Sgraffitto Tile

I created two sgraffito tiles one based on a design of a sunrise and one of pretty flowers. To create each tile I started with a design, the first being on nice paper at home with markers to show the contrast, and the other on a scrap piece of paper that would later be used as newspaper to catch the paint. After shaping and flattening the tiles we cut them from a stencil with a long sharp tool to create the rectangles. When these tiles were leather-dry we used glaze to cover the tiles and then carved out our designs.  the main issue I encountered was with my second tile(the green "Flowers") because the clay was not quite leather hard and therefore when carving such small lines the clay made many little bumps and bits that stuck all over the tile that I had to carve over again and then brush off with a paintbrush when the tile was bone dry. 

The green tile design was inspired by my old ring from my grandmother, which was lost about a week after I created the tile. The green, SM-42 glaze, was added as a light, older color, that can be interpreted as the ring's embodiment. The colors of the tiles were not necessarily special or have any meaning behind them, but I did choose them to represent the mood of the tile like the green with the rings old and happy tones behind it. This can be shown in the sunset how what is carved away is light and the sun is light which will reflect upon the hills whereas the sky will still be dark I choose purple because it is dark, pretty, and still somewhat energetic for such a dark color.

Looking back at my work I am happy with the outcome, especially compared with foundations I can use the tools much more efficiently and can create designs that I will like faster than I ever thought I could. The reason I had started over and created a second one was originally because I did not like my first design and wanted to challenge myself with a more detailed design, this is where flowers and stems came in play which is why my ring inspired me.