Art Steps by Billy Bain

Warami (Hello)! My name is Billy Bain. I am an artist and a proud Aboriginal man. My mob are the Dharug people of the Greater Sydney area. My art practice involves drawing, painting, printmaking, and creating ceramic sculptures.

In my ceramic work I like to use pointy tools to carve into the clay to create linework and detail, much like sketching out a drawing. This is called sgraffito! I see my sculptures as being an extension of my drawing practice. It is like bringing my drawings to life!

In my artwork Plan B (Dog Walker), I imagined myself running a dog walking business as a backup plan if my art career didn't take off. During the pandemic, walking my dog was one of the few activities I could do for exercise. In this artwork, I’m holding leads attached to many different dogs, each with its own personality—grumpy, curious, or just happy to be there. These dogs represented the many emotions I was experiencing at the time.

We often say dogs resemble their owners, but can they reflect their emotions too? Do different dog breeds give off certain vibes? How can we create a clay canine pal with its own unique personality using sgraffito?

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Air-dry clay (buff paper clay is recommended for its strength)
• Container for slurry (a mix of clay and water)
• Ceramics tools or wooden skewers
• Objects from around the house you can scratch with, forks, sticks, straws etc
• Wire or string for cutting clay slabs (or a clay wire cutter if you have one).
• Rolling pin
• Optional: Acrylic paints for adding colour once dry

Let’s get started:

1. First, think about the breed of dog you want to create. Does it have curly or straight hair? A long or short snout? Floppy or pointy ears? These features will shape your dog’s personality.
2. Using wire or strong string (or a clay wire cutter if available), slice a flat, rectangular slab of clay (about 2-3 cm thick). Carve out the silhouette of your dog and remove the excess clay. Keep the offcuts to create additional details.
3. Mix small pieces of clay and water in a tub until it creates a thick and slushy paste. This is called slurry and it’s what we use for joining our details on.
4. Now for the fun part—adding character. Use your fingers to create thumb marks where the eyes, nose, and mouth will go. Roll small balls of clay for the eyes and nose, then attach them using the crosshatch technique with a bit of slurry. This step is crucial to ensure your sculpture doesn’t fall apart when it dries. Be careful not to add thin details that are not connected to the larger dog form. These are likely to be too fragile and will break when the sculpture dries.
5. Once the features are in place, it’s time to add texture. This is where the sgraffito technique brings your dog to life. Use a pointed tool or skewer to carve detailed lines, and a fork for fur or hair texture. Experiment with different tools and textures to make your dog unique.
6. You can also add accessories to your dog—maybe a bone or a tennis ball. Don’t hesitate to create additional dogs or companions.
7. Let your sculpture dry for about two weeks in a well-ventilated, shaded area. Once dry, you can paint your dog with acrylic paints to bring it fully to life.