Painting Ceramics

Many people love using molded ceramics to decorate your own home decor or gift pieces. Ceramics can be glazed before firing or painted afterwards.

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Craft: Cute Painted Kitty

Misty

September 21, 2007

A ceramic kitty that has been painted. Paint a cute little kitty to sit on your shelf. I bought this kitty from a yard sale. So she only cost me a quarter. You can buy paint in the small pots at Wal-Mart for under $4 and can mix until you have the right colors.

Approximate Time 1 hour

Supplies:

Gray acrylic paint
Pink acrylic paint
White acrylic paint
Blue acrylic paint
Black acrylic paint
varnish or clear coat spray paint

Instructions:

Paint the kitty gray.

After the gray has dried, take some white on a brush and almost brush all of the paint off of it. With this "dry" brush, lightly paint the raised spots to give it the look of dimension.

Paint pink on the nose and bottom of paws.

Paint white in the eyes. Let it dry.

Paint a blue strip down the white of the eyes. Let it dry.

Paint a small dot of black in the middle of the blue.

After completely dry, brush on varnish or spray it with a can of clear-coat.

You can have fun with any animal you get at a yard sale or thrift store. Try different colors instead of traditional ones. Another idea is to paint the item a light color, then "wash" it with black. To do this, you take some black acrylic paint and mix with water. Take a towel (bounty), brush, or cotton ball and rub all over the ceramic piece. It gives some items an aged look. Practice makes perfect. Have fun!

By AngelLoveInOhio

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3 Questions

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Question: Painting Ceramic Without Baking It?

carol Mayo

December 4, 2008

Can a ceramic figurine be painted with out baking it?

Carol from Sun City, AZ

Answers

Vickie Kibellus

December 4, 20080 found this helpful

Best Answer

It can only be painted if it has been fired and is "bisque" that means it is hard and white. You can paint with craft paints and acrylics.

If it is soft and clay-like it is greenware and can only be painted with glazes that will then be fired.

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Louise B.
Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 337 Feedbacks

December 4, 20080 found this helpful

Best Answer

You can paint greenware with acrylic paint, but it is very breakable and will turn into mud if if it ever is in contact with water. On the other hand, I have pieces of raw clay (greenware) that my kids made in school that have been painting with craft paints, and they have lasted for decades. These were handmade pieces though, so they were a lot studier than the hollow ones that you buy from the ceramic stores.

If it is an old ceramic figurine that has already been glazed, you can paint over that with craft/acrylic paints.

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Cyinda
Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 213 Posts

December 7, 20080 found this helpful

Best Answer

I bet you are taking about an already GLAZED ceramic figurine, then I'd recommend GLOSSIES by Liquitex... They are paint then bake in the oven colors for glass & glazed ceramics. You can buy them at Michael's in the Artist paint area, not with the hobby paint.

But if you are painting on unglazed ceramics, then you can use regular acrylic paint then coat the product with a spray-on or paint-on glossy clear enamel.

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Answer this Question

Painting Ceramic Tile

November 14, 2012

This is a page about painting ceramic tile. When looking for ways to easily and more inexpensively update a tile surface, many homeowners consider painting the tile.

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