Pottery Glazing, Painting, & Drawing

Getting Started

Wash your hands! Oil or grease can prevent glazes from sticking

Remove dust by wiping your piece with a clean, damp (NOT wet) sponge

Choose your paint (underglaze) colors – they are located at the front of the store – the tiles beneath each color show 1, 2, and 3 coats of that color as it will appear after firing

Squeeze a SMALL amount of each color (about the size of a dime) onto the shiny white tile provided as a palette

Paint your piece (see painting tips below)

Wash your brush in water and dry on sponge each time you change colors

When you are finished, sign your piece using a glaze pencil (at the front desk)

Bring your items to the counter to be written up

Keep your receipt to use when picking up your items (ready in four days!)

Drawing (supplies located on shelves under the glazes)

You can use regular pencil to draw and the marks will fire off in the kiln. Don’t press down too hard and use a white eraser if you need to erase, but minimize erasures.

Use stencils by outlining stencil shapes with pencil and then painting them in.

Use sponges/stamps by painting directly onto them with a brush and then pressing onto your piece.

Painting Tips

Paints (underglazes) do not mix like regular paint and, when layered, will melt together. While practice will help determine personal preferences, in general light colors tend to be “absorbed” and the overall effect can be “muddy”. Solutions may include;

• Keep colors separate or
• Use a light background color and several coats for the design on top or
• Light sponge painting for the background (you may still need several coats for the design on top, depending on color selection)

Brush strokes will show and full coverage won’t be achieved unless you use about 3 coats.

Any area left unpainted will remain white but will be glossy as we will cover your entire piece with a clear glaze.

Detailing/Lettering

Small brushes for fine lines/lettering are located above the sink (or just ask us if you can’t find the brush you need)

You can also use puffy paint. This is a 3-dimensional glaze which is sometimes useful for writing, for dots and for other small design accents – too much, however, will crack so do not use except in small amounts. Puffy paint is opaque and will cover another color, including black. Be aware that it will usually retain its shape, including any “points” or bumps, so think about how the piece will be use and try to avoid creating sharp bits!

Glaze pencils may be used for writing (particularly when you sign your item) – but, remember, they can smudge easily and the look will be somewhat crayon-like.

Small squeeze bottles are available for purchase which can be used for application of glazes (ask at the desk).

Specialty Glazes

We have some specialty pottery glazes available for sale – these are different from the Duncan underglazes and we generally don’t recommend mixing the two. Ask at the desk for information is you are interested in learning more about these products.

Comments

[Sesso]

Great site.