Ceramic "clay"

The next work shop session we did was ceramics and working with clay, clay is basically mud as a raw material and can be orange as it is lined with metals such as iron, this oxidises over time giving it it's orange tinge, it is purified and turns grey. To start we were told to make clay tiles with the theme of signs in the work place, mine was based on a restriction/no access sign, this was  designed with different levels to add texture and effect to the piece , we rolled out the clay between two guards to stop it spreading far, if it is over rolled it will curl at the ends. Once we had finished our pieces they need to to be left to dry then they can be fired in the kiln to solidify. If the tile had hollow sections where it was raised quite far it need to be punctured with holes so that the peice doesn't explode in the kiln why its cooking this is because the air particles become active and expands caused the clay to shatter with detrimental force and can cause damage to the kiln. This can be a huge safety hazard and can be a fire hazard as well.  After out first attempt we had to make a more complex peice of work, I made a flammable sign in 3d which stood up and was split into layers, like a theatre set with different layers representing different segments of the flame.