How to Paint a Sunflower on Porcelain

Paint a sunflower on porcelain to brighten up your home.

Paint porcelain to add a personalized touch to a plain tea set, decorative vase or lamp, or new tiles for the kitchen or bathroom. Cheerful yellow sunflowers will brighten up any room, and work equally well with a soft, earthy décor scheme and in a child’s primary-color bedroom. Even a novice artist can complete this project, as porcelain paint is forgiving; you can wipe away mistakes before the paint dries.

Things You'll Need

• Porcelain item
• Soap and water
• Adhesive residue remover
• Rag
• Porcelain paint pens or paint, in yellow, green and brown
• Paintbrush
• Oven

Instructions

1. Purchase paint specifically intended for painting on porcelain; you’ll find a variety of options at your local craft store. Many brands come in both paint pen and regular paint formulas. Choose several shades of yellow, as well as one brown and one green hue, to paint a sunflower.

2. Wash your porcelain item in soap and water to remove any dirt or grime. If it has a tag anywhere on it, remove the tag and use a residue remover to get rid of the leftover adhesive. Dry the porcelain with a soft rag.

3. Begin painting your sunflower design onto the porcelain. Start with the darkest yellow shade. Paint six to eight long petals, each ending in a point, spaced evenly around a central circle. Then, add six to eight more long petals in between the first set of petals in a medium yellow shade. Continue adding pointed petals in between the prior sets, working progressively lighter to achieve a layered effect. Use the lightest yellow to highlight the darker petals, if desired.

4. Fill in the circular center of the sunflower by dotting the brown paint onto the porcelain surface. Sunflowers have large centers, so don’t be afraid to overlap the petals. Add a few darker yellow dots around the brown sunflower center.

5. Add green leaves around the outside of the yellow petals.

6. Wipe off mistakes with a slightly damp rag immediately, before the paint has a chance to dry.

7. Let the completed porcelain painting dry for 24 hours.

8. Put the porcelain item in a cool oven and then set the oven to preheat to 300 F. Once the oven reaches 300 F, let the porcelain bake for 35 minutes to set the paint. Let the item cool in the oven, and don’t touch it until it returns to room temperature.

Tips & Warnings

• Double-check the baking time and temperature for your specific paint brand.