Sgraffito Plates
When you are creating a sgraffito plate, you want to begin with a baseball sized ball of clay to put through the slab roller. Depending on the mold you choose, the way you shape the clay through the roller could change. Generally the clay should be pretty large in order to cover your plate mold. Before putting your clay "sheet"on the mold, rib both sides in order to smooth the clay. Place the clay on the mold and rib the sides to make sure the clay really attaches to the mold. Leave it out to dry to keep the shape. After you've taken the clay off of the mold, cover it in three coats of black under glaze. Make sure to let dry between coats. Using a printed design, trace an image onto tracer paper. Place the tracer paper on your plate, and trace your design (with a ballpoint pen) onto your plate. Now, you can start carving the design onto your plate by using the special tools. A successful sgraffito plate includes a good ratio of black to white.