Sgraffito Tile

The task that my class was given was to create a sgraffito tile, similar to how we made the scratchboards, but this time we were working with clay tiles. We had to carve out a pattern that could have abstract or naturalistic elements. I chose the ladder and the subject of my creation are sunflowers and butterflies. I used the clay tile, carving tools, and lavender colored glaze.

I was quite stumped on how to make a pattern using sunflowers without the basic front facing design. I decided that the composition should be a side view of a line of sunflowers. I also mirrored the image on the x axis to create balance and more of a sense of balance. I varied the line widths on the sunflowers to create interesting shapes. Color wise, I just glazed it over a lavender color for no particular reason. I didn't want to put to much on color so I used a sheer color. This project didn't really evolve.

There is no story or meaning to this piece. It does have some relevance to my life as sunflowers are my favorite flowers. I just like them because they are really big and bright, and the name is adorable. I am most proud of how the sunflowers turned out, I really like the shape and the negative space in the heads of the flowers. I actually didn't struggle too much with this project however I wish that I took more time to fix up the butterflies in the centre, which I think is the only thing I would change.