Sgraffito

by Erin Nickiel

A decorative process which employs a scratched line through a clay slip to expose the contrasting color of the clay body beneath. In general, colored slip is applied to a leather hard piece; once the slip is firm, the piece may be carved/scratched with designs. If the piece is left to get bone dry, designs may still be scratched in, and finer lines can be achieved, but the piece is also more fragile and must be handled with care. Do not use strong pressure when engraving, don't breathe in the clay dust (work outside, use a respirator, etc.), and - please - don't raise it up excitedly to show me just after you've finished, then drop it.

Sgraffito is from the 18th century Italian, to scratch away, related to "graffio", a scratch, the root of "graffiti".