A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity anyone paint ceramics?

anyone do ceramics? i would love to see pics, and share ideas and stuff, i love to paint ceramics, i use acryllc paint and clear spray, for a softer older look i just water down the paint so most the color seeps in the cracks, edges, [ hopefuly ya know what i mean] i was thinking about trying chalk, anyone ever painted with the chalks?
i finaly found my missing willy out by the pond, i painted him years ago, he was so chiped up, i gave him a good scrubbing and a new paint job tonight,. gonna give him a spray tomarrow, ill get a pic and post :)

I do ceramics Christy. If I ever get a camera I will take pictures.
I haven't done the acrylics yet. I use underglazes and then a clear glaze if I am designing detail work. If I just want unuasual effects I use colored glazes.

This year I had a complete Nativity scene poured. The camel is about foot high, so the pieces are large. I will display it this next Christmas across the top of my entertainment center. After I have it painted and fired I am going to add things to it, like a richly trimmed cloth over the wisemens camels, gold braid..beads..etc. to their crowns and robes. Just stuff like that.

When the colors are too bright on something and it doesn't make me happy, I glaze it again with transparent black! Because the black is transparent it doesn't show, but it darkens the colors, sort of like something ancient just dug up!! I love the effect.

I like to draw my own designs on a plain piece. I don't like to paint, say a vase with a raised up design already on it.

I would love to paint some willies though!!!!

shirls i would love to see your ceramics when you get pics!!! underglazes? thats the paint you use then have to have it fierd up again after you paint right? i use to use thet kind but theres only one ceramic shop here who will fier up for ya, and shes only open when she feels like being open, so i switched to acrylillcs. i want to try drawing my own design on ceramics, ive done it on jelery boxes of wood, made one for each of the girls with their names on it one year.
sprayed my willy!

How cute!! I love your garden elf, Sibyl. How big is he??

thanks nikki, hes a garden gnome about 5 inches tall, lol just a little guy, im painting another about the same size. and have about 5 more things on the shelf to paint, lol like i said the ladys only open when she wants to, so i stock up, i orderd 4 more willys so when their fierd up and ready, ill have them. do you paint ?

shirls, dont they have any willys for you to paint?

i found another my bb got ahold of, i painted him a few years ago, had to superglue his head back on, poor thing! hes gonna need a new paint job too, my kids call him peter pan lol

my kids make fun of my 'peter pan' guy all the time!
ill have to see if the ceramic shop has more

No Christy, the don't have any willies in my class to paint. I would have to go to a ceramic shop somewhere to try to find any and the only one I know of here is way off somewhere I can't get to.

sibyl: I have done ceramics for many years, and still go each Tuesday AM: the underglazes are the color you put on first. and yes they need to fired into the greenwawre or bisque. Then you put on a layer (2-3 coats) of glaze and fire again & the piece comes out like a piece of smooth glass that is easily cleaned. (which is why I prefer it) But it is true the acrylics are easier/quicker done and look more lifelike. What you are describing (putting water in the paint to get in groves & cracks) is referred to as a wash--FYI: you can used underglaze paint for washes & then just spray it as if you were using acrylics.-very nice effect-

At the shop where I go, we have several different sizes of the Garden Gnombs (what you call "willies:") I myself did a smaller complete set (there were 7-8 that were each under 10 inches in size) for my son-in-law. I used acrylics for them as he said he had no plans to put them out. One day I will try to get my camera installed & put on some pics--FYI: Have you tried e-bay for ceramic pieces to do?? they have quite a selection.

oops!! I forgot to mention the chalks. Although I have not ever done chalks exclusively on a piece, I have seen it done. We mostly use chalks for finishing touches on acrylic pieces before we spray--We use them for things like finishing face color, as shading on things like leaves, rocks, & clothig, etc. I think it tends to make a piece come to life--if you have any questions I will try my best to help.

Awesome Christy! A kindred spirit!

I too paint tons of cermaics---and wooden things....with acrylics and a clear coat on top to protect them, and I like the shiny look.

Gonna rummage thru my pics and see if I can find a few of my things I've painted. Okay, this ornament I painted for my niece isn't cermacs, but I still thought it was cute!





Did the snowman and the sleighs....



This is one of my favorites!



I have more I'll do in another post!

junie girl
i would love to see your pics! i realy want to try the chalks! hopefuly the lady will have my willys fierd up soon, gonna pick up some chalks wile im there,
i never orderd from e-bay i should get my hubby to check it out for me, he likes e-bay :)

loz those are awsome!!!!!
i want to see more!!!did you draw dora on there yourself?

loz.........

You maker all beautiful..

i just checked it out penny! awsome jobs! your snowman was cute! you do a realy good paint jobs!

Cool Penny, I didn't realize you painted too....was just checking out your stuff and it's all so nice!

Yep, I drew Dora myself by hand.....

Gotta dig aroud for some more pics.

I paint flower pots mostly I'll take some photos.

Fancy seeing you here.I've been in critter corner to. Hello again.

Where's your pictures?

b

The pics. of most of my stuff were take with a regular camera I just now got a digital one.I'm not good at this picture thing yet.Sorry I'll hurry and take some new pictures.

