Sgraffito Tile

Artist Statement:

For this project, I decided to make a sgraffito tile of one of my chickens. I did my chicken Missy because she is so cute and I found a really good picture of her. I decided the sgraffito would just be of her head, and I would do some flower designs off to the sides of her head. I chose to do one of my chickens because I love them and they make me happy when I see them.

The materials I used for this project were a clay slab, various tools to scrape into it, some blue underglaze, and some clear glaze.

My process for this project was first to find a good picture of one of my chickens. I chose the picture of my chicken Missy, and it was also at an angle that I felt most comfortable with. Next, I printed out the picture and laid it over the clay slab. I then traced over the outline of the chicken's head, including important features like the eyes, ears, and beak. Once I had the outline, I waited for the clay to become bone-dry so I could brush on the wonder glaze. I chose to use blue. Once that was finished, the clay got fired, and then I carved out the lines even more, leaving stark white marks in place of the vague outline. They especially stood out from the blue background. I also decided to add some flower designs on both sides of her head which made the piece feel more complete. Then I brushed on clear glaze and the slab was fired again, completing the process.