How to Paint Ceramics

Painting ceramics is an excellent hobby to have. You can let your imagination run wild and paint them however you want. Ceramics make great decorative pieces in your home or office and when you paint them yourself you can ensure that they fit with the theme you are going for.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Choose the ceramic piece you want to paint. You can use one that you have made and fired yourself or you can buy an unpainted ceramic.

2. Rinse the ceramic under cold water to remove dust that can affect your paint. Allow to air dry for three minutes. If you dry it with a cloth you can leave lint on it. You can begin painting even it feels moist.

3. Draw the design that you wish to paint on your ceramic using a pencil. The pencil marks will disappear after the ceramic has been fired in a kiln. You will experience fewer mistakes if you have the design drawn on before you begin painting.

4. Buy a paint that has been designed for ceramics so that you will get a long lasting quality paint job. If your ceramic piece will be placed outdoors use paint designed for outdoor ceramics to prevent fading.

5. Paint the ceramic with an underglaze. Allow the underglaze to dry before you paint your ceramic in your desired color, if you want an opaque look use three coats of paint.

6. Fire your ceramic in a kiln to give it a glazed look. If you don't own your own kiln you can take your ceramic piece to a ceramic store and they will fire it for you.