Get creative with our guide to glazing pottery
Making your own custom shapes and designs out of clay is lots of fun, but it doesn’t stop there – the process of glazing pottery is where you can really unleash your creativity and get experimental.
But glazing pottery isn’t a case of just slapping some paint on! You might have some fabulous pottery glazing ideas you want to try, but glazes can be very experimental and produce unforeseen results which can make or (literally) break a piece of pottery!
We explore the fascinating world of glazing pottery and look at some pottery glazing ideas for you to get creative with.
Love pottery? You’ll love The Great Pottery Throwdown!
What is pottery glaze?
Glazing pottery is the process of adding a glassy surface onto your ceramics, essentially adding a waterproof seal to your clay creation. This not only helps to make your pottery food-safe, but also helps to seal in any possible pollutants in the clay.
As clay is naturally porous, most pottery items will at least be given a layer of clear glaze to seal it and help toughen the pottery. But ceramic glazes also come in a range of different types, achieving different colours and effects.
The science behind glazing pottery is complex – even for expert potters! A ceramic glaze is mainly made up of glass-forming materials (usually silica or aluminia), and a ceramic flux which is usually added to the raw glaze as oxides.
A ceramic flux is a chemical element that essentially lowers the high melting temperature of the glass-forming materials, enabling vitrification – turning those glass-forming materials into glass.
Glazes can be bought in prepared liquid form, or in its raw powder form which is mixed with water to the desired consistency (normally to something similar to a light cream).
If you’re looking for more information to help you on your pottery adventure, check out our beginner’s guide to pottery.
What is the process of glazing pottery?
While the process of glazing pottery can vary depending on the type of clay or glazes used, normally you will first allow your clay to dry completely, before giving it a bisque or biscuit firing (although glazes are on some occasions applied without this firing step).
This first bisque firing not only hardens your clay so it is stable enough to handle, but also makes the clay more porous, enabling it to absorb glazes better. Terracotta is an example of an unglazed earthenware clay that has been biscuit-fired.
Once given that initial firing, you can then start applying glazes. Decorative pigment glazes made up of oxides are first added as an underglaze. A clear wet glaze is then added over this decorative pigment (normally by dipping the whole item in the clear glaze), which fuses with the decoration when given a second hotter firing.
Part of the fun with glazing pottery is that the colour of a decorative pigment glaze can be significantly different once fired. This is due to the chemical reaction that occurs with the oxides being exposed to heat, and the results can vary dramatically depending on the oxides used and the success of the firing.
Inglaze and overglaze
While this is the most common process for glazing pottery, other methods can be used with certain types of clay. Inglaze is an example where the colours are applied on top of the main covering glaze before firing, such as on Delftware and other tin-glazed pottery.
Overglaze is a technique often used with porcelain, where colours are applied on an already glazed and fired piece before being fired again.
Pottery glazing techniques
Dipping
The simplest and easiest way of glazing pottery is by dipping it in glaze.
This is a technique you’ll need to get accustomed to when applying your layer of wet clear glaze, but you can also use it with coloured glazes.
It’s just as simple as it sounds – prepare your glaze in a bowl or bucket, then dip your pot in it!
You’ll want to experiment with the viscosity of your coloured glazes, as well as the amount of time that you dip it in the glaze – you’ll get a lighter shade with a thin glaze and quick dip, and vice versa.
Painting
If you want to decorate your pot with any text or pictorial elements, you can simply paint your coloured glazes with a brush.
You’ll want to take your time when brushing on glazes. The porous clay will soak up some of the coloured glazes, so you will probably want to add a couple of layers, allowing each layer to soak in and dry before applying the next.
You’ll also want to ‘load up’ your brush, meaning your brush head is saturated with the glaze rather than just given a light coating. This will help you to produce solid strokes and avoid streaks.
Dripping or Pouring
For those of you who like to get messy, experimenting with dripping is a fun way of glazing pottery.
You can achieve this technique by simply pouring the glaze onto your pot and letting gravity do the rest, but if you want to have more precision many potters like to use an old squeeze bottle to apply the glaze.
As the glaze drip runs along your pot it will be slightly absorbed by the clay, so trying to control the speed of the drip will help to produce a more even effect. Rotating or changing the angle of your pot means you can manipulate the path that your drip takes.
Glaze trailing
One of our favourite pottery glazing techniques is glaze trailing. It’s essentially a combination of the painting and dripping method, allowing you to paint patterns and designs with a more natural fluid approach.
All you need to do is load your glaze into a squeeze bottle with a tip, then by squeezing the bottle you can draw lines with your glaze. This works great for creating abstract designs (Jackson Pollock style) but with practice can also be used to create quite controlled designs.
Spraying
Spraying on a coloured glaze can create a soft and interesting effect, especially if you use it as a base layer. You will ideally need an airbrush for a really fine result, but if you don’t have one to hand you can experiment with old liquid spray bottles.
