What is Sgraffito?
Sgraffito is an artistic technique, often used in pottery, where a surface is decorated by scratching through the top layer of a coating like slip or underglaze, to reveal a contrasting colour or texture underneath. This usually occurs when the pottery is leather hard. The word "sgraffito" comes from the Italian word "sgraffiare," which means "to scratch".
How it works:
Applying the coating:
A layer of coloured slip, underglaze, or other coating is applied to a leather-hard clay piece.
Scratching and carving:
Using a tool (like a needle or specialised sgraffito tool), the top layer is scratched or carved away to reveal the clay underneath.
Creating patterns:
The scratched or carved patterns reveal the contrasting colour of the clay or a previously applied layer of slip or underglaze, creating a decorative design.
