Handmade Tile: Design, Create, and Install Custom Tiles

by Forrest Lesch-Middelton

Peter Pincus (Foreword)

Handmade Tile is a contemporary guide for ceramic artists and anyone interested in custom tile installations—from making, designing, and decorating to designing your space and installation.

No matter how many years of experience you have as a ceramic artist or how many home-improvement projects you’ve tackled, nothing prepares you for the unique world of ceramic tile. From concept and design, through firing and installation, ceramic tiling is one of the few places in a home where art is permanently installed as a feature of a room.

In Handmade Tile, Forrest Lesch-Middelton shares everything he’s learned as the founder and owner of the custom tile business FLM Ceramics and Tile. From his years as a one-man operation to his current production facility, Forrest has seen it all and helps you every step of the way. Whether you want to make your own tile, or want to use artistic and custom-made tile in your home, this book has everything you need.

Key features of the book include:

• Making Tile: key tools, rolling, cutting, extruding
• Decorating: glazes, image transfer, cuerda seca, underglaze, slip
• Designing Your Space: tile in context, choosing your tile, codes and standards
• Installation: removing old tile, backing, preparing surfaces, setting, grouting

Galleries and interviews with today’s top workings artists in tile round out the package. Featured artists include Allison Bloom, Boris Aldridge, Disc Interiors, PV Tile, and more. 

• ISBN13: 9780760364307
• Publish Date: 8 October 2019 (first published 17 September 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Quarry Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 208
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Handmade Tile through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Handmade Tile is not the sort of book I expected to come across when browsing art books one day. And yet it immediately caught my attention. There’s something so appealing, both about this book and about the idea of being able to craft one’s own tile.
This is a comprehensive guide designed for all skill levels. So whether or not you’ve ever done this before, as long as you have the desire to learn, then this is a book worth checking out. Forrest Lesch-Middelton’s writing is concise and easy to understand, making it perfect for beginners in particular.
There are a lot of positive things to say about this book. I was fascinated by the instructions, of course. But I also do appreciate the organization inside. The book is split into neat sections, such as how to make tile, decorating, designing a space with tiles, and even a gallery at the end (which featured some prominent artists in the field). It was exactly what I would have expected and hoped for.

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Handmade Tile: Design, Create, and Install Custom Tiles is an interesting treatment of clay theory, tilemaking, and DIY in one volume by Forrest Lesch-Middelton. Released 1st Oct 2019 from Quarto on their Quarry imprint, it's 208 pages and available in hardback and ebook formats.

I was surprised by the scope of this book. It's an all-in-one tutorial for understanding the medium, the history, the development and technology, the production, installation, and artistry well enough to get a start on learning the art and craft of tile making. The book is also interspersed with interviews with other artists elucidating some special techniques, artistry, or design specialties. As a survey text, it is thorough and accessible and gives a good overview of the special design and production challenges tile-makers must face (relatively small size, uniformity, clay warping, vitrification/durability and more).

The book follows a logical format. The introduction and first chapter cover history, development, clay types, vitrification (and durability), and different types of tile. The following chapters progress through the production of tile: sourcing and preparation, different methods of rolling and cutting tile, production techniques, the surface glazing and other considerations, and firing. There is a resource list at the back of the book along with some studio recipes and a short index.

The final chapters cover design and installation. Sprinkled throughout the book are gorgeously photographed artist displays and interviews. In fact, Handmade Tile is a beautifully photographed and illustrated book all around and I would recommend it to art and design students, not just clay artists. Quarto tend to have consistently high quality in the graphics and layout of their books, and this one is superlative.

This would make a great addition to the studio library for artists (not just clay artists). There is a lot of good discussion on design, texture, technique and more. This is a well done book, but I feel that in trying to be everything-in-one it misses. I'm not sure if most artisans would be able to create and complete an installation using only this book alone. It is, however, a really good starting point, absolutely full of inspiration and beauty.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.