Ceramic Painting for Beginners

 Welcome to the fascinating world of ceramic painting.

Ceramic painting means painting unfired ceramics with special glazes.

In the case of the ceramics in our shop, this is called earthenware biscuit. It cannot yet be used as it is; it must first be covered with a glaze. The glaze is used to refine the surface of ceramic products such as earthenware, stoneware and porcelain and, unlike the crystalline, porous base material, it is a glassy, closed surface layer.

Once the ceramics have been painted to your taste, they are also dipped in a transparent glaze so that they are fully covered in glaze around most of their edges.

Next, the painted and transparently glazed piece is placed in a special ceramic kiln and fired at high temperature (over 1000 degrees). The whole firing process takes around 24 hours. The firing gives the colours, which appear rather matt and sober when first applied, their luminosity. After firing, the ceramic can be used like any other tableware and is dishwasher safe.

Here are the different stages in ceramic painting:

1 - You choose an earthenware biscuit. In this case, we have chosen the bowl LASSIE. Before touching the ceramic, please wash your hands to avoid grease stains.

2 - Remove any dust from the bowl with a perfectly clean brush. If there are any other impurities from transport, you can remove them with very fine (!) sandpaper.

3 - Before firing, glazes have a matt appearance, but it's only after firing that they take on their full luminosity. This is why you choose the colours you want based on the enamels that have already been fired.

4 - You can paint your ceramic as you wish. You can draw everything in pencil, as it disappears completely when fired. There are many different techniques and types of paint. There are no limits to your imagination. Ceramic absorbs glaze like a sponge and glaze dries very quickly. If you want the glaze to give full coverage and luminosity, apply 2 to 3 coats.

5 - When you are satisfied with your work, you move on to the next stage: it is dipped in transparent glaze using a glazing tong.

This means that the ceramic is surrounded by glaze all the way round, and only then can it be used like any other crockery.

Now the whole bowl is glazed. As soon as it's dry, we put it in the oven.

6 - The kiln is a firing oven that can be heated to very high temperatures. The ceramic is placed in the kiln on supports, otherwise it would stick to the plate during firing. Then the magic begins: the kiln is closed and the heat (over 1000 degrees Celsius) allows the glaze to set into the ceramic and unfold its brilliance. You need a lot of patience, because it's only after 24 hours that you can see the result.

7 - And then, 24 hours later, the surprise. The bowl is still warm and and you can see the result.

8 - We're now going to make a small touch-up: the supports have left small irregularities on the floor. These will be sanded down. And that's it, the bowl is finished.

Ceramic painting is like life - it's only after the fact that you can judge whether you're satisfied with what you've done. You can put in a lot of effort, but you can never predict the result. You may invest many hours in a piece of work and not be really satisfied after it's fired, because you were expecting something else. Or you may have invested just 5 minutes and still be overwhelmed by the result. Whatever the case, you have created a unique piece and if you look at it with an open heart, without prejudice, you will always recognise its beauty, because it was made with love.