Table of Contents
What is sgraffito design?
sgraffito, (Italian: “scratched”), in the visual arts, a technique used in painting, pottery, and glass, which consists of putting down a preliminary surface, covering it with another, and then scratching the superficial layer in such a way that the pattern or shape that emerges is of the lower colour.
Why is sgraffito used?
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 is sgraffito and where does it come from?
Sgraffito evolved in the tenth century from slipped glazed wares with color splashes, but its origin is still debated among scholars. Derived from an Italian term that means “scratched,” sgraffito refers to the technique used to design the decorations.
What is clay sgraffito?
Sgraffito is defined as ‘decoration by cutting away parts of a surface layer to expose a different colored ground. Sgraffito is done on leather hard pottery, as the top layer is much easier to scratch off. In essence, you scratch through a colored slip to reveal the clay body beneath.
What is the history of sgraffito?
The origins of sgraffito are traced to the Italian renaissance where it played a significant role in its use on the exterior of buildings and palace facades. After its introduction in Southern Europe, Sgraffito made its way into art and architecture during the Northern Renaissance, particularly in Germany.
What is the difference between Mishima and sgraffito?
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 is glazing in art?
Glazing is a technique used to bring together light and dark tones, and to bring out luminosity in a painting. There are several recipes for making a glaze; here we use Burnt Umber with Blending and Glazing Medium. The medium provides a consistent, high quality glaze.
What is underpainting in art?
Underpainting is precisely what it sounds like: applying a layer of paint to your canvas or surface prior to painting it. Some artists use underpainting as: A blueprint for the image they intend to paint.
What glaze is used 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.
What is majolica ware?
Majolica is a richly colored, heavyweight clay pottery that is coated with enamel, ornamented with paints, and, finally, glazed. The name is likely derived from the Spanish island of Majorca—said to be known once as Majolica—where the first of these pieces were made.
What is the technique of sgraffito in pottery making?
Sgraffito (Italian: [zɡrafˈfiːto]; plural: sgraffiti) is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip or glaze, and then in either case.
Can sgraffito be done on bisque?
Making sgraffito pottery involves scratching through a top decorative layer to expose the underlying clay body. Often the underglaze, slip, or engobe is applied to leather hard clay before being incised. However, the sgraffito technique can be used on bisqueware too.
What is a meiping vase?
Meiping, (English: “prunus vase”) Wade-Giles romanization mei-p’ing, type of Chinese pottery vase inspired by the shape of a young female body. The meiping was often a tall celadon vase made to resemble human characteristics, especially a small mouth, a short, narrow neck, a plump bosom, and a concave belly.
What is leather hard clay?
In pottery, leather-hard is the condition of a clay or clay body when it has been partially dried to the point where all shrinkage has been completed, and it has a consistency similar to leather of the same thickness as the clay.
What are Engobes in pottery?
An engobe is a liquid clay that is primarily used for brushing or spraying over greenware and bisque fired pots to give a high quality finish, or simply used for decorating. It is also excellent for slip trailing, marbled effects and sgraffito.
Can you sgraffito with glaze?
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.
What does incising mean in ceramics?
Incising is technique for decorating ceramics that involves cutting linear designs into the clay surface. Implements such as sticks, reeds, or bone fragments, were dragged through wet clay to incise it, or they were scratched into the surface of the dried but as yet unfired pieces to engrave.
