I have always had a strong interest in printmaking as well as ceramics, and gravitated to sgraffito as a way to combine high-contrast graphic imagery with three-dimensional form. My forms are intentionally left simple and streamlined to carry complex imagery without the form competing with the surface decoration for attention. I am very fond of European Modernist potters, such as Lucie Rie and Carl-Harry Stålhane, who created understated, clean forms. My surface designs reflect my interest in hard-edge abstract art, using simplified geometric shapes and black/white contrast for visual impact. Images from nature also inspire me, and I use heavily stylized versions of vines, sunbursts, dandelion seeds, and so on to complement the abstract composition.
Throwing
To make the vase form, start with 2¼ pounds (1 kg) of clay (I use Standard Clay’s 365 Cone-6 Porcelain) and throw a cylindrical form 10½ inches (26.7 cm) tall and 5 inches (12.7 cm) wide (1, 2). When you have achieved the desired height, slightly swell out the sides of the vase, starting from the base, then tapering back to the lip. The widest point of the curve, about ⅔ of the overall height, should measure 5½ inches (14 cm) wide. When you are satisfied with the form’s profile, bend the top inch (2.5 cm) of clay inward to create a flat ledge, slightly angled upward (3). Then, finish by using a rib with an angular cutout to create a pronounced foot.
After trimming the vase, cover it tightly with plastic for at least the first two days, then loosen the plastic, keeping the pot covered until the clay feels just slightly cool to the touch (late leather-hard stage). At this point, uncover the pot and let it dry in the open air.
Mixing and Applying Terra Sigillata
I find that terra sigillata allows for more intricate detail than slip or underglaze, and also tends to feel less textured when finished (which I prefer). I make terra sigillata in large batches. To stain the terra sigillata black, I add about 1–1½ teaspoons (4.9–7.4 ml) of Mason 6600 Best Black stain to two cups (480 ml) of terra sigillata. I do not ball mill my terra sigillata, nor do I burnish it after applying it to the pot. Glaze adheres best to non-burnished terra sigillata.
The terra sigillata must be at the proper consistency for the technique to work. If it’s too thin, too many coats are required to get an opaque coating, potentially weakening the pot. If it’s too thick, it’s likely to flake off the pot. Specific gravity of 1.15–1.17 works well for the purpose of this project. If the terra sigillata you are using is too thick, add water a little at a time, mix it up, and weigh it again until the specific gravity reading has lowered to the appropriate level. If it’s too thin, place the liquid in a wide shallow bowl and set it aside to let some of the water evaporate. This can take several days to a few weeks.
Brush three coats of black terra sigillata onto the bone-dry pot using a mop-style brush (4) and allow the pot to dry for a full day before beginning sgraffito. Tip: Investing in a high-quality mop-style brush is well worth it. Cheaper brushes will shed bristles while you brush on the terra sigillata, leaving a noticeable mark. I prefer to use a synthetic sable Winsor & Newton mop brush.)
Carving Sgraffito Designs
Lay down a piece of thick foam large enough to cushion the vase, and lay a piece of soft cloth on top of this. A soft t-shirt cut up into pieces works well. Begin by laying out the elements of a design that are meant to be seen as being in front of other elements—in this case, the vine shapes that appear to encircle the vase. To create the vine shapes, use a template to create long, clean, arcing lines—I make my own cardstock templates using a die-cut machine and its design software. Templates and other tools allow for the precision that this particular motif needs.
Lay the template smoothly against the surface of the vase and use a needle tool to run along the surface of the template (5). Because of the outward swelling of the form, the template will need to be adjusted periodically to stay flat against the side. Criss-cross these vine lines several times. The curves are intentionally placed so that they seem to disappear around the side of the form from any vantage point.
Next, move on to the sunburst image, gently using a compass to create four concentric circles—two for the inner ring and two for the outer ring (6). Finish with one wider final circle around the entire image that will serve as a frame for the sunburst image. Add a few large, vertical spiky leaf-like shapes and create another large, wide black ring around this area using the compass and creating another wide white band to set it off.
I finish with one smaller white circle with a narrower black ring, surrounded by a white band above the sunburst image.
Caution: Always wear a NIOSH-approved respirator when incising a bone-dry pot, and work in a well-ventilated area. Be conscious of the dust generated during the incising process and periodically vacuum it up with a vacuum cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter—do not sweep it up, as this can cause the dust to become airborne.
