Sgraffito Pottery: A Step-by-Step Guide
Sgraffito comes from the Italian word for "scratched." You cover a pot with a layer of colored slip or underglaze, then scratch a design through it to reveal the clay underneath. The contrast between the surface color and the clay gives you crisp, graphic lines.
It is one of the most rewarding decorating techniques, and it needs only a few tools.
What you need
- A pot at the right moisture (more on this below)
- Colored slip or underglaze
- A soft brush or sponge to apply it
- Sgraffito tools: a needle, a loop tool, a carving tool or a wooden skewer
- A soft brush to sweep away crumbs
- Paper and pencil for your design
The most important thing: timing
Sgraffito is about moisture. Work at leather hard and let the slip dry slightly before scratching.
- Too wet: the tool drags and smears the slip.
- Too dry: the slip chips and flakes away in chunks.
- Just right: the slip comes away in clean curls with a crisp edge.
Practice on a test tile to find the sweet spot for your clay and slip. Our lesson on sgraffito technique and timing goes into detail, and the post on pottery clay stages helps with judging moisture.
Step by step
1. Plan your design. Sketch on paper first. Simple shapes work best at the start: leaves, dots, lines, geometric patterns.
2. Apply the slip or underglaze. Brush two or three even coats onto the leather-hard pot, letting each coat dry to a dull finish. See underglaze for beginners for coat tips.
3. Transfer the design. Lightly draw with a pencil, which burns out in firing. Or press tracing paper onto the surface to mark key lines.
4. Scratch. Hold the tool like a pencil. Use a light touch for fine lines, and a loop tool for wide bands. Work from the top down so you do not rest your hand on finished areas.
5. Brush away the crumbs. A soft, dry brush clears the debris. Avoid blowing on the pot, since the dust is not something to breathe.
6. Dry slowly. Let the pot dry under loose plastic, then bisque fire.
7. Glaze. Apply a clear glaze over the whole piece. The clay body shows through the scratched lines, and the slip color sits underneath. The clear glaze gives the surface a smooth, washable finish.
8. Fire to the glaze cone. Check the cone for your clay and glaze.
Tools that help
- A needle tool for fine lines
- A loop tool for wider lines and filled areas
- A ribbon tool for thicker, softer lines
- A small carving tool with a V-shaped tip
Practice controlled loop tool cuts before you try a full design.
Tips for clean lines
- Hold the pot steady on a banding wheel and turn it as you scratch.
- Keep your tool sharp and clean.
- Scratch in one confident motion. Hesitation makes jagged edges.
- If you make a mistake, fill it with a bit of slip and rescratch once dry.
Common problems
- The slip lifts in sheets. The pot was too dry or the slip too thick.
- The clay shows through everywhere. The slip is too thin or you pressed too hard.
- The glaze crawls over scratched areas. Clean away dust and apply thinner coats. See glaze defects.
Document your designs
Photograph the pot at each stage, from slip to fired. Note the slip recipe or underglaze color, the moisture at which you scratched and the glaze. That record makes it easy to repeat a design you like.