Staining Clay Ceramic Pigments, Stains, Colors for painting pottery

What are pottery pigments? Can they be used for pottery figures to paint. What technique is required for coloring ceramic, earthenware, stoneware glazes

Staining Clay Ceramic Pigments, often referred to as ceramic body stains, have vastly opened up the color possibilities for potters. And as we all know, adding color to your ceramic art can be a tricky proposition. Unlike working with paints, the raw opaque glaze you put on your prize pot or sculpture often looks completely different from the fired result. So it helps to have a good understanding of all of the options out there for ceramic artists. 

Prepared pottery pigments, commonly referred to as ceramic stains, expand the potter’s palette with infinite possibilities. Clay pigments provide a wide range of color possibilities in clay bodies, inglazes, underglazes, and onglazes.

Depending on the use, pigments of potter may be used straight and just mixed with water, but they are more commonly added as colorants in clay bodies and glazes. Some pigments are strong: Bumblebee yellow color code. Another, like Candy Red, requires a higher percentage of mixing. Some pigments are specifically formulated for clay bodies while some are not suitable at all. Unlike ceramic lustres, when used in a clay, pottery pigments are usually used in engobes and slips as a coating for clay rather than pigmenting the entire body. The exception to this would be using stains to tint porcelain for neriage work like Welte glazes. Using opaque ceramic glaze is not recommended over pigments, volcanic glaze too. If you are looking for a glaze effect you can use any luster for ceramics.

ArteFo delivers only quality ceramic paints and stains products. No matter which pigment ceramic you use, the final effect is 100% dependable for all ceramic color pigments.