Sgraffito

This last couple of weeks, I've been continuing my exploration of surface design techniques and have been learning all about Sgraffito. I love it... It’s slow and methodical, not me at all, but the results can be amazing!

Sgraffito box by Neva Fiumara

Sgraffito and sgraffiti come from the Italian word graffiare ("to scratch"), ultimately from the Greek γράφειν (gráphein, "to write"). Related terms include graffito and graffiti.

“During the 16th century renaissance in Italy,  Sgraffito was utilised in wall art,  pottery decoration and canvas paintings. Sgraffito on walls has been used in Europe since classical times and its origins go back to Africa and Japan. It came to Europe through the Middle East. Because the Muslims were forbidden to eat from any metal wares, they had developed the decorative side of pottery to high degree. This also included the use of a sgraffito decoration. Both the North African potters and Spanish potters were imported into Italy to share their skills and techniques.  During the Reconquista of Spain, Spanish Muslim potters fled to North Africa, and to Italy and Byzantium, where their knowledge merged with the techniques of local potters to create new and exciting styles of pottery for Renaissance patrons of art.”

http://www.veniceclayartists.com/ (a fantastic reference website for all types of ceramic art)

House covered with sgraffito in the village of Pyrgi.

Palazzo Massimo Istoriato: a fading palace facade in Rome by Polidoro da Caravaggio and Maturino da Firenze, 1523.

In ceramics, sgraffito work is created by coating your unfired piece with a coloured slip or underglaze and scratching or carving through the surface to reveal the colour below.  I’ve only tried a couple of designs so far, but I have plans to reduce them down to bead size and make them wearable.

The first was a slab formed bowl. It's made from white stoneware with black slip which was carved through with a wire loop tool to create the design.

Sgraffito bowl

And another on one of my (badly) wheel thrown beakers.

Sgraffito beaker

I love to draw, carve and add colour, so this technique is all of my favourite things rolled in to one! It's also very relaxing to do. 

Looking around, I found lots of bead makers already using this fabulous ancient technique. And it isn’t just limited to beads, it can also be used in enamelling, polymer & painting. 

jenniferwilfong.blogspot.co.uk

https://squareup.com/market/angela-gerhard-jewelry

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/humblebeads

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ScorchedEarthonEtsy

https://www.flickr.com/photos/beadworx/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/baubukas/

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/somethingtodobeads

The possibilities for using this ancient art are endless, and it's one of those techniques where your own personal style can really shine through!

Carving in Porcelain - Sand Dollars

It’s all go here preparing for my next show this weekend, so I thought for todays post, I’d show you making some of my newest design of beads… Sand dollars.

Porcelain Sand Dollars

Sea creatures are a great subject for bead makers, and an ocean palette is perfect for jewellery designing. 

To make make this design, I first start with a lump of porcelain. The clay is wedged and rolled flat. I use bands on my rolling pin to get an even thickness when rolling. This clay has been rolled to about 5/6mm.

Ready to start

Next, I cut circles with a cookie cutter. 

Cut blanks

Once I have enough, the clay is speared from one side to the other with a skewer. This takes a bit of practice. The clay is so thin that it’s easy to come out in the wrong place!

The start of the bead

The top edge of the cut circle is pressed to make a rounded edge.

Starting to form

A small slice of clay is removed from the front and back of the bead by cutting down to the skewer with a wire loop tool. 

Cutting the first hole

Marks are made on the bead to show where to cut through for the holes in the design.

Marking out

I poke through the clay with a needle tool.

Piercing

Then lightly draw the shape of the central ‘flower’ of the urchin.

Marking out

Using a flat sharp sculpting tool, shallow cuts are made all the way round the shape to create the top design.

Carving the details

And the flower is drawn on the back.

Sculpting the shape

Once the beads are leather hard, they are sponged to smooth any rough edges, and when completely dry, they go in to the kiln.

And here they are finished!

Smoothed and finished

I fired them unglazed for a natural finish. These will be coming along to the Stourbridge bead fair with me this weekend... Hope to see you there!

Learning to Sculpt

I don't sculpt.  I should say, I've never tried to sculpt before.  A few weeks ago I decided I would start teaching myself.  My cousin had been posting photos of her new pet hedgehog so I figured that was a good place to start.

My first two stoneware hedgies

These were my first two tries.  Not so great but not so bad as to make me quit trying right then and there (my complaining would suggest otherwise).  I took some advice from friends and kept going.

Silly stoneware hedgehog with tiny body

I don't know what happened here.  He came out with a big head and almost no body.  Ok, let's try some more.  

Two stoneware frogs and a hedgehog

This little guy made me happy.  His head to body ratio was better and I changed the shape of his mouth (also based on feedback from friends).  After I made a couple of hedgehogs I played around and made those little frog heads.  

Start of a stoneware cat face 

After the hedgehogs and frogs, I decided to try a cat face.  I made little silly-looking cat face charms a few years ago but decided it was time to up my game.  I rolled out a base and then attached two balls of clay for ears and began shaping them.

Cat face before eyes

I kept adding and taking away clay, adding more and taking some away.  Eventually I was left with a face with no eyes.  I couldn't decide how to make them.

Cat faces with two different types of eyes

Originally I made faces with the eyes on the left.  They didn't look right to me so I got more feedback and then made a change to one of them.  I carved out the eye area and then rolled two little balls and pressed them in.  I left the other one as-is just so I could see how the finished pieces would look.

Some of the finished test pieces with oxide and glaze

After all the pieces were sponged, bisque-fired, stained and glazed, I glaze-fired them and these were the end results.  I'm happy with the hedgehogs and frogs but the cat faces need some further adjustments.  

I started working on some more last week.  Here's a little hedgehog in porcelain.  I want to test a specific glaze on him.

Porcelain hedgehog

So my goal this week is to make some more in stoneware with the necessary adjustments and hopefully have a batch of them ready sometime next week.  It's been a fun (and at times frustrating) process trying to teach myself something as simple as these little animals.  I'm excited though to see what else I'll be able to create as I gain more experience.

Happy Beading!