Three Techniques: Many Styles
Most decorative pottery made in the last 100 years features one or more of just three basic techniques:
- Transfer printing
- Hand painting
- Slip trailing
Although it might seem a limited selection, an almost infinite variety of styles and appearances can be created through skilled use of this trio.
Transfer Printing
Perhaps most widely associated with late 19th and early 20th century blue and white wares, transfer printing gained a new lease of life when it was used to apply complex patterns in gold - a style much in vogue in the 1920s and 30s.
Examples of Maling, Wedgwood and Carlton Ware gold transfer printing.Maling, Wedgwood and Carlton Ware were all fine exponents of this technique and used it to great effect on their lustre wares. Gold register (transfer) printing involved applying the transfer using a substance such as linseed oil, rather than ink. Gold dust was then sprinkled over the piece - adhering only to the oiled pattern.
Hand Painting
Perhaps it is unfair to group such a broad set of skills under one heading - but there is no doubt that the application of colour by hand has given rise to a breathtaking variety of wonderful styles and designs.
Examples of Poole's Delphis, Crown Devon, Carlton Ware's Handcraft and Poole's Traditional ware, all handpainted.From the bold strokes of 1960s studio pottery through to the intricately painted and enamelled decoration of earlier Art Deco and Chinoiserie-styled pieces - all this colour was applied by the skilled hands of legions of (mostly) female decorators.
Indeed, the fineness of the detailing required for some pieces meant that only those still in their teens and early 20s had sharp enough eyesight for the work, which could only be done for a few years.
Slip Trailing

Sometimes known as "tube lining", slip trailing is a technique that has become particularly associated with
Moorcroft pottery. It has been surprisingly widely used, however, with many other potteries and designers appreciating the characteristic look it provides.

Slip (liquid clay) is applied in a thin line to the undecorated body of a piece. Once dried, colours can be applied by hand to the piece, remaining separated by the trailed design.
Slip trailing creates an attractive relief effect and provides a convenient means of separating hand-applied colours.
Finishing Touches
I hope this newsletter has illustrated the breadth of effect achieved by just a few core techniques; by combining these with different glazes, firing routines and clays, the possibilities are almost endless.
Best Wishes,
Perfect Pieces
Newsletters
Here you'll find a list of our past newsletters. They feature information on different potteries, some of our featured stock and information on antique fairs and general news from the antique and collectors world!
Happy reading!
- Happy Christmas from Perfect Pieces!
- Christmas Offers & New Stock!
- Late Summer Offers & New Stock Updates...
- A Visit To York & More Special Offers!
- Summer Is Here! Summer Antique Fairs, Special Offers & More!
- Summer Is Approaching - Antique Fairs, New Stock & A Special Offer!
- Springtime & Bunnies - Antique Fairs & New Stock!
- Special Offers, Antique Fairs & New Stock!
- Spring Antique Fairs & Rabbits Galore!
- Happy New Year!
- Merry Christmas From Perfect Pieces!
- Unique & Collectable Christmas Gift Ideas!
- Will The Sunshine Hold For September?! Antique Fairs & PenDelfin Rabbits
- Summer Continues...Retired PenDelfin & Troika Pottery Galore
- Summer Sunshine At A Norfolk Antique Fair
- Summer Sunshine & Cornish Treats!
- PenDelfin Rabbits Galore!
- Troika Pottery, PenDelfin Rabbits & Puzzling Pottery Marks!
- Are We Going To Have Snow This Easter?!
- Happy Valentine's Day!
- Welcome To 2013!
- Happy Christmas From Perfect Pieces!
- Countdown To Christmas!
- Troika Pottery - A Popular Cornish Collectable!
- Denby Pottery
- Antique Fairs, New Stock & More Rain!
- Antique Fairs, Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, New Stock & Lots Of Rain!
- Summertime News & More Pottery Marks!
- Happy Easter from Perfect Pieces!
- Spring Fairs & Mothering Sunday - It's March!
- February News - Antique Fairs, New Stock & PenDelfin Rabbits!
- Happy New Year - Welcome To 2012!
- Merry Christmas From Perfect Pieces!
- Make This Year A Collectable Christmas With Perfect Pieces!
- Happy Halloween - Halloween Treats From Perfect Pieces!
- Perfect Pieces On The TV!
- Summer Holiday Reads - Antique & Collectable Book Reviews!
- Antiques Worldwide This Summer!
- Sunshine & Gales Calls For Blustery Antique Fairs!
- Royal Weddings & Easter Eggs!
- Steaming Around York
- Bruges: Chocolates & Curiosities
- Welcome to 2011. Doesn’t time seem to fly?!
- Merry Christmas From Perfect Pieces
- Burra Bears - A Unique Piece Of Shetland
- Lord Nelson Memorabilia And Collectables
- Steaming Into Autumn
- Antiques In The Summertime
- Pottering Around Antique Centres
- Father's Day Gift Ideas 2010
- A Flying Visit To Limoges
- Spring Is Here - Time To Get Out More!
- West Country Potteries
- February, Fairs & Valentine's Day
- Only Two Weeks Until Christmas...
- Collectables Don’t Have To Be Clutter
- Seeing Double? Not Necessarily...
- Errington Reay: A Real, Live, British Pottery
- Books, Books & More Books...
- Identifying Pottery Marks - Where to Start?
- Learning About Antiques & Collectables
- Happy New Year and welcome to 2009!
- Perfect Pieces Christmas Sale & Shipping Dates
- Thanks, Jean: A Look Back At 51 Years of PenDelfin
- A Visit to Newark International Antiques Fair
- Antique & Collectors Fairs: Are They Worth Visiting?
- Carlton Ware at the NEC
- A Potted History: Charlotte Rhead
- Troika Pottery: Stronger Today than 25 Years Ago?
- Springtime from a Tyneside pottery
- Poole Pottery: Phoenix from the Ashes?
- Daytime TV, Retro Glass & Bamboo...
- Merry Christmas from Perfect Pieces!
- The Enduring Appeal of the Supernatural - Still Popular Today?
- Understanding Pottery Marks
- Three Techniques: Many Styles - A look at three important decorating techniques
- Children's Wares For Grown-Up Collectors
- A Tale From The Lakes
- The Cornish Effect
- From Buyouts To Bunnies...
- From Switzerland to Stoke: Crown Devon's European Import
- Pottery Marks Guide and Pottery Valuation & Appraisal Service
- A Lustre Alternative - Matt Glazed Wares, Art Deco Style
- Truda Carter - Poole Pottery's Greatest Art Deco Designer?
- Odd Ones Out - Three unusual pieces from Wedgwood, Pendelfin and Troika
- Antique Pottery Price Guide Goes Live, and a look at three contrasting 1930s pieces.
- Focus on Carlton Ware - One Shape, Many Patterns
- Wedgwood: The legacy of Keith Murray
- Wonderful Wedgwood Lustre, and a couple of true British Collectables
- A rare Crown Devon Musical, some 1930s Maling lustre, and an early Poole Jug
- A look at the enduring appeal of Poole Pottery's 1950s Freeform Range