Removing Terra Sigillata
Now that the design is laid out, begin to remove areas of terra sigillata. Xiem’s double-ended tool, which has a scoop shape at one end and a flat, pointed blade at the other works really well for removing large areas of terra sigillata.
Starting in the center of the sunburst, use the pointed blade to follow the inner line of the center ring, gently scraping away the terra sigillata (7). When you have completed the inner ring in this way, switch to the scoop end of the tool and gently scrape the rest of the terra sigillata from the inner ring. Use the same technique to remove all areas of terra sigillata sections that are meant to remain white. In the large circular areas that are entirely white, create a bit of visual interest by using the scoop tool to create short textural lines that follow the circular curve of the area (8).
Once all of the large white areas have been completed, move on to the radial lines of the sunburst image. Use a needle tool to create many lines that run from the outer ring to the inner ring, varying the direction gradually so that they appear to radiate from the center of the sunburst (9). Tip: A good practice is to make guidelines at the 12-, 3-, 6-, and 9-o’clock positions on the disc, then make diagonal lines between each of these four. At that point, finishing the image means filling in the disc with short lines side by side. Intentionally vary these lines to add complexity and interest. When you are satisfied that all areas of the design have been completed, bisque fire the vase.
Glazing
Glazing the piece is much simpler than creating the motif. Using color to highlight selected areas of the piece adds interest and softens the severity of a purely black-and-white image.
To add color, transparent glazes with oxides or stains for color work great. Since they are transparent, the terra sigillata motif will show through without any trouble. Brushing these glazes on can create added visual interest with the brushstrokes creating contrasts in value and intensity. If you do brush these glazes on, it’s a good idea to make your brushstrokes in the same direction to avoid a messy-looking result (10). After you have brushed your glaze on and it has dried, take a clean, damp sponge and wipe around the perimeter of the image to remove any overlapping glaze.
The rest of the piece will either be lightly sprayed with or quickly dipped into a transparent glaze (11). If you dip your piece, make sure the transparent glaze is the consistency of skim milk (specific gravity around 1.34 works well). Fire your vase to cone 6 in an electric kiln.
Alex Pratt lives in Dearborn, Michigan. He has a BFA from the University of Michigan and has worked as a production potter and teacher. He works out of a basement studio in the home that he shares with his partner, two cats, and way too many books. To see more, visit alexprattpottery.com.
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I have always had a strong interest in printmaking as well as ceramics, and gravitated to sgraffito as a way to combine high-contrast graphic imagery with three-dimensional form. My forms are intentionally left simple and streamlined to carry complex imagery without the form competing with the surface decoration for attention. I am very fond of European Modernist potters, such as Lucie Rie and Carl-Harry Stålhane, who created understated, clean forms. My surface designs reflect my interest in hard-edge abstract art, using simplified geometric shapes and black/white contrast for visual impact. Images from nature also inspire me, and I use heavily stylized versions of vines, sunbursts, dandelion seeds, and so on to complement the abstract composition.
Throwing
To make the vase form, start with 2¼ pounds (1 kg) of clay (I use Standard Clay’s 365 Cone-6 Porcelain) and throw a cylindrical form 10½ inches (26.7 cm) tall and 5 inches (12.7 cm) wide (1, 2). When you have achieved the desired height, slightly swell out the sides of the vase, starting from the base, then tapering back to the lip. The widest point of the curve, about ⅔ of the overall height, should measure 5½ inches (14 cm) wide. When you are satisfied with the form’s profile, bend the top inch (2.5 cm) of clay inward to create a flat ledge, slightly angled upward (3). Then, finish by using a rib with an angular cutout to create a pronounced foot.
After trimming the vase, cover it tightly with plastic for at least the first two days, then loosen the plastic, keeping the pot covered until the clay feels just slightly cool to the touch (late leather-hard stage). At this point, uncover the pot and let it dry in the open air.
Mixing and Applying Terra Sigillata
I find that terra sigillata allows for more intricate detail than slip or underglaze, and also tends to feel less textured when finished (which I prefer). I make terra sigillata in large batches. To stain the terra sigillata black, I add about 1–1½ teaspoons (4.9–7.4 ml) of Mason 6600 Best Black stain to two cups (480 ml) of terra sigillata. I do not ball mill my terra sigillata, nor do I burnish it after applying it to the pot. Glaze adheres best to non-burnished terra sigillata.
