Sgraffito

I decided I wanted to create a mountain landscape. I etched out this design and scratched out the necessary parts to make it look the way I wanted. I carved out a moon above the mountains and this created a nicer and more complex scene. I was guided by what these mountains should look like and by the need to have 50% of my piece black and 50% white. With this balance, it created a nice contrast between the black and white. 

For this piece, I used a slab of clay, black underglaze, and a couple of tools to create this. 

I began with a block of clay. I created a flat circle and started to carve out my design. Once I finished carving the mountain landscape, I glazed my piece with underglaze. I then cooked it in the kiln to produce the final product.