Top tips to help
your pottery painting party run smoothly!
Control the paint and control the party !
Prevent 90% of all problems ever starting by NOT letting children
near the paint pots !. Instead put them all in a tub and
personally squeeze pea-size amounts of paint onto the palettes as
required (you can always add more later). About four colours per item
works well and remember to use lighter colours before dark colours.
Stay on top of small accidents.
Most problem paint marks are not caused by direct spillages, but
by paint transfer
. Paintbrush to hand, hand to apron, and
finally apron to FURNITURE! The use of palettes should prevent large
accidents but keep a wet-wipe or tissue handy and periodically check
and remove any paint from the childrens hands / arms. Get older
children to do it themselves when they change colours!
Only use
the water for brush cleaning - then dry the brush thoroughly
The
water should only be used for cleaning the brush between colours. A
damp brush will thin the paint and increase the likelihood of
paint-splashes so make sure brushes are dried before moving onto the
next colour. Do not be tempted to use water when mixing colours.
Materials Checklist
Paints (keep out of reach of children)
Paint palettes (one for each 2-3 painters)
Brushes (assortment of thick and thin brushes)
Kitchen Roll (Lots)
Wet-Wipes (or small clean damp cloths) for wiping hands
Large damp clean cloth (in case of accidents)
Disposable / old tablecloth or newspaper to cover table
Jars about ½ full of water for brush cleaning (1 for each 2 or 3 children)
Disposable Aprons or old T-Shirts - Optional
Getting Started
Prepare the Pottery : Before you begin painting, take a sponge
and get it only slightly damp with clean water. Wipe off your pottery
to remove large dust particles because these can cause the coloured
glaze to pull away from the pottery during the kiln firing process. Be
sure that your pottery does not get too wet because soaked-in water
will keep the coloured glazes from adhering.
Dark Colours
over Light Colours : If you want to overlap colours by painting
one colour on top of another colour, it is always best to have the
background colour be lighter than the foreground. This is because
darker coloured glazes tend to bleed through lighter colours, and the
lighter colour will not show up clearly.
Unpainted Surfaces
: Before we kiln fire your pottery, we will coat the entire piece
with a clear "over glaze" that will seal the entire piece and provide
a glassy, clear surface. Any area left unpainted will have the natural
white colouring of the ceramic.
Sponge Painting : You
may use your sponge to directly apply the coloured glaze to your
pottery. This results in a very nice "textured" appearance after kiln
firing, and you can vary the texture density and mix colours.
Dots : You may use the other end of your brush to paint on
clean, uniform dots. Only one coat is required, and this is a very
fast and easy method to cover your pottery with colourful dots!
Draw Patterns : You may use a pencil to directly trace a
pattern onto your pottery, and the graphite will completely burn away
during kiln firing. Do not erase if you make a mistake with the
pencil, just draw it again. Before painting over pencil marks, dust it
off again with the slightly damp sponge to remove any large pieces of
graphite.
Straight Lines and Edges : Use masking tape to
create straight lines and edges on your pottery. Place masking tape as
desired, then paint over the tape edge. After the coloured glaze is
very dry, carefully peal off the tape. Make sure the tape glue does
not remain on the pottery before painting over it as it could cause
the glaze to not adhere to the surface. Only use masking tape for
this.
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