The first hand-pressed terracotta cherub, made exactly the same way they made the architectural pieces for building facades in the 1890s has been removed from the mold. The experiment on this is a success, although I need to change a couple of things in the mold making process because there were some issues with the mold making compound I used that caused a very rough pitted surface, that roughness has transferred to the terracotta but that is an easily solved issue.
The cherub is made from Continental course red clay with grog.
Here’s how it was done in the old days, hand pressing the clay into plaster molds as these workers are shown doing:
