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Ceramic Bisque Painting Tips
1. When signing your piece, design your own logo for signing each one. It looks more professional and helps identify your piece if you take it in for firing.
2. When glaze crawls and leaves a bare spot, it can be caused by:
3. When stilting glazed pieces, use the largest stilt possible to support the piece. Also, use the one with the least amount of points to support the piece. Sometimes that always doesn't work and we have to use one with lots of points. That's why we often recommend putting 1 less coat on the bottom to prevent the "honking" stilt marks.
4. Most glazes require 3 coats. Read the label to find out. However, most CLEAR glazes require only TWO coats. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule, especially on red underglazes that "eat" the clear glaze.
5. When basecoating any piece that you do in stains (acrylics), keep it smooth and in one direction. Sometimes a little water in the brush as you pick up more color will help.
6. When using a colored transparent glaze, the result is often streaky. Try applying one coat with a brush. Then pounce heavily the other two coats with a sponge. (use a clean one that does not have any residue.) This is will give a more solid appearance.
7. When you are glazing, make sure your water is clean. If there is greenware in the water, it can cause glazes to pop when fired. Also, do not use the glaze brush to dust greenware. Same problem exists.
8. Cleaning brushes is so important. There are several good ways. One is to use a brush cleaner, and then there is this heart scrubby thing that really gets the paint out by the ferrule, and there is also the hula technique where you grab the end of the brush and then wiggle it back and forth.
9. We often refer to non-fired paint products as stains. It usually refers to the Acrylics. Many are often self sealing; however, they are not waterproof. Sprays are not waterproof either.
10. Clear glaze is generally labeled as 2 coats. If you apply more than 2 coats, it can cause a yellow tint and affect your colors underneath. It can also create pinholes and tiny bubbles. Learn to flow on your glazes. You paid for all the bristles, use them. A glaze brush should be 3/4 full when dipped in the glaze and then applied.
11. Red glazes that have turned to gray can be caused by not enough glaze, not allowing to dry between coats, or being fired with a copper green.
tip: If your glaze is crawling or leaving bare spots, there are several reasons:
12. If you have streaky applications of glazes, try sponging the coats. Dampen the sponge and then apply the glaze. It is a method used to get better coverage of a transparent glaze. Make sure to use a clean sponge.
13. Wipe down your bisque with a clean damp sponge before painting to remove the dust particles. Remember to allow the piece to air dry for a few minutes before you begin painting.
