Decorative Technique (Rice 1987:144-149)

Simple impressing - "In simple impressing the imprint of a tool on the clay surface creates a pattern; this may be a natural object such as shell, reeds, corncobs, or animal teeth or bones, or it may be a manufactured item such as a piece of mat, textile, or string. Impressing may also be done with a thumb, finger, or fingernail." (Rice 1987:144-145)

Stamping - "In stamping a tool (any of those mentioned above or a specially formed stamp) is used as a die to impress a repeated pattern of identical motifs. Stamping differs from simple impressing in the unitary rather than continuous character of the decoration." (Rice 1987:145)

Rouletting - "In rouletting a cylindrical tool is rolled over the surface, leaving a continuous impressed design. Balfet, Fauvet-Berthelot, and Monzon (1983, 101) distinguish two variants of rouletting based on the size of the implement: molette (or roulette; 4 cm or less) and rouleau (roller; greater than 4 cm)." (Rice 1987:145)

Rocker stamping - "Rocker stamping is a combination of stamping and rouletting; a stamp (for example, a shell) is "walked" or moved over the surface by rocking from side to side, producing a distinctive irregular zigzag decoration. Rocker stamping is usually done with a convex tool or with the edge of an implement." (Rice 1987:145)

Punctuation - "In punctuation depressions are punched into wet clay, usually with a sharp or pointed instrument (fig 5.15a,b), such as a stick, a hollow reed, an awl, or a finger or fingernail. This treatment is sometimes described as linear punctuation if the depressions form lines. Punctuation often (but not always) involves some displacement of the clay." (Rice 1987: 145)

Incising - "cutting lines into the surface of a vessel with a pointed implement—is one of the most variable of the decorative techniques. The appearance of incised decoration depends on the state of the clay (wet, leather hard, dry, fired), the texture of the paste, the size and shape of the instrument, the angle at which the instrument is held, the pressure used, and the direction the tool is moved." (Rice 1987:146)

• variations include:
  • "Fine incising is done with a sharp-pointed instrument and creates lines that are narrow, generally deep, and have a V-shaped cross section."
  • "Groove-incising may be done with an instrument that has a broader round or pointed tip, and the lines are broad and shallow; sometimes it may be done by a gougelike tool, held either perpendicular to the surface or at an angle."
  • "Incised decoration may also be described in terms of when it is done, as preslip, postslip, or postfire. ... Variations on the incising technique include gadrooning, combing, and sgraffiato."

Excising

Appliqué - "Appliqué refers to the application of small, shaped pieces of clay to the surface of the vessel, including fillets, pellets, spikes, flanges, and other attachments."(Rice 1987:148)

Inlay - "small fragments of some nonceramic material, usually stone, are pressed into the clay to form a decorative pattern." (Rice 1987:148)

Painting - "...coloring the surface ... with a colorant or pigment. ... Pigments may be organic or inorganic and may be applied either before or after the firing the vessel, although organic pigments frequently oxidize and disappear in firing. ... Decoration painted in two colors is sometimes described as bichrome; painting with three or more colors is polychrome decoration." (Rice 1987: 148)

Polychrome - "...painting with three or more colors is polychrome decoration." (Rice 1987: 148) 

Resist Painting - "In resist painting (Shepard 1976, 206-12) a temporary protective coat is applied over portions of the vessel surface, color is applied to the remainder, and the protective coating is removed (usually during firing). The background color is typically black and is often achieved by postfire smudging of the vessel; the protective coating is usually something organic—such as wax—that will be removed by heat but not distort the underlying color." (Rice 1987:149)