Rimas VisGirda on mon 13 feb 12
Sgraffito: from the Italian, literally "scratched away." The tool that you =
all have been making is a loop tool, not a sgraffito tool, and you have bee=
n incising, not sgraffito-ing... Just sayin' -Rimas
Vince Pitelka on mon 13 feb 12
Rimas VisGirda says:
"Sgraffito: from the Italian, literally "scratched away." The tool that you
all have been making is a loop tool, not a sgraffito tool, and you have bee=
n
incising, not sgraffito-ing... Just sayin'"
Rimas -
That may be what the Italian terms means literally, but in common usage
worldwide in the clay world sgraffito is scratched, incised, and/or carved.
Any of those is still sgraffito. I find that much of the choice of which
tool to use depends on the quality of line you want and on the stage of the
clay. If you want a very clean line with smooth edges and no raised ridge
along the edges, then it makes sense to do it at a medium-hard-leather-hard
stage and use a tiny loop tool. I like the miniature loop tools with sort
of a triangular loop - the corners can cut a very fine line. If I am not s=
o
concerned about having a very smooth edge, I like to do sgraffito at the
very-hard-leather-hard stage using an old dead ball-point pen - just a chea=
p
Bic pen - through away the cap and just keep it in your toolbox.
But you are right that it seems odd to call a loop tool a sgraffito tool
because the loop tool is made for a whole variety of processes and also
happens to work okay for sgraffito. One could say, "My favorite tool for
the kind of sgraffito I do is a small loop tool." Ah, the fine points of
semantics.
And to carry things a step farther, I do not see the action of a loop tool
as incising. I see it as carving.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
Liz Gowen 1 on mon 13 feb 12
I don't know that I like anyone term forced on my work. Personally I don't
like the word sgraffito it reminds me too much of graffiti which the Phila.
area in which I grew up had way too much. I prefer carved work or Bas relie=
f
Like the Lion on a wall of bricks from ancient? in my fine arts class. My
work I guess I tend to carve the porcelain away and leave a raised area but
also have some carved lines etc. Just my preference and I am sticking to
it...Liz Gowen
Hi RImas,
I don't have my Hammer and Hammer handy but I'm pretty sure what I am doing
is Sgraffito. I use multiple tools to create my designs and a loop tool is
only one them. I make tools out of needles, wires etc. A loop tool is only
used if I want to carve away a large area which I haven't been doing lately=
.
If you go to my Vessels and Vases page I think you will agree:
http://claybair.com/Gayle_Bair_Pottery_index/Pages/Lidded_Vessels_%26_Vases=
.
html
The Crow vases at the bottom of the page were earlier pieces. When I want a
greater B&W contrast and will use small loop tools to speed the process.
when I did a brief search online I did see that the word carving was used
in conjunction with sgraffito.
http://seco.glendale.edu/ceramics/sgraffito.html
Maybe it's just a "fine line" we are walking here!;-)
Gayle - former printmaker now a carver & sgraffitoist
Gayle Bair Pottery
gayle@claybair.com
www.claybair.com
On Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 6:00 AM, Rimas VisGirda wrote:
> Sgraffito: from the Italian, literally "scratched away." The tool that
> you all have been making is a loop tool, not a sgraffito tool, and you
> have been incising, not sgraffito-ing... Just sayin' -Rimas
>
Vince Pitelka on mon 13 feb 12
I don't have my Hamer and Hamer on hand either, but I know what sgraffito
is, and it seems odd to talk about whether someone likes or dislikes the
term. It describes a specific technique, and if you are doing the
technique, you are doing sgraffito. There are no doubt other terms in othe=
r
languages, and this term did start out as an Italian term, but that is all
irrelevant because "sgraffito" is the term we use to refer to this
technique. Sgraffito on any medium is when you apply a layer of pigment an=
d
then shallow-carve or incise back through that layer to create imagery by
exposing the contrasting color of the layer beneath. One of the special
qualities of sgraffito is that it has a very slight 3-D tactile surface
effect that many people find very appealing. If this technique is what you
are doing, then you are doing sgraffito and it would be a little strange to
call it anything else.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
Rimas VisGirda on tue 14 feb 12
Yup, semantics and common usage don't always correspond, do they? Sort of l=
=3D
ike slip and engobe. We all, pretty much, use engobe but keep calling it sl=
=3D
ip... including myself. And for me carving is what is done on the Thanksgiv=
=3D
ing bird and not on clay... Happy Valentine's to all! -Rimas=3D0A__________=
__=3D
__________________=3D0AFrom: Vince Pitelka =3D0ATo: 'R=
imas=3D
VisGirda' ; Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG =3D0ASent: Monday,=
F=3D
ebruary 13, 2012 5:45 PM=3D0ASubject: RE: sgraffito tool=3D0A=3D0ARimas Vis=
Girda =3D
says:=3D0A"Sgraffito: from the Italian, literally "scratched away." The too=
l =3D
that you=3D0Aall have been making is a loop tool, not a sgraffito tool, and=
y=3D
ou have been=3D0Aincising, not sgraffito-ing... Just sayin'"=3D0A=3D0ARimas=
- =3D0A=3D
That may be what the Italian terms means literally, but in common usage=3D0=
Aw=3D
orldwide in the clay world sgraffito is scratched, incised, and/or carved.=
=3D
=3D0A...=3D0A=3D0ABut you are right that it seems odd to call a loop tool a=
sgraf=3D
fito tool=3D0Abecause the loop tool is made for a whole variety of processe=
s =3D
and also=3D0Ahappens to work okay for sgraffito.=3DA0 One could say, "My fa=
vori=3D
te tool for=3D0Athe kind of sgraffito I do is a small loop tool."=3DA0 Ah, =
the =3D
fine points of=3D0Asemantics. =3D0A=3D0AAnd to carry things a step farther,=
I do =3D
not see the action of a loop tool=3D0Aas incising.=3DA0 I see it as carving=
.=3D0A=3D
- Vince=3D0A=3D0AVince Pitelka=3D0AAppalachian Center for Craft=3D0ATenness=
ee Tech =3D
University=3D0Avpitelka@dtccom.net=3D0Ahttp://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
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