I'll try hopfully this evening.My mother in law barrowed it yesterday I'm getting it back today.

heres what im workin on, bb painted the one can you tell? im having a hard time with the eyes on the tiny guy. my smallest brush aint small enough! the two sittin guys are 4inches tall ans the two tinys are 2inches

Sometimes if it's a tiny area I get some paint on a toothpick and dot it on Christy!

Looking good!

Not a painter, but isnt there some paint pens with sharp ends for eyes etc.?

Thanks

when doing stains (acrylics) what I do is--- when I finish the project and use a sealer on it---I wait for it to get good and dry-(I often wait 24 hrs). Then I use something like an Ultra Fine Sharpie to outline the eyes or encase a nose or lip area---This method is tons easier than trying to say, paint an eye line in. :wink:
NOTE: If you try to use a sharpie BEFORE you seal--you will ruin the felt tip of the marker, not to mention no ink will ever come out of it again, and I suspect that the sharpie ink might run when you seal your piece .

Sounds good to me.

another cool thing I have done on say eyes of a ceramic animals is:
1) start with greenware.
2) use one stroke underglazes to paint the eyes
3) Let that step dry for say overnight or longer.
(or you can fire the greenware at this point.
4)when painted eyes are dry/fired-do the clear glaze step.
(patting the glaze on if not fired is advisable)
5) the fired piece will have shiny eyes.
you can now paint the rest of the piece with acrylics.
The finished product is beautiful.--Put eyelashes on with acrylic after last firing.

Isn't that a costly process?

Firing all that ? Kiln......

Hope you make a profit......

LOL well I do not personally have a kiln. (although my cousin does--but she fires porcelin.) A bunch of us have been going to the same place for about 30 yrs. Her husband says it is not a class but a bunch of cronies that get together & perhpas there is some truth in his words.

While it can get costly it does not have to be. the greenware cost is usually done at 10% of the mold price. You pay 1/2 of the greenwware price for the first firing & each subsequent firing is priced at 1/2 of the last firing price. Then you just pay for the paint. My friend says she does not make a profit, but I am thinking she must make some kinde of profit. All I know is I love doing it.

Tell your HD, it keeps the old cronies off the street.

MY in law had that one time.............It was nice.
But she had her own kiln and stuff, guess it didnt pay off.
She go rid of it all......

But your method, maybe different.....However good past time..
What did you make for spring?

About the profit--I think as long as my ceramic lady is happy, her husband is happy.--(& she is happy)--
Now, about what I have been doing.
I have been making what is called Bloomers. They are 13 inchs high or so. they join at the waist, with the bottom being the belly (the bloomer) sitting on feet of course, in which one can place candy or such, and the top being the upper torso of whatever the holiday dictates. It is the lid to the bottoms candy dish. I have just finished a Blue Pilgrim and have only a clown yet to do. While I was busy being frustrated about the colors for the pilgrim, I took a break & painted a high top shoe--it is to be what I use when I do not have something out for a holiday.
One day I will learn how to post pictures so I can SHOW all of you what I am doing (not that I have a high quality camera)

thanks i was thinking of just using a sharpie to outline the eyes, i did cut the brushes some lol looks like he got eyeliner on! maybe ill pick up some toothpicks [ i buy those strings with the handles for teeth pickin] if i cant find a small enough sharpie!
penny his eyes are alot smaller than the back of my brush ends, lol
how lucky you know someone with a kilm!!!
my ceramic lady has wall to wall in greenery! its just getting her to fire em up!

junie girl do you have a photobucket account? its free. you load your pics in the photobucket. com from your computer, then you can post en in here,

Sibyl:
The Ultra Fine Sharpie works best as it leaves a very fine line. But remember to do your sharpie work after the sealing step as I have said earlier.

about the ends of brushes---keep trying all sizes of ends & look on other things as well. Lots of things work---you can use 1 size for the white, & a smaller size for the black. (I have a few certain brushes I keep just for that purpose) you can also use the brush end of old brushes after you remove the left over hairs.-

I am going to get a photobucket account but I need to set up my camera on the new computer here first--(I am waiting for my husband to get a few minutes to do it for me) but thanks for letting me know how it works---I wondered.

I use a cheap Fujifilm camera was around $179.

Love to see your work.

i either use the cheap 5buck fuji one time use, just get the pics on a cd to load in the computer, or i use my dig camara.it plugs right into my computer.
as soon as photobuckets done loading ill post pics! i finished the little guys lastnight, i just used my smallest brush for the eyes, lol lots of touchups!

done sorry the pic is blury,

Oh Christy.....those are so cute! You did a wonderful job!

Those are so cute...........

Do you have them in everyroom of the house?

Good job

thanks

right now dodge there all over my kitchen, but they will be going outside in the garden soon, i have 4 more larger willys to paint, those will be easy, and they will go outside too. i have a deer wall hanging and a vase to do that will stay indoors. :wink:

i don't know if you have any animals, but a thick dog hair, washed, will work too. they are usually stiff enough.