Table of Contents
Sgraffito (in Italian “to scratch”) is a decorating pottery technique produced by applying layers of color or colors (underglazes or colored slips) to leather hard pottery and then scratching off parts of the layer(s) to create contrasting images, patterns and texture and reveal the clay color underneath.
What glaze do you use for sgraffito?
Typically a clear or semi-transparent glaze is used over a carved sgraffito design to allow the contrast to to show. Here’s how to do it: After your piece has reached leatherhard, and you have finished trimming it, paint a coat of slip onto the pot while it is centered and turning on the wheel. Do not paint the rim.
How is sgraffito done in clay?
Sgraffito is a decorative technique in which an artist scratches through a layer of glaze to reveal the clay body beneath. To achieve this look, first apply a layer of underglaze to a wet or leather-hard vessel and let the glaze dry. Then, using a tool like a loop tool, carve through the glaze to the clay body below.
How do you make colored slip for sgraffito?
To make colored slip, you mix a powdered oxide or stain with clay slip. The amount of stain added is normally between 5 and 10% of the weight of the clay in the slip. The best percentage depends on the color of the stain. And how deep you want the color of the slip to be.
How do you use slip to decorate pottery?
Can you sgraffito on bone dry clay?
If I’ve read correctly, you can use sgraffito on leather hard or bone dry greenware as well as bisqued pieces.
What is slip in pottery?
A slip is a clay slurry used to produce pottery and other ceramic wares. On one definition engobe, as compared to slip, has somewhat lower clay content, higher proportion of flux, and added filler, and in some cases a colorant.
What is Kurinuki pottery?
So what is it? Kuri Nuki is a traditional Japanese form of handbuilding. The word means ‘carving out’ and it involves shaping a solid block of clay, then carving out a vessel to create ‘interior space’. It is a more sculptural approach to making and the interior of the piece is just as important as the exterior.
What is a loop tool used for in ceramics?
A necessary tool for refining, etching, and marking your pieces, a loop tool is used mostly to remove controlled amounts of clay from wheel-thrown and hand-built ceramic pieces.
What is a sgraffito tool used for in ceramics?
In Italian, “sgraffito” translates as “to scratch.” Ceramicists and sculptors use sgraffito tools to create intriguing effects by scratching through different colorful layers of material, such as clays, slips, glazes, and plaster, to reveal a lower layer.
What is Mishima technique?
Mishima is a technique of inlaying slip, underglaze, or even clay into a contrasting clay body, the main clay body of the pottery piece. This technique allows for extremely fine, intricate design work with hard, sharp edges that can be difficult to reliably replicate in any other way.
What are clay sgraffito tools?
In Italian, “sgraffito” translates as “to scratch.” Ceramicists and sculptors use sgraffito tools to create intriguing effects by scratching through different colorful layers of material, such as clays, slips, glazes, and plaster, to reveal a lower layer. The contrast within the layers is striking.
What is the difference between underglaze and glaze?
A glaze consists of ground-up materials suspended in water, which is applied to the piece. When it is fired, the ingredients melt together to from glass. The clay body and the underglaze contain glass-forming ingredients. However, when the glaze is fired, all the particles in the glaze melt to form glass.
What does underglaze mean in ceramics?
Underglaze is a method of decorating pottery in which painted decoration is applied to the surface before it is covered with a transparent ceramic glaze and fired in a kiln. Underglaze decoration uses pigments derived from oxides which fuse with the glaze when the piece is fired in a kiln.
Can you make colored slip with underglaze?
Underglaze colors can be mixed together to create new colors. Slip and underglaze can be used together, though it is best not to mix underglaze directly into slip.
Can you use Engobe on Bisqueware?
They are applied easily by brush or spray. Whereas the simple liquefied slip commonly is used to coat greenware, an engobe can be formulated for use at any stage, including over bisque-fired ware.
Is there a rule about color when creating sgraffito?
The sgraffito technique involves scratching off a top layer to reveal a bottom layer, so you’ll need to add at least two different colors. Even if you’d like the bottom layer to be the natural color of the clay, a clear underglaze should be used so that the ceramic fires evenly.
What is the difference between Mishima and sgraffito?
What is Mishima? Mishima on the other hand, is essentially the opposite of sgraffito, as you inlay the slip or underglaze, or fill in the color, rather than scratch the top layer away to reveal it. You can add additional colors to the piece to finish the design before firing.
What are the stages of clay?
There are 6 essential stages of clay: 1. ) Slip. Slip is clay with added water to make it into a paste or liquid. 2.) Wet clay. Wet clay is used by many potters to produce their work. 3.) Leather-hard clay. 4.) Dry clay. 5.) Bisque. 6.) Glaze ware.
What does Mishima mean?
Mishimanoun. (ceramics) A slip inlay style of pottery adopted from Korea, probably in the 16th century. Etymology: Mishima pottery is named either after the Japanese Island of Mishima, where the original pottery was transported from Korea, or after a radiating character of almanacs made in Mishima, Japan.
Can you wash off underglaze?
I mix my underglaze with a little water to make it the consistency of milk. When you’re finished painting a light, even coat, remove the unwanted underglaze with a damp studio sponge (5), making sure to rinse the sponge often. Doing this keeps the undesired colorant off the surface of your pot.
Can you remove underglaze from Bisqueware?
If you have applied your underglaze to greenware and then bisque fired it, you are in the clear. Underglaze that has been fired will not smudge, bleed or run when it is glazed. However, underglaze can be applied to bisque ceramics and then glazed before being fired again.
Can you sgraffito Bisqueware?
Making sgraffito pottery involves scratching through a top decorative layer to expose the underlying clay body. The decorative layer can be underglaze, slip, or engobe. However, the sgraffito technique can be used on bisqueware too.
