Clay carving

You could call this technique the advanced form of the sgraffito technique.
Picture of Nele Ostyn
Nele Ostyn

Forever learning.

While sgraffito involves scratching away a layer of engobe, you can also carve away entire slices of clay from your piece to create an interesting relief. The advantage is that you often don’t need to extensively glaze your work.

Carving symmetrical shapes does require some preparation. It is best to outline what you are going to do. You can do this with an ordinary pencil, because those lines will simply burn away in the kiln. Just make sure that the object you are going to carve has a thick enough wall, because otherwise you might end up going through it…

Can’t see the examples? Check out the board on Pinterest.

Share this article

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email

Check out all of the online courses we offer and dive into the world of clay!

Discover more blog posts here

Aster heeft een mislukt geglazuurd blauw potje vast
Articles
Nele

15 glazing tips for beginners

A dull color, strange bubbles, weird creases … A lot can go wrong when glazing ceramics. That’s why we’ve gathered a few tips hat can help guide your way.

It’s Cursist’s 5th anniversary, and you get the gift!

  • Take a free mini-course
    ‘Throw your own berry colander’
  • Get 10% off all courses!

Download the free beginner's guide

Start out with ceramics

A handy 27-page PDF with everything you need to know to get started with everything clay.

Enter your details below and you’ll get the guide in your mailbox! You sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter full of ceramic goodies as well.