Sgraffito is italian, but derived from the greek word gráphein which means to write.The greeks wrote with an alphabet in a linear fashion, just like you are reading this. And, now that I am in a writing class, I write just like the greeks did. Although, my writing looks a little different.
Fortunately, sgraffito has multiple meanings. Today sgraffito is a decorating technique used in multiple artistic disciplines, but pottery is my personal favorite discipline of art. So, I use it in my work. I'm not sure if the greeks used it much, because it was much more popular during the renaissance. But I was taught to use sgraffito by using a clay slip that is a different color than the original clay to decorate the piece. Using this technique potters can get much more intricate decorations on their work--you can tell I'm still learning how to incorporate sgraffito in my work.
