Black figure pottery was named for the black silhouetted figures that adorned red clay pottery. The silhouetted figure compositions were drawn onto the pot and filled in using a refined watery clay called slip. Engraving tools were used to add additional detail to the figure by scratching through the slip, exposing the clay of the pot. Oxygen in the firing process reacted with the iron in the clay resulting in a reddish-orange pot. Then the firing temperature was raised, vents closed and greenwood added to the fire to remove oxygen from the furnace. With less oxygen to react with the iron the pot turned black. As the pot cooled it returned to the reddish-orange finish but the figures remained black because the thin layer of slip dried and fired faster, using less oxygen than the clay of the pot.
Master potters demonstrated quality and skill in their compositions. Individual style was apparent in the work of these artisans as they employed the most recent artistic techniques. Most notable was the way the composition was constructed. Less emphasis was place on the symbolism of the figure and more emphasis was given to the interpretation of the scene. The artisans produced compositions of the battlefield that portrayed grim, spirited figures, while other pots depicted energy and high-spirited emotion. Experience fueled interest in technique and style, and the potters continued to improve.
Greek ceramics progressed from black-figure to red-figure pottery. Red figure pottery continued to be adorned with silhouetted figures; however, the artists learned other ways of highlighting and detailing the figures. The effects were more realistic and could be appreciated from a greater distance. Through experience, the artists knew that the iron in the clay reacted to the oxygen in the furnace, and the resulting pottery was red. If the furnace was deprived of oxygen, the pottery would be black.
In the red figure technique, artists outlined the figures with refined slip and filled the areas between and behind the figures with the same slip used in black figure pottery. Rather than etching details into the design, they painted the figure details with slip. Additional slip colors were created by removing iron from the clay and adding dyes such as ochre. These improvement resulted in more effective detail and perspective within the design. During this period, artists mastered foreshortening, giving the figures a greater sense of movement.