Use Stamps, stencils and sponges. This project was made using some of the sponges we have at the studio; there are loads to choose from. They can be dabbed in paint and printed straight on. Using stencils? We recommend using felt tips and drawing the stencil in place then painting over the felt tip (which burns off in the kiln). If you paint directly on top it might leak underneath
Take a piece of pottery and 'reimagine' it. This is one of our Gnomes we like to call Wilf - he's mostly painted in the summer to put in the garden, but by thinking outside the box we've turned him into this Halloween Cyclops! Don't let the item tell you what to paint, you can choose to do something completely different if you wish, that's the beauty of painting your OWN pottery! This only took 4 colours to create and zero artisitic ability!
We created this design using our specialist tracing paper called Clay Carbon Paper. Find a design that you like online and print it off, bring it with you when you come in and we will give you some clay carbon. You use it as a sandwich between the your picture and the pottery. A sharp pencil or pen going over the outline will leave a light imprint on the bare ceramic leaving the lines for you to paint over. That way you get the designs you want, in the colours you want on the pottery you want. Simple, but elevates your painting skills to the next level without much effort!
Masking tape is a great way to get geometric designs on your item (or anything you need a straight line for!). We have different widths so you can choose what suits you, get the tape on at different angles so that they over lap but not into the next space and then paint each gap with 3 coats of paint. This looks particularly effective if you use different shades of the same colour. Peel off the tape before you leave so you can see how the finished project will look.
Stickers are a really easy way to add to your design. We have loads to choose from and spare vinyl if you'd like to cut out your own. In this example we've stuck letters to spell Dixie Dot Crafts, painted pink all over the top then splattered different coloured paint. When that is dry we've peeled the letters off leaving the bare white ceramic underneath. After glazing and firing you can see how much the colours pop. If you are requiring set words or letters for your project please let us know before you come and we will make sure you have them in. Super Simple. Super effective!
So there we have it, 5 quick ideas of techniques that are quick and easy and will
give a really professional look to your painted pottery.
Book your table today and get creative!