More and more frequently lately i’ve been getting emails and instagram messages asking about how I achieve the thin drawing lines on my functional dishes. Hopefully without risking any and all future workshop invites I’m going to share the secret today. I draw the images in pencil on bone dry clay, cover that in wax and then use cheap dollar store sewing needles to carve the drawing through the wax in into the clay surface. I then use a black underglaze to fill in the lines.
When I posted this on instagram the lovely Grace DePledge mentioned she used sewing needles as well (albeit the other end) and suggested finding a mechanical pencil that would hold the needles to save my fingers. Brilliant! Thanks Grace!
Thank you for sharing your technique! Your work is beautiful and an inspiration.
Hi Carole,
thanks for mentioning this… I've been meaning to make a narrow sgraffito tool (ala Adam Field from CM) for about a year now and keep putting it off. I'm off to Jo Ann fabrics soon.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your process.You do it brilliantly!