Be aware that you may need to water your glaze down a bit to get it to spray evenly, especially if you don’t want to clog up your fancy airbrush!
@ff_tonhandwerk Spray glazing #glazing #glazes #gradient #farbverlauf #spraying #sprayglaze #sprayglazing #pottery #ceramics #keramik ♬ Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Splattering
You can achieve fabulously random results by splattering your glazes on – it’s a bit like spraying, but more random and abstract. An old toothbrush will work best, but you can also try a stiff paintbrush.
Simply dip it in your glaze, then brush your thumb along the bristles of the brush, flicking the glaze in small droplets onto your pot.
Sponging
You can get a fantastic textured and random effect by using a sponge to apply your coloured glazes. Simply dab your sponge in your glaze then gently blot it onto your pottery.
You’ll get better results if you use a traditional/natural bath sponge rather than a more solid kitchen-style sponge – it’ll help you to get that lovely honeycomb effect.
Resist techniques
If you tend to make a mess when it comes to decorating, you can always use a technique that focuses on where you don’t want to make a mark!
Wax resist is a technique used across a range of dyeing and artistic crafts, and can just as easily be used with pottery.
Before applying your glaze, first paint on the wax resist where you don’t want any glaze to go. Then once your glaze is dry and you fire your pot in the kiln, the wax will cleanly melt away leaving you with a clean glaze-free area underneath.
You can also achieve a similar effect by using masking tape to create straight lines of unglazed areas (much like you’d use it to protect painting around a light switch). Once your glaze has dried don’t forget to take the tape off before putting it in the kiln.
Bubble glazing
Here’s another fantastic technique for creating an abstract textured glaze effect, as well as being a bit of fun too! If you ever tried bubble painting when you were a kid, it’s pretty much the same process.
You add a bit of dish soap to your glaze in a small container, then blow into it with a straw until it overflows with bubbles. You then drop those overflowing bubbles onto your pottery, whereupon the bubbles will pop leaving circular shapes of glaze.
Stencils & Transfers
Just like the resist techniques, you can also use stencils to create incredible textures and patterns without needing to be a pro with a paintbrush.
You can get fun results by using pre-existing items to use as a stencil, such as fabric doilies or lace. Or you can get creative and make your own by using sticker paper - simply draw on your design and cut it out with scissors or a scalpel (or a die-cutting machine if you’re lucky enough to have one).
Then it’s just a simple case of painting over your glaze and removing your stencil before firing. And if that all sounds a bit faffy, you can always buy pre-made stencils or decals specifically for pottery online.
Inlay glazing
One way to add depth to your glaze is by making indentations in your pottery. This could be by carving lines or bumps out of your clay, or even using stamps to make impressions.
You can then apply glaze into the indents, and gently wipe off any excess glaze that may have spilled over out of the indentations. This is one of our favourite pottery glazing techniques for creating bold designs in single colours, but it does take a bit of practice to master.
Tips for glazing pottery
As we’ve mentioned, glazing pottery can be a bit experimental, so here’s our top tips to hopefully help you get the best result.
Clean your pot before glazing
Always ensure your pot is free of dust and debris before applying glaze – wipe your pot down with a damp sponge and leave to dry for 5-10 minutes before applying.
Document everything
The experimental nature of glazes and firing can all make a huge difference to the final result, so keep notes on everything you do. That way if you create an effect you really like, you’ll know how to achieve it again.
Do tests and trial runs
As mentioned, the theory of what colours a glaze should produce and what actually comes out of the kiln can be very different things, especially if you overlap glazes.
Making small test tiles out of the same clay as you made your pot can allow you to test your pottery glazing ideas first before committing them to your precious pottery creation.
Be careful with big droplets
Remember that you want your glaze to be a relatively even layer, and if you’re using dripping or glaze trailing techniques it’s easy to create large droplets or thicker areas that can cause faults when firing. If you need to remove some of your glaze, it’s best to let it dry first and then use a metal rib or sandpaper to gently remove the excess.
Keep your bottom clean
If you have any glaze on the bottom of your pot it will fuse it to the kiln. Some people will use the wax resist method to ensure no glaze adheres to the bottom of the pot (especially if dipping with glazes, as you can just wipe it off the bottom). Another technique is to leave the rim of a pot unglazed and fire it upside down. If you really want your whole pot to be completely glazed, it is possible by using stilts, but these will leave marks which will need to be cleaned up afterwards.
Fancy getting really experimental with your decoration? Then check out the amazing technique of Raku pottery.
What pottery glazing ideas will you come up with?
These are just some of the main pottery glazing techniques that you can try, but part of the joy of ceramics is trying new things and seeing what happens.
If you have an idea that you’re not sure will work, give it a try – at worst it fails, but at best you might create a masterpiece!
Find inspiration for pottery painting
Now that you’ve got the background on pottery glazing techniques, you need to decide on what you want to design. Check out our inspiring list of pottery painting ideas.