The terra sigillata must be at the proper consistency for the technique to work. If it’s too thin, too many coats are required to get an opaque coating, potentially weakening the pot. If it’s too thick, it’s likely to flake off the pot. Specific gravity of 1.15–1.17 works well for the purpose of this project. If the terra sigillata you are using is too thick, add water a little at a time, mix it up, and weigh it again until the specific gravity reading has lowered to the appropriate level. If it’s too thin, place the liquid in a wide shallow bowl and set it aside to let some of the water evaporate. This can take several days to a few weeks.
Brush three coats of black terra sigillata onto the bone-dry pot using a mop-style brush (4) and allow the pot to dry for a full day before beginning sgraffito. Tip: Investing in a high-quality mop-style brush is well worth it. Cheaper brushes will shed bristles while you brush on the terra sigillata, leaving a noticeable mark. I prefer to use a synthetic sable Winsor & Newton mop brush.)
Carving Sgraffito Designs
Lay down a piece of thick foam large enough to cushion the vase, and lay a piece of soft cloth on top of this. A soft t-shirt cut up into pieces works well. Begin by laying out the elements of a design that are meant to be seen as being in front of other elements—in this case, the vine shapes that appear to encircle the vase. To create the vine shapes, use a template to create long, clean, arcing lines—I make my own cardstock templates using a die-cut machine and its design software. Templates and other tools allow for the precision that this particular motif needs.
Lay the template smoothly against the surface of the vase and use a needle tool to run along the surface of the template (5). Because of the outward swelling of the form, the template will need to be adjusted periodically to stay flat against the side. Criss-cross these vine lines several times. The curves are intentionally placed so that they seem to disappear around the side of the form from any vantage point.
Next, move on to the sunburst image, gently using a compass to create four concentric circles—two for the inner ring and two for the outer ring (6). Finish with one wider final circle around the entire image that will serve as a frame for the sunburst image. Add a few large, vertical spiky leaf-like shapes and create another large, wide black ring around this area using the compass and creating another wide white band to set it off.
I finish with one smaller white circle with a narrower black ring, surrounded by a white band above the sunburst image.
Caution: Always wear a NIOSH-approved respirator when incising a bone-dry pot, and work in a well-ventilated area. Be conscious of the dust generated during the incising process and periodically vacuum it up with a vacuum cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter—do not sweep it up, as this can cause the dust to become airborne.
Removing Terra Sigillata
Now that the design is laid out, begin to remove areas of terra sigillata. Xiem’s double-ended tool, which has a scoop shape at one end and a flat, pointed blade at the other works really well for removing large areas of terra sigillata.
Starting in the center of the sunburst, use the pointed blade to follow the inner line of the center ring, gently scraping away the terra sigillata (7). When you have completed the inner ring in this way, switch to the scoop end of the tool and gently scrape the rest of the terra sigillata from the inner ring. Use the same technique to remove all areas of terra sigillata sections that are meant to remain white. In the large circular areas that are entirely white, create a bit of visual interest by using the scoop tool to create short textural lines that follow the circular curve of the area (8).
Once all of the large white areas have been completed, move on to the radial lines of the sunburst image. Use a needle tool to create many lines that run from the outer ring to the inner ring, varying the direction gradually so that they appear to radiate from the center of the sunburst (9). Tip: A good practice is to make guidelines at the 12-, 3-, 6-, and 9-o’clock positions on the disc, then make diagonal lines between each of these four. At that point, finishing the image means filling in the disc with short lines side by side. Intentionally vary these lines to add complexity and interest. When you are satisfied that all areas of the design have been completed, bisque fire the vase.
Glazing
Glazing the piece is much simpler than creating the motif. Using color to highlight selected areas of the piece adds interest and softens the severity of a purely black-and-white image.
To add color, transparent glazes with oxides or stains for color work great. Since they are transparent, the terra sigillata motif will show through without any trouble. Brushing these glazes on can create added visual interest with the brushstrokes creating contrasts in value and intensity. If you do brush these glazes on, it’s a good idea to make your brushstrokes in the same direction to avoid a messy-looking result (10). After you have brushed your glaze on and it has dried, take a clean, damp sponge and wipe around the perimeter of the image to remove any overlapping glaze.
The rest of the piece will either be lightly sprayed with or quickly dipped into a transparent glaze (11). If you dip your piece, make sure the transparent glaze is the consistency of skim milk (specific gravity around 1.34 works well). Fire your vase to cone 6 in an electric kiln.
Alex Pratt lives in Dearborn, Michigan. He has a BFA from the University of Michigan and has worked as a production potter and teacher. He works out of a basement studio in the home that he shares with his partner, two cats, and way too many books. To see more, visit alexprattpottery.com.
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