How to Print Photos on Ceramic

Transfering photos on clay ceramic is a creative way to customize ceramic tiles, jewelry pieces, decorations and plates. This technique uses Polaroid camera images transferred to ceramic and burnished. The undeveloped image on the Polaroid film will transfer to the clay and you can use it on shaped pottery. Cover the transferred image with a ceramic glaze to make the image permanent.

Things You'll Need

• Clay or pottery
• Polaroid camera
• Polaroid film
• Burnishing tool or spoon
• Ceramic glaze

Instructions

1. Take a photo with the Polaroid camera.

2. Cut the white pieces of the Polaroid photo and open up the layers of the photo as the film is developing.

3. Press the inside layer of the top piece of the Polaroid photograph layer on to the ceramic.

4. Burnish the top of the photo on to the ceramic. You can use a burnishing tool or the back of a spoon to burnish. Burnishing entails making small but firm circles to buff the ceramic and press the image down on to the ceramic surface.

5. Paint a clear glaze on top of the ceramic to the seal the image on to the surface. This is an optional step, but if you do not cover the image in a glaze it will not be semi-permanent and will fade with time.

References

• International Museum of Print and Clay: Viewpoint Ceramics: The Photographic Image