Painting your pottery instructions
Wash your hands before handling the bisque ware pottery
oils or lotions from your hands can cause bald spots on the finished piece.
A piece of kitchen paper is good for blotting your brush.
Dampen your brush and mix up the underglazes a little to loosen them and make them smooth.
You can blend your own colours using the empty pots provided.
About a quarter red mixed with three quarters yellow will make orange; about half and half red and blue will make a pinkish purple; half and half blue and green makes turquoise.
Try to get a smooth coat without lumps.
Any parts of the pot you leave blank will fire to a shiny cream-white, and the underglazes will be brighter and less “pastel” after firing.
Don’t paint anything on the underneath of the piece. It will be wiped away before it goes into the kiln.
The bisque ware and underglazes
Bisque ware is clay that’s been fired once, but not to full temperature. It is porous and will absorb the moisture in the underglaze paints, so they stick to the surface.
The underglazes are not like regular paints. They are glassmaking powders suspended in water, so they don’t flow like regular paint. They absorb very quickly into the bisque to leave a dry powdery finish on the surface.
When you’re done
When you’ve finished painting, carefully wrap your pottery back up and put everything back in the bag, including all the paints and brushes; we will recycle and/or dispose of them responsibly.
Write your name and phone number clearly on the bag and return it to TerraForma for firing.
Back at the studio, the pot gets dipped in glaze that will melt in the kiln to a shiny clear finish. It will be ready to collect in 48 hours.
Have Fun, and if you get stuck with anything, give me a call on: 342-6962