Sgraffito Technique

There’s a terrific technique that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately–sgraffito.  It literally means to scratch away.  In the case of ceramics, to scratch away a layer of color, usually underglaze, to reveal the contrasting color of the clay underneath.

I love texture so much it’s hard to build a smooth object but this technique requires a ‘smooth’ surface.   Once you have your form built and dried to a leather hard stage, you start painting over it with underglazes.  Since you are going to need at least three coats of the underglaze, I’ve found that you can layer up several colors to enhance the richness of the final surface color.

For example on this little cup, I painted a coat of purple underglaze first and after it had dried, I covered it with two layers of green also letting these layers dry.  I then laid a few leaves on it and traced the outlines.  And lastly I shaved away the underglaze surrounding the leaves, producing some interesting background patterning in the process.

Another way to use this versatile technique it is to carve away the interior of your design revealing the color of the clay.  While I was making this Cloud Cup I suddenly realized I had a great opportunity to leave dynamic marks and lines within my design.

It can also be approached like drawing, with just your lines cut through the underglaze so the image is the color of the clay. Or, most of the underglaze can be cut away leaving behind only the lines in color.

I love the versatility of sgraffito and the opportunity to play with color.  It affords me freedom to try all kinds of ways to activate the surface without being fussy, and the results are reminiscent of block prints.

If you want to learn more and explore this technique, I’ll be teaching it in my next class session.