 3/4 of a design only to discover that you don't have the needed space on the rest of the seal to finish.

• By layering multiple small designs, you can create a wide variety of more complex motifs.  Try looking at large African textiles, which are made by joining narrow strips of woven fabric, to see the possibilities in placing one geometric design next to another.

• It is often helpful to keep notes about where your design sketches came from. That way, if someone asks you about a design, or you if want to go back to a particularly good source to study it further, you know where to look.

• Always remember the basic fact that what you carve on the roulette will be reversed when you roll it in clay.  This isn't a problem with geometric or organic designs, but can be frustrating if you forget and your designs are based on letters or words.  When carving a seal based on a map of the earth, I drew the outlines of the continents on paper in magic marker which bled through to the back.  When I turned the paper over I had a mirror image of my design.  You could do the same when making roulettes with words or alphabets.

• When using roulettes on wheel thrown pieces, it is a good idea to mount them on a handle and soak them in water. so that they don't stick and distort your finished pot.

• When handbuilding, if your seal becomes too wet and begins to stick to your clay, try brushing it with corn starch or talc.

A section of a page from the author's sketchbook, showing a border design inspired by a late night nature special on bees.

A detail of the sketchbook drawing of the bee border with a rough grid to aid in copying the design to a clay cylinder.

A roulette of the bee border made from the previous sketch. The roulette is shown at the leather hard stage with an impression made by carefully rolling it in very soft clay.  The roulette is approx. 1 1/2 inches tall by 7/8 inch in diameter.

A page from the author's sketchbook, showing designs inspired by Paleolithic pottery (top 3) and the carved door from a Hindu temple (bottom 2).

A roulette made from a motif on the author's sketchbook page. (Third from top.) The roulette is approx. 1 1/8 inches tall by 1 inch in diameter.

A set of three roulettes, a map approx. 1 1/2 inches tall by ¾ inch in diameter, a vine approx. 1 1/4  inches tall by 3/4 inch diameter, and a geometric design approx. 1/2 inch tall by 1/2 inch in diameter.

A roulette, approx. 1 1/4 inches tall by 1/2 inch in diameter, and the repeating design it produces when rolled in soft clay.

A variety of complex designs made by pairing the three simple roulettes shown.  The largest roulette, a Zodiac motif, is 1 inch tall by 1 inch in diameter. The other two roulettes, a celestial design and a geometric border, are approx. 1/2 inch tall and 1/2 inch in diameter.