Hi Steemians!

I used to think that pottery is a very monotonous industry until I got to know it more closely. As it turned out, there are many different techniques for firing stronies and many ways to decorate almost finished products.

Today I want to tell you about the technique of painting dishes called "Sgraffito".

Sgraffito (Italian: “scratched”) is a technique used in painting, pottery, and glass, which consists of putting down a preliminary surface, covering it with another, and then scratching the superficial layer in such a way that the pattern or shape that emerges is of the lower colour.

First, I pour the raw liquid clay into plaster form and wait for it to dry. In a few hours I have a plate that can be processed further.

For "Sgraffito" technology, the plate should be almost dry as it is very difficult to work with a damp surface. Then i take multicolored angobs and get started.

Angobe is a paint based on liquid clay (fine grinding) of natural color or pigment-colored.

I took the blue and black colors and covered the whole surface of the plate. Using special tools, I cut the lines. This must be done with caution, because after applying the engobe, the plate has become wet again, so one careless movement can destroy everything.

The pattern is my improvisation, it does not symbolize anything, but simply lines drawn from my imagination. The product is now ready for baking at 950 degrees.

After baking, I cover the plate with clear glaze and bake again but at a higher temperature.

Done! And here is the result:

Now this is one of my favorite techniques and soon I will show you another my works 😉.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best regards,

Olga;)