After sketing it out on paper, I roll a slab big enough for the bottom. I then roll lots of slabs for the sides which are about 3" x 15" and attach them to the base building vertically. With scratch and slip, I build then next layer. Usually, I can only do two layers or the weight of the soft clay will begin collapsing. So, I let it dry covered for at least a day.
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Here is after the second day I have worked on it. A total of four layers.,
Here is the piece with eight layers on it. If you look closely, you can see the divisions between the layers. Once I got to this point, I did a critical evaluation of the design and determined it would look better with a few alterations. See next picture.
I felt it would be more visually appealing with the bottom left corner slanted rather than parallel to the table surface. I felt the top shoul reflect this so I cut some off to make it slanted. Then I felt the upper right corner didn't carry enough visual weight, so I added a little box to that area. I was now please with the design.
I then spent a great deal of time refining the surface. I used a wooden paddle to help smooth it and to refine the curves. I then used clay shredders (or rasps) to help smooth the clay. I used a large one for the large area and smaller one for the smaller areas. In this picture you can see the smaller one on the board.
After the clay had dried significantly, I then use coarse sandpaper to smooth it further.
Once it was adequately smooth. I sent it through the first firing. After that the clay is vitrified but still can be sanded. I took it outside and spent some time sanding it as smooth as I could.
Here it is after the second firing in my house. I was quite happy with it.
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