How to Decorate Wall Plates

Decorating wall plates is fun and easy.

Making your own wall art with decorated plates can be a fun experience. You can put anything you like on the plate, so you have an array of choices when it comes to doing this craft project. The project is fairly simple and almost anyone can do it, even if you have no prior knowledge of how to decorate a plate.

Things You'll Need

• Ceramic or glass plates
• Ceramic paint
• Brushes
• Water
• Mod podge
• Lazertran inkjet waterslide decal paper
• Digital image
• Inkjet printer
• Scissors
• Acrylic spray sealant

Instructions

1. Take your plate and lay it on a flat surface. Make sure that it is free of any dust or dirt so that when you begin your decorating process nothing will get stuck in the paint or sealant. There are two methods of decorating your plate. You can choose to hand paint it with ceramic paints or to transfer a printed image to the plate. If you are choosing to transfer an image, load your inket printer with Lazertran waterslide decal paper, with the chalky side facing up and outward towards you. Print off the image or images that you'd like to put on your plate, and set them aside to dry. If you are planning to use ceramic paints, set up your work station. Pour a quarter-size amount of each color paint onto a paper plate. Get a large cup or jar and fill it with clean water for rinsing your brushes. Set some paper towels out so that you can dry your brush before dipping it back in the paint. This is important because ceramic paints will become runny if there is too much water on the brush.

2. Take a scissors and cut out the images that you have printed if you are using the transfer method. Leave about a 1/8-inch border around each image. Immerse the image in water for about fifteen seconds or until the paper backing begins to separate from the image. You can then slide the image off of the paper backing. Be very careful removing the image from the backing, as it is membrane thin and will tear easily. Place the image on to the plate and allow it to dry. If you are using the paint method, dip your paint into the color of your choice and begin to free-hand the image you have in mind. It does not have to be perfect and you will get better with practice. Be careful not to let the paint get too thick on the plate, since you do not want it to run or bubble. Allow this layer of paint to dry before adding another one.

3. Paint the plate with the waterslide decal with Mod podge. Start at the corners of the decal and work your way outward, cover the decal first so that it sticks to the plate well. Let the waterslide decal covered in Mod podge dry completely and then put another layer over the entire front of the plate. Take a wet brush or paper towel and clean off any Mod podge on the edge of the plate. If you are using the ceramic paint method and would like to add another layer of color to your plate, do that and allow it to dry. Remember that you should never do more than four layers of color when using ceramic paint because it becomes too thick to cure properly.

4. Take a can of spray Acrylic sealant and spray the entire front of the image transferred plate and then allow it to dry. Put a second coat of sealant on the plate and allow it to dry. Your image transfer plate is now complete and ready to hang on the wall. If you are using the paint method, preheat your oven according to the temperature stated on the directions of the brand of paint you are using. Once the oven has reached that temperature, place the painted plate on a cookie sheet and put it into the oven. Following the directions on the package of paint, set a timer for how long the brand of paint specifies. Remove the plate after the allotted time is up and let it cool. Your painted plate is now ready for hanging.

References

• TheArtfulCrafter: Decoupage Under Glass
• GlassTransfer
• BehrenbergGlass: How to Paint on Glass Plates