How to Watercolor Pottery

One of my favorite ceramic hacks is using watercolors to paint fired clay. It is especially fun to do with kids! However, please be mindful that if you use this technique, your pottery project will not be food safe. 

1. Start out with a bisque-fired piece. The porous texture will draw in the watercolor for best results. For more information about how we created this cute peach, check out our previous blog post! Also, make sure your fully fired ceramic project is dirt and dust free. If there is dust or stains on your piece, you can wash it off, and then wait until the project is dry to start painting.

2. You can use watercolor paints, or watercolor pencils. We were out of paint, so we decided to go with pencils!

3. I drew on the bisque fired clay with the colors that I wanted to include on my clay peach rattle. 

4. Then, using a wet paint brush, I soaked my drawn in areas with water, and then brushed them around until they blended together. If you are using a watercolor paint set, then you would just simply paint the areas. And remember, them more water you add to your watercolor paints, the lighter the color will appear on the clay.

5. The watercolor will dry fairly quickly, so as you paint you can turn your project from side to side. If you want to seal the surface of the pottery, you can use Mod Podge or an acrylic spray. But remember, watercolor painted pottery is NOT FOOD SAFE!!

6. Have fun! And remember, it's about the process, not the product! So keep trying, learning and experiementing!