We were asked to create large tile motifs for the exterior of a residence in the Los Angeles area; the clients wanted to take the appearance of their Deco-era home from its current mix of basic Streamline and Spanish styles to a purely Art Deco aesthetic.

After going through a few rounds of designs, a Deco flora and fauna motif was
selected, to be produced in two aspect ratios: a rectangular set and a subset of
that motif in a square version. As eight total sets were going to be needed, master designs had to be created, then each tile molded in plaster so that multiples could
be made.

A portion of one of the interim pencil sketches that lead to the final design.

The final design was created in Adobe Illustrator, printed out, then traced onto
a large slab of smooth clay.

The final "master" design, to be
sectioned into smaller pieces that
will become individual tile masters.

Individual tiles from the main design
are cut out to be used as masters for
the mold-making process.

A finished plaster mold, shown with the master tile still inside. This master will
be pulled out and discarded.

Some of the final tiles, made using the plaster molds. (These tiles have been
hand-pounded/pressed; no automation
was used.)

An air-release mold of the upper border tiles for the rectangular motifs. This
type of mold is used for higher
volume production.

Some of the upper border tiles just
after pressing.

One of the rectangular sets, partially
dry. At this stage, the tiles are
checked for fit.

Some of the fully dried tiles, shown
as they are placed into the kiln.

A special aluminum-flaked coating was
used in lieu of glaze to achieve
a metallic finish.

A black patina was applied to bring
out the details of each tile and to
further enhance the metallic look.

Two of the finished sets, prior to
packing and delivery.

Tile installed prior to stucco color
coat application.

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