Underglaze Decoration

How to Decorate Glazed Ceramics at Home
Many find that taking something ordinary and making it into something spectacular is often rewarding. You can do this at home. Adding a simple coat of paint to a ceramic mug can work wonders. Some surfaces may need a little special attention. There are paints that are made for use on ceramics and those for glazed surfaces.

Amaco F-Series Glazes		Amaco Lead-Free Clear Transparent Glazes		Amaco Lead-Free Matt Glazes		Amaco LG Series Dry Powder Gloss Glazes
Price: $12 - $13		Price: $10		Price: $11 - $14		Price: $10
Brand: Amaco		Brand: Amaco		Brand: Amaco		Brand: Amaco
Amaco F-Series Glazes are fritted and lead-free.		Clear, transparent glazes are used as a finishing coat over underglaze decorations.		Amaco's LM Matt Glaze Series is one of the most pleasing for decorative art pottery.		These brilliantly colored gloss glazes are extremely popular.
Amaco Teacher's Choice Glazes		Amaco Textured Alligator Liquid Glazes		Amaco Underglaze Pencils		Blick Low-Fire Gloss Glazes
Price: $50 - $55		Price: $14 - $17		Price: $32 - $48		Price: $10
Brand: Amaco		Brand: Amaco		Brand: Amaco		Brand: Blick
These one-step gloss decorating glazes are a great value!		These glazes come in a liquid, ready-to-use form.		These underglaze pencils provide intense color for shading, fine line drawing, or identification.		Blick is excited to offer this bright, gloss series of lead-free glazes.
Classroom Pack 1, Set of 6		Classroom Pack 2, Set of 6		Classroom Pack, Set of 12		F-10 Lead-Free Glaze
Price: $49 - $55		Price: $49		Price: $153		Price: $12
Brand: Amaco		Brand: Amaco		Brand: Amaco		Brand: Amaco
Includes one pint of each of the following colors: Transparent Matte, Opaque White, Blue Iris, Parakeet Green, Red, and Daffodil Yellow.		Includes one pint of each of the following colors: Terra Cotta, Sky Blue, Chartreuse, Pink, Soft Yellow, and Tangerine.		Includes one pint of each of the following colors: Transparent Matte, Opaque White, Blue Iris, Robin Egg Blue, Parakeet Green, Dark Green, Burgundy, Red, Daffodil Yellow, Orange, Satin Black, and Blue Green.		This clear, transparent liquid covering glaze will not discolor the underglaze or cause colors to bleed.

In the following are simple instructions and tips for decorating your ceramics at home.

• You will need to take off all hardware from your item. Stickers, decals, metal hangers or any other hardware must be removed.
• Clean item with alcohol. It evaporates and will leave no residue like most cleaners and soaps do. Alcohol removes oils and dirt from the surface. Try not to touch the surface you will be decorating as this will add dirt and oils.
• You may wish to freehand your design onto your item. If not, use stamps or stencils. Paint designs lightly. Apply two thin coats rather than a thick coat.
• All stray marks can be cleaned up with alcohol and a cotton swab. Try to clean up paint when wet.
• Allow paint to cure or harden so that it will adhere well. This may take up to twenty-one days. Item can be stored in a cold oven during this time to protect it from fluctuation of temperatures. Fluctuating temperatures can cause breakage in the paint.
• Another curing technique is to place the item in a cold oven for an hour. After an hour, oven should be set at 350 degrees F. Allow oven to reach this temperature and then bake for half an hour before turning off. Allow oven to cool and remove item.