You can use a green or blue patina. Or you can choose a rust finish if you want an iron look. They do look amazingly convincing.
Potters will often use oxide washes and stains prior to glaze firing. They can be used as a wash on their own. Oxide washes can create a nice effect with textured ceramic surfaces. You can paint on the wash or dip your piece into an oxide wash. Then use a sponge to wipe over the ceramic surface. This cleans the oxide off the high points and leaves the oxide color in the textured areas.
Tempera or poster paint is a water-soluble inexpensive way to decorate pottery without glazing it. Like acrylics, poster paints colors can be mixed together to create an endless range of colors. A glossy sealer can give you a nice glazed look. Spraying a finish onto your pottery can give a fine even coating. And using a metallic spray can create a convincing metal finish. Hammerite is a good option to create a metallic effect. One reason for this is that it can be harder to get sprays into nooks and crannies on your piece.
Another reason is that you can choose an undercoat that compliments the enamel spray. For example, an iron oxide wash with a top coat of bronze Hammerite spray will create a lustrous metallic effect. If you have used an attractive clay to build your pieces, a simple coat of clear varnish can look great.
Some clays look beautiful unglazed. They can be lovely reds or pure white. Or you might have a speckled textured clay. These colors and textures are attractive enough without glazing. Or you might want to use a coat of clear varnish to add a clear shine to their raw beauty. Watercolors can be used to create a wash over your piece.
Or they can be used in a painterly way like underglaze to create attractive designs on your pots. Wax is a nice way of getting a soft sheen on your pots. This can look like burnished clay. A wide range of waxes are suitable for decorating pottery as an alternative to glazing. For example, you can apply paste wax to your pot. Then heat the pot up with a hairdryer or heat gun. Once the wax is warm, you can buff it up with a cloth and then apply another coat.
As you build up the layers, you will develop a deep, rich, warm sheen on your piece. Wood stain can be applied to unglazed pottery either on its own. Or it can be varnished after application. It can look a little like an oxide wash. You can also use spray stains that are designed for craft purposes, and for porous surfaces. A good example is this range of distress spray stains by Tim Holtz. They come in metallic and non-metallic colors and can look amazing when applied to pottery.
If you want to glaze pottery at home using a non-ceramic glaze alternative, there are some important things to remember:. Pottery is usually fired twice. The first firing is the bisque fire, which turns clay into hard ceramic matter. Pottery that has been bisque fired, is called bisque ware. The second fire is the glaze fire. Clay that has not been bisque fired is very fragile and will dissolve in water.
Bisque ware on the other hand, though porous, is hard and quite durable, and non-soluble. You can buy bisque ware that is ready for decoration. For example, you can buy earthenware bisque pottery at Blick Art Materials.
This is has been bisque fired already and can be decorated either with glaze or a glaze alternative. Bisque ware is porous and very absorbent. As such, it draws water out of paint and other liquids very quickly. If you try to put paint directly onto bisque, it will dry the paint out and make it hard to blend. You can make a simple sealant by mixing PVA glue in with water and then painting this on your bisque. Pottery that is finished using these alternatives to glazing is not food safe.
The reason for this is that the surface of these alternatives to glaze are porous. They will either absorb liquid or leach ingredients into your food and drink. Because they are porous they are also not suitable to be used as water holding vessels like vases. If you want to use an unglazed pot as a vase, you can put a plastic container inside the pot. The plastic container acts as a liner.
Another option is to apply a two part epoxy resin to the inside surface of your vessel. Epoxy resins are designed to create a watertight surface. You can do this by filling the sealed vase with water.
Then place the filled vase on a piece of paper. Leave it for a few hours, ideally overnight. Is the paper is damp and wrinkled underneath the pot when you lift it? If it is, then you know that the vase is seeping water and not fully waterproof. There are nice-looking alternatives to glazing. However, if you want to use your pottery for food and drink you need to use a ceramic glaze.
And it needs to be fired in a kiln. So how do you go about getting access to a kiln? Luckily you have options. Here are a few of them:. With a bit of investigation, you will likely find that there are a few people nearby that have a kiln. These people might be schools, pottery cafes, or local potters to name but a few.
A lot of people who own kilns will fire your pottery for a very reasonable fee. You would simply apply the glaze at home and take it along to the person with the kiln.
They fire it, and then a few days later you can pick it up. Or you will also need to ask the kiln firing service to bisque fire your pottery first.
There are some experienced potters that move on to single firing pottery. This approach skips the bisque firing stage. However, single firing also referred to as glazing greenware has its challenges. I made some suggestions here above about where you can purchase it.
Buying bisque ware can be a sensible choice if your main interest is decorating pottery. However, if you want to learn about how to make your pots and fire them, then this is entirely possible too. Simply make your pots at home, and allow them to dry out until they are bone dry. They will know exactly what to do.
Once they have been bisque fired, you can collect them, glaze them and take them back for glaze firing. This article gives you lots of handy tips about how to transport greenware safely without it getting damaged in transit. There are normally a lot of second-hand kilns for sale on sites like eBay or Craigslist.
And you can often pick up a kiln in decent condition for about half its original price or less. If you are wondering what size kiln to buy, you could check out this article. It will give you some handy tips on how to decide what size kiln you need. Buying anything secondhand comes with the risk that it might break down. In spite of this, if you choose your kiln carefully, you can pick up some great bargains.
