Before you begin to paint a piece of porcelain, it is important to choose the right kind of paint from among the several types of porcelain paints on the market. It is a good idea to protect your work surface and wear old clothes, since porcelain paint can stain. After washing and drying the surface you plan to paint, you can paint your design on it. When the paint is dry, the piece will need to be heated to help set the paint.
Choosing the right type of paint for porcelain is important. Paints not designed for this purpose will just flake off when they dry. Special porcelain paint should be used instead. These can be purchased from most art and craft stores, and they can come in tubes, jars, or pens.
Before using this paint on porcelain, it is recommended that you protect your work surface. To do this, you can lay down a drop cloth or an old shower curtain. If these are not available, large garbage bags will work as well. You will also want to wear old clothes or an art smock.
Porcelain pieces that you will be painting should be washed and dried thoroughly. This includes removing any glue from price tags. Lighter fluid or alcohol can be used to remove this residue.
Porcelain paint may be a little different to work with than regular paint. You should practice before painting your final piece. To practice, you can apply paint on porcelain scraps first.
When you feel ready to begin painting your piece, you should first draw an outline of your design. This can be done with a very fine paint brush or a porcelain paint pen, which will apply paint on porcelain in a very thin line. You can also sketch the design with a washable marker.
You can then begin to paint your design. Try not to put on a thick layer of paint, since this can cause blemishes on the finished piece. If you make mistakes when brushing paint on porcelain surfaces, however, they should be wiped away as soon as possible. This type of paint usually dries very quickly, and it can be difficult to remove then.
After you have applied one color of paint on porcelain and it has dried for several hours, the piece should then be heated. While using a kiln is the traditional way of doing this, many porcelain paints today can be heated in a regular kitchen oven. Each time that you apply a different color of porcelain paint, the paint should dry for several hours before being heated in an oven.