Sgraffito on pottery- revealing secrets to technique

“Sgraffito is a decorative technique that involves cutting away parts of a surface layer (such as plaster or clay) to reveal a different colored ground. The word sgraffito comes from the Italian word “graffiare” which means to scratch.” To produce this effect, I made small plates using a dark flagstone clay and then painted on a thin layer of b-mix white slip. After letting the plates sit for a couple days wrapped under a plastic sheet, they are stiff enough to carve into without being too dry.