A peek at my ceramic painting technique

Here is a blow-by-blow of my ceramic painting technique. Mugs are one of my favorite things to make in my studio. Whether it is making them from clay from scratch or painting bisque, the process eases my nerves and makes me feel happy. The benefit of painting so many mugs is now I’m an expert! There is definitely a routine I follow to make everything flow.

And I always have people ask me to show a video of painting my mugs, so I finally put one together! I used to use Duncan Concepts, now i’ve switched to Mayco Stroke and Coat. For this tutorial,I’ll show Duncan products.

I also own a wheel but I have yet to use it.

For now, we’ll show my ceramic painting technique.

I finally got myself organized and put all my ceramic painting supplies on one rolling cart.

This way I can pull it to my side as I work, and roll it back behind me when I’m done. so much easier! Keeping paints in a box or shelf slowed down my process. I love the cart because I can wheel it out of the way when I’m done. Clear up some much-needed space.

Anyway, I start with bisque mugs and clean them with a damp sponge to remove any dust or debris.

Then I add three coats of the underglaze colors, that way they will fire to a bright, opaque look.

One coat will fire to a sheer finish, almost like watercolor. Two coats will be a bit thicker, but three coats will produce a solid, uniform color. All depends on your style.

Let each coat dry between layers.

You can tell when the layer is dry because it will look light and very chalky. They look super pastel, but wait until they are fired!

Add lettering by using a liner brush or French Dimension for a bumpy look.

Dip in clear glaze, let dry, then fire to cone 06.

Here’s my video where I talk through the process.

Ceramic painting technique tips:

If you have a certain design in mind, use a pencil to sketch it out on the dry bisque. It will fire off in the kiln. you can also use a ballpoint en or even a marker.

Clean up mistake with a damp sponge or nail file.