Sgraffito

By definition, sgraffito is from an Italian word meaning "to scratch." It is a technique where a top layer of color is scratched to reveal a color beneath. Sgraffito is used in the production of pottery and in painting, printmaking, and arts and crafts techniques. It is easy to do, can be done with very simple tools, and yields exciting results with very little investment of effort. This makes it an exceptional addition to any artist or craftsman's repertoire of techniques.

In pottery, sgraffito can be done in two different methods. First is to etch or scratch through an evenly applied, dry surfaced glaze that does not move during firing. The scratching can be done with a knife, needle tool, sharp bamboo scriber or handmade tool for this purpose. If the glaze is fluid, it will distort or completely obliterate the design. The second method is to carve through metallic oxide washes. This means that a light-colored clay body will show through a dark surface wash. For this technique, the tool must be a sharpened metal carving tool, since some of the glaze must be removed to reveal the clay body beneath.

In painting, sgraffito can be done a number of ways. In oil and acrylic paintings, many artists use the sharp tip of a paintbrush to scratch through the wet paint to a dry layer beneath or to the gesso surface below. In watercolor, the sgraffito techniques are a bit different - they are reverse sgraffito. They create dark lines within a wet painted area rather than light lines within a dark field. The lines can be drawn with any instrument that has a dull point (paintbrush tip is good). Once the scribes are made, the watercolor collects in the disturbed surface fibers to form legible, sharp lines--great for detail work and textural additions to abstract and impressionistic works.

Printmakers can make use of sgraffito, too. Monoprints can often be enhanced with scribe marks through the paints on the plate just prior to printing. These marks can be used to depict details, to create textures or to connect to underpainted areas on the print. Again, the methods can be experimented with to form "trademark" additions and to create a very personal look.

Arts and crafts projects can sometimes be enhanced with the addition of lines cut through wet painted areas. One method used to mimic bamboo is to "carve" the lengths and round rings of the bamboo through wet paint using a flexible rubber spatula or paint-carving tool. Other shapes such as floral blossoms, leaves and stems can be carved in this way as well.

Discover the fun of scratching, carving and etching sgraffito in your next work. Use it to depict detail, create textures or delineate designs. The process is easy and the results are dynamic.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 14 No. 5 -- March 2004