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The Process of Tile Making

The art of tube-lining tile is very complicated and time-consuming. Each tile is individually drawn and glazed. By using tools filled with liquid clay, the artist first draws a remarkably fine image on each blank tile, and then applies the glazes onto the tile behind the shallow "dam" created by the tube-lining. By controlling the quantity, surface tension and dynamics of various liquid glazes, the artist creates unparallel bright colors and color harmony within and between glazes, which is the foundation of the tile artworks.

As with all ceramics, the lasting beauty of the artwork comes from firing the tile, a process that transforms glazes from homogenous and muddy tones to bright colors and various textures. The firing techniques are very unique. It includes several cycles of slow firing and cooling depending on the color scheme of the image, which enhances the brightness of the color and durability of the tile that will resist most of the chemical and environmental attacks. A typical firing process last 24-hours with a peek temperature exceeding 2000 F.

Crazing (fine lines) is common in the tube-lining art tiles which was caused by the body (biscuit) of the tile and the glaze expanding and shrinking at different rates during firing and cooling. It is so common that only few tiles escape from crazing. However, crazing does not impact the strength and durability of the tile.