A Scallop Shell Tile

This was my entry for the Etsy Mud Team Tile Challenge. Today was the deadline. I had hopes to have more time to make a more ellaborately detailed tile, but I'm still happy with how this scallop shell turned out. 


I made this 4" x 4" tile from white clay when I was in Florida a couple years ago.  I liked the way it looked without glaze, so had it displayed in it's bisque state until now, but decided to see how it would look with some color. 

This is the back of the shell that I used to make an impression in the tile.

Here's the tile before the glaze firing. 

The tile after the glaze firing....

I chose salmon, light red, white and yellow underglazes, and framed the shell with a light sand color. A little purple added to the mix would have made the tile more true to life, but the result is still realistic with the coral hues.

It's interesting to see how changing the color of the background in the photos can change the appearance and color of the tile.