There are lots of advantages to buying a new kiln. They are:. These are very solid reasons for buying a new kiln. So, if you are able to stretch to a new one, then it will be a good investment. Some are very active, allowing the glaze to mature at earthenware temperatures. Others are less active, and useful only when firing at mid- to high-range temperatures.
It is important to note, however, that many of the metallic oxides used as fluxes are toxic and can be respired in their immature state. Use care and wear a dust mask when handling them. Also, make sure the final bowl, plate, or cup has reached full maturity to prevent any leaching into food served on or in it.
Once melted, silica is transparent, making colorants necessary in order to achieve the wide range of hues that make decorating pottery with glazes so rewarding. Ceramic colorants must be able to withstand high temperatures without burning off so most are made from metallic oxides—a medium that can also affect the melting point of the glaze.
Before firing, take into account what colorant you are using and do the math to make sure your firing temperature is correct. Also, raw metal oxides usually bear no resemblance to the color they produce in the glaze. Knowing what minerals create which colors is key to making your end product yield the hue you are going for.
In addition to colorants, other modifiers may be added to glazes that affect opacity, iridescence, or the working quality of the glaze when it's still raw unfired.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Glazes are responsible both for decorating the pottery and for creating an attractive glossy surface that protects the pottery from wear and water.
While glazing can be a long and involved process, it is not too hard to learn, and results will improve with practice.
If you don't have access to a kiln, try to find one before you begin, as described within the Firing section below. Do not use the knife or other object for any food-related purpose, after using it to glaze or create artwork.
Before you glaze pottery, fire it in a kiln so it's hard when you put the glaze on it. Once you take it out of the kiln, apply some wax to the base, as well as any spots where removable parts meet, which will prevent the glaze from gluing the object to the surface you're working on.
Next, stir a pre-mixed under-glaze thoroughly and apply it the object with a brush, letting it dry after each layer if you're using multiple colors. When you're finished applying the under-glaze, use a brush to apply a final layer of overglaze, or dip the pottery in a bucket of overglaze instead. To learn how to fire pottery after glazing it, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers.
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Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Article Summary. Author Info Last Updated: September 16, Part 1. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Start with an unglazed, hard ceramic object. A ceramic shop or artist might direct you to suitable objects they sell.
Typically, these objects have gone through a "bisque" firing process to make it hard. Unlike some types of fired ceramic, bisque has a porous, absorbent surface. This allows it to absorb wet glaze, which will then create a protective waterproof finish when the ceramic is fired a second time. Depending on the type of clay used, the bisque ceramic piece may be white or red. If you have a clay object you made yourself, fire it in the kiln to make it hard but still porous before you glaze.
The exact temperature to fire your object depends on its size and type of clay, so check with the manufacturer of your clay, or if the manufacturer isn't available to you, ask the advice of an experienced potter.
One may be willing to let you use his or her kiln to test the maturing temperature of your clay, although the potter may ask for compensation. Wear disposable gloves while handling the ceramic object. The plain "bisque" object you will be glazing should be kept as clean as possible.
Even oil from your hands may prevent the glaze from attaching correctly, so wear disposable latex gloves whenever you touch the object you will be glazing. Purchase pre-mixed glazes or ones mixed by a professional. While you may mix your own glazes out of dry powdered chemicals that contain silica, alumina, various ground elements, and water, doing so requires a respirator mask to avoid inhaling what is essentially particles of glass dust. Consider glazes based on their firing temperature.
Different glazes require firing at different temperatures to set correctly onto the object. Do not use two glazes that require different firing temperatures on the same object, or you will risk breaking the pottery.
Firing temperatures may be listed simply as "high" or "low", or referred to as "cone 04", "cone 6", et cetera. These measurements refer to potters' cones made from different clay types, which sag at different temperatures in the kiln. If a clay is fired to the incorrect cone it may melt and ruin other artwork in the kiln. Be aware of harmful glaze ingredients. Ask what the glaze is made from before purchasing. Lead-based over-glaze are not recommended for objects that will come into contact with food or drink.
Toxic glazes of any type are not recommended if children are involved in the glazing process or have access to the area you will be storing the glazes. If you are working in a community studio, ask which glazes are considered food safe if your object will come into contact with food or drink.
Lead-based underglazes with a protective non-lead overglaze will probably be safe initially, if the glaze was fired properly. However, lead may begin to leach through the glaze after prolonged use, especially if the ceramic is frequently scrubbed or exposed to high-acid foods such as tomatoes. Stop using the dish immediately if you see powder or cracking at the glaze's surface.
Know that you may glaze your piece in many different ways. The most common application method is to glaze it with a single layer of colored glaze, but many people prefer to directly apply color with underglazes and cover that with a clear overglaze. Glazes change dramatically after being fired, due to application method, ie. Underglazes do not change in appearance as dramatically as glazes after firing, and it is easier to obtain precise lines when using underglazes.
If you choose to underglaze your piece, purchase one or more underglazes based on their post-firing color. Underglazes come in a variety of colors and are intended for decorating or painting an object.
You may use as many colors of underglazes as you like to decorate your pot. Look at the colors on the manufacturer's glazing chart to see examples of the underglaze or glazes' final color. Do not assume a fired glaze will look the same as it appears before firing. Purchase an overglaze. Overglaze creates a glossy, protective finish over the surface of the object. Pick a clear overglaze that won't hide the color of the underglaze s , or if you aren't using underglazes, pick an overglaze of any color.
Note: As described above, you must use glazes that fire at the same temperature if you are using multiple glazes on one object. If you fire a glaze at the wrong temperature, your object could be damaged.
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