A Bigger Butterfly

This butterfly design has been part of our line of handmade tiles for years, but only in the 2"x2" size.  We decided it was time to make it bigger! Now you can order it in the 4"x4" size as well. The larger version is shown here in the "spearmint" glaze:

I posted a picture of the sculpting process in a previous blog entry. Here are a couple of pictures of the mold making process...

Making a ceramic tile mold for hand-made tile butterfly 1

Above is the original tile in the bottom of my homemade mold making apparatus, waiting to be covered in plaster. The box is then filled to with plaster. Once it hardens, the sides of the box come off and the clay is removed. It is hard to mix and pour plaster while taking pictures, so lets skip that step and go straight to the fun part....


Making a ceramic tile mold for hand-made tile butterfly 2

Once the plaster has set, it is so gratifying to peel out the original and find a perfect inverse. It is almost as exciting as opening a kiln to see finished tiles! 

Handmade Tiles Referenced: 

Handmade Tile, Handmade Tile Ceramic Glaze - , Emily Margaret Ulm


Related Ideas

An interview on
An interview on "New Day Cleveland"
Here I am, talking about my work on New Day Cleveland, our local morning show on channel 8. Thank you, Emma and Tom, ...
Read More
Birds on a Branch with a Border
Birds on a Branch with a Border
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE customer installation photos? It's so gratifying for me to see where the tiles end u...
Read More
A hearth that tells a story
A hearth that tells a story
This tile installation has become a record a family's history, because every member of this family got to pick out a ...
Read More