sgraffito

[Pugaboo]

I used a porcupine quill on this one. Cone 5 dark clay with porcelain slip on top. blue slip brushed on.

http://ceramicartsda...wimage&img=2213

 

Cheese hard is the way to go.

Marcia

 

 

 

 

That's amazing thank you for posting it. Where do you get porcupine quills? Do you actually scratch into the clay with the color on the quill or do you scratch the lines with the quill then apply the color afterwards? The later is what I've been doing using various clay tools including the standard sgraffito. Its a bit time consuming doing everything twice.

 

Or do you paint the blue slip on let it dry apply the white on top let it dry then scratch through both layers to reveal the different shadings?

 

Terry

[Benzine]

I used a porcupine quill on this one. Cone 5 dark clay with porcelain slip on top. blue slip brushed on.

http://ceramicartsda...wimage&img=2213

 

Cheese hard is the way to go.

Marcia

 

 

 

 

That's amazing thank you for posting it. Where do you get porcupine quills? Do you actually scratch into the clay with the color on the quill or do you scratch the lines with the quill then apply the color afterwards? The later is what I've been doing using various clay tools including the standard sgraffito. Its a bit time consuming doing everything twice.

 

Or do you paint the blue slip on let it dry apply the white on top let it dry then scratch through both layers to reveal the different shadings?

 

Terry

 

 

I like to believe the Marcia chased down, and tackled porcupine to obtain the quill. That's not what she'll say happened, but that's what I'd tell people.

 

With sgrafitto, the color is applied first, then carved through, revealing the color of the clay. If you colored the portions afterwards, it would just be standard coloring.

[Marcia Selsor]

I put the white ground onto the dark clay. Then started to draw with the quill scratching through the white. Then, I decided to add the blue shutters. I painted the blue slip onto a larger shape and scratched through to the dark clay.

One of my workshop participants last year was from South African. She brought a bunch of quills and gave them to people. There are still a few at La Meridiana.

 

Marcia

[Marcia Selsor]

Benzine,

Madelaine lives on a farm in South Africa and she DID chase down the porcupines to get the quills.

She has a big porcupine problem on her farm. She brought dozens of quills with her to the workshop.

I really like using them for signing, drawing, etc. on the clay.

 

Marcia

[Benzine]

Benzine,

Madelaine lives on a farm in South Africa and she DID chase down the porcupines to get the quills.

She has a big porcupine problem on her farm. She brought dozens of quills with her to the workshop.

I really like using them for signing, drawing, etc. on the clay.

 

Marcia

 

 

That's awesome.

 

I've told you this before, but that has to be one of the coolest items to sign your works with. The only things cooler would be something like a raptor claw, or meteorite fragment.

[ayjay]

Porcupine quills have long been used as fishing floats in the UK, not so fashionable now but still available if you hunt around.

 

I signed two pots with one just this evening. I used to use a needle tool but that always seems to leave a small burr at the edges, the quill leaves a smoother result.

 

 

[Pugaboo]

Okay now I've seen everything... You can buy porcupine quills on eBay. Not cheap by either by the looks of it.

 

Terry

[Kohaku]

Okay now I've seen everything... You can buy porcupine quills on eBay. Not cheap by either by the looks of it.

 

Terry

 

I've seen at least three road-killed porcupine this year (Yay for Idaho with its gargantuan trucks).

 

Next time, carpe pennam...