Sgrafitto | 3h Workshop l Surface decoration
About this experience
Beginner/intermediate
On this 3 hour workshop you will be introduced to the Sgraffito decorative technique on clay.
This artform creates layers of depth and movement by first of all painting coloured slip or underglaze on leather-hard clay then carving away patterns to reveal the clay beneath. The sgraffito technique is striking in its use of contrast, between the coloured underglazes and the clay.
The sgraffito technique requires the clay to be at the leather hard stage, this describes the clay body when it has been partially dried to a consistency similar to leather of the same thickness as the clay. At this stage, the clay object has approximately 15% moisture content.
We will prepare a vessel for you to work on, this could be a plate or a bowl. You will sketch your design first, paint it with underglaze on the clay, then carve away your design to reveal the clay beneath.
You will learn how to refine the edges and create the perfect clay canvas for your design. You will be given some designs to take inspiration from, but please feel free to come with your own ideas or inspiration and will guide you to making that design come to life.
Good to know:
-short nails are much easier to work with but long pretty nails are not impossible to work around!
-Jewellery off!
-don’t come in your Sunday best, when we play with clay we get mucky!
-As it is the case in most studios, whilst the rest of your piece will be glazed by us after the first firing, the base of your piece will remain bisque. This means it won’t be covered by glaze.
-It takes about a month for your piece to come back to you. It needs to be fired twice and glazed before you can take it home!
-There are never more than 8 students in each class, this allows our teachers to offer excellent individualised support.
*All our courses and workshops are refundable up until 14 days prior to the start of the course. After this we may be able to change your course to another date if there are dates available. Please note that from 14 days prior to the start of the course, your booking is non-refundable.
Please read out terms and conditions before booking.