Porcelain painting has come a long way in style and simplicity.
Porcelain paint is now available in formulations that heat-set at low temperatures, so it is a perfect hobby for the home crafter.
Children and adult alike can create great items for gifts or home decoration with simple equipment and a kitchen oven.
Create Memorable Party Favors For Your Guests
If there’s a party in the offing, you can make a party favor for each of your guests to remember your great gathering. Paint a plate, mug or trivet for each guest, and personalize it with his or her name. Kids love things personalized with their names. Adults might like a monogram or a single initial. Use your creativity to design a festive party favor you guests will enjoy.
Fill a mug with candies or small toys for children. Use a guest’s plate as part of your dining place setting instead of using place cards.
Use the theme of the party for your inspiration, and choose a simple shape that reflects the colors and style of the party. Since you are making a number of similar items, create a stencil you will use for all the pieces. This saves time and gives uniformity to your gifts.
Choosing And Preparing Your Ceramic Piece
This type of paint can be used on any non-porous surface that can withstand temperatures of 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Choose simple pieces with ample area to place your design. You can paint glass, ceramic, porcelain, pottery or metal. Make certain that it is heat resistant to withstand the firing process.
Clean your pieces to make sure they are free of grit. Wipe with rubbing alcohol on a lint free cloth to remove any grease or other soil.
Create A Reusable Stencil
Draw your design on paper to get the size and shape just right. Then trace the image onto acetate with a permanent marker. Use an Xacto blade to carefully cut away the negative space, and trim the inner edges to make sure there are no rough surfaces.
Painting With A Stencil
Position the stencil on the piece, and tape the edges to hold it firmly in place. If you are creating a shape that has multiple stencils, be sure to use them in the order you intend for them to be painted.
Prepare your paint in small, flat dishes. You can pre-mix your paints or use them in an impressionistic fashion. Dab paints from different colors together to mix them as they overlap each other on the surface of the project.
Use small pieces of sponge to tap the paint onto the surface, and make sure the paint is uniform and completely fills the area to the edges of the stencil. Allow the paint to dry before removing the stencil. Avoid scratching the paint, as the unfired glaze is easily damaged.
Paint your guest’s names on the article using a detail brush or paint markers that are available from some manufacturers. You could also use letter stencils for a uniform look.
Firing Your Artwork
After the paint has dried, place your pieces in an unheated oven. Set the temperature to 300 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes after the oven has reached the target temperature. Turn off the oven, and let the pieces return to room temperature before removing your work.
Allowing the pieces to gradually heat in the oven and then cool down slowly prevents cracking or damage to the artwork.
Porcelain Paint
There are a number of manufacturers producing low temperature paints that become permanent on glass, ceramic or porcelain in 30 minutes using a kitchen oven. These paints are microwave and dishwasher safe and can be used on any non-porous surface that can be heated to 300 degrees.
Pebeo Porcelaine 150 includes 56 colors that are lightfast, mix well with each other and thin with water or medium. The colors vary from transparent through opaque and come in a wide range of tints. Pebeo also has a line of outliners that have a heavier consistency, which creates a raised surface. They also produce a marker that provides fine detail and uniformity of line work.
Folk Art Enamels makes a line of 57 colors that include glitter gold and silver tones. Their colors are rich and blend well for unlimited color variations. They have a frosted medium that blends with their paints to add shimmer to any color.
Porcelain painting can be a fun hobby for both children and adults. Create stunning decorator pieces for your home or for gifts. Children can paint memorable presents for relatives and parents that might actually be useful. It’s a simple craft that is not expensive to try out and has potential for loads of creative projects and fun experimentation.
