Sgraffito Clay Animal

The subject of my creation is an owl, with a variety of designs carved out of the body. The setting would be anything the owl is standing on. I first made this by sculpting the body with clay, then once it dried I scratched it, making it smooth. I finally painted two thin layers of black underglaze on it. Then I scrafittoed the owl using scratchboard tools, careful not to break off any pieces, although an ear and all the toes ended up breaking off. Once it was bisque fired I clear glazed everything, the glued it after everything was done. The assignment was to choose any animal to create, so to create an owl because I know my mother loves owls, and I thought it would be a perfect gift for her. In my project I showed line, by carving out several lines, making designs from them. I also showed contrast, from the white carved out and black areas not carved.

One composition rule and technique showcased throughout my artwork are leading lines, for example I used them to frame the face almost and leading around the back of the body. My project evolved over the course of this project because at the start it was hard for me to create the body, either the clay was too thick or thin, and it kept cracking and was hard to shape the way I wanted. Although, once I figured it out, it turned out better that I thought it would. It also took me a long time to sgraffito the owl because the underglaze kept cracking so I had to be careful.

The meaning behind my artwork was to get a feel of different materials, to get an idea of what we like to use in 3D. I had previously worked with clay in ceramics, but this project seemed more challenging. This might have been because I had to sgraffito it and I had to used several clay methods of making it. This is related to my life because I wanted to do a bird for this project and an owl came to mind. They are unique and cool birds that I enjoy seeing every once in awhile. I also chose an owl because I know my mom loves owls and has a weird obsession with them, so I decided to make her this as a gift. I think my artwork could be stronger by making the ears look more like ears, instead of horns. I would also maybe sgraffito more, although I do love how it turned out in the end.