Porcelain should be smooth to the touch ...like that proverbial "baby's behind". If it feels like sandpaper or has little bumps, it could mean many things. Most likely, if it feels like sandpaper, it has not been sanded properly or was underfired. If there is a bumpy surface (pimples) it could mean it was over-fired.

It's hard to tell if the porcelain has been fired to maturity. The obvious signs of immature firing are in how it feels to the touch... rough, no transparency, no satin shine, and tiny black spots.

Black spots:
Those dreaded black spots! They can appear in all types of porcelain. It's hard to determine why they appear or when they will appear, as any one of many reasons could be the cause. One reason is some porcelain already has little black flecks floating in the slip; that will be visible at the time of purchase.

Some black spots won't appear until the ware has been painted and fired to the low china painting temperature.They do not always appear after the first firing (only if you're " lucky"). The third or fourth firing is when they usually appear. This is what is referred to as "mildew".

Moisture is trapped in the ware and when fired to a low temperature, the moisture creates the black spots. Sometimes refiring the porcelain to a cone 6, or whatever the porcelain manufacturer has required, helps fade the black spots. When fired that hot, china paint will burn off. This does not always work to remove the spots.

Porcelain bisque is non porous and will hold water whether it is glazed or not. Water will not seep unless there is a crack in the porcelain. Water in a flower vase will stain the bisque and is close to impossible to clean off. Glaze on the inside of such a vase will prevent stain.

Flawless porcelain bisque is a genuine rarity. Remember, it is made by a human. Select your porcelain bisque with care, and with your eyes wide open. Don't be afraid to ask questions from the dealer. Dealers love to talk about the porcelain that they create.

Copying a design onto the bisque.
Use your ability to paint free-hand on bisque. Use a paint scroller to block in design. Do not use a graphite pencil, tracing paper, sarral transfer paper or marking pen. The lines made by these items may not fire out. Use a regular lead #2 pencil and lightly sketch. If the pencil marks are still there after firing rub off with finger or with a 50/50 mixture of garden lavender oil and denatured alcohol.

Decorating/painting porcelain bisque.
I have heard some people say, "painting on bisque wears out my brushes quickly". Yes, a rough gritty porcelain surface will be hard on painting brushes. Select satin smooth porcelain bisque and your brushes will not wear out any faster than they do gliding over a glazed surface.

Painting with matt paints on porcelain bisque creates a soft velvety look. You can buy matt paints or matt your regular paints. I use a product called "mattversats matt" (powder form). The formula to matt the paints is 1/3 mattversats matt to 2/3 china paint. For a high gold content china paint use 50/50; 50% matting agent and 50% china paint. Mix as usual with the mixing medium you currently use. Note: keep your matt paints separate from the regular paints.
(note from Marci: if you can't find "mattversats matt", then you can also use zinc oxide to matt your paints...or you can also try using a dab of any zinc oxide cream ( like diaper rash ointments....read the label and see if zinc oxide is one of the ingredients)as a painting medium.)

Whether you use matt or regular china paints, you will notice the bisque grabs the paint. You have done nothing wrong..... the paint doesn't glide on as over a glazed surface.

For a smooth application of the china paint over bisque, first rub the ware all over sparingly with paint medium or mineral oil.

Mother of Pearl (MOP) will put a tooth on porcelain bisque. Smear on the MOP and fire to required temperature. Then apply the china paint on top of MOP using either matt or regular paints. This technique is lovely over a piece of colored bisque.

Once the paint is fired, it sits on top of porcelain because there is no glaze for paint to sink into. I do not recommend that a painted porcelain bisque piece be used for food. Use for decoration only.

Burnished Gold look:
Liquid bright gold (LBG) applied to bisque gives a burnished gold appearance. Two or three applications might be necessary ,depending on the quality of gold. Clean the area to be painted with denatured alcohol and let dry completely before applying gold. Pour the amount of gold needed onto a tile and let the gold thicken before applying. If LBG is too thin ,it will creep over the bisque.

Shiny Gold look:
For shiny gold on the bisque, apply a thin ,even coat of regular china paint using yellow brown (a suggested color) over the area where you want the LBG...... Fire(018 to 015) ..... then put the LBG over china paint and fire.

Base for Gold:
When using base for raised gold, scroll your design on bisque, fire. Then apply the LBG over the base for raised gold, fire. The LBG applied over the base for raised gold will be shiny and on the bisque the LBG will have a burnished gold appearance. This makes a rich and elegant embellishment.

Flow Enamel:
Flow enamel is a fun technique for decorating porcelain bisque. First ,do the pen work using design of you choice, making the lines fairly thick......... fire. Then have fun with the enameling.

Metallic paints works well over bisque. The paints can be mixed with your open medium (fairly wet) and brushed on. Or , for a good ,one-time completely opaque coverage, grounding is the ticket. For metallics to adhere best, fire hot 015 or 016.

China painting over grounded metallics has a terrific look. One time I had been working on a round powder bisque box and on the third firing,the dreaded black spots appeared. I wondered what would happen if I ground the whole lid with metallic paint. I did... fired it to cone 015 and "voila!" ,it covered up the spots!I painted a floral design over the metallic and ,if I do say so myself, the box was lovely.

More Design Suggestions:
A painted monochromatic design is beautiful over colored bisque. I do not normally promote a studio or their products in my demos, but since we are related......Joanna Barker from Montana and her Mom ,Evelyn Stoll(currently MT originally CA) made a video of a daisy design on bisque. It was not totally monochromatic, but close. Jo's Mom gives a thorough description of how to mix enamel and using it on bisque. The colors used were the browns, yellows and pecans. The suggested colors would be lovely over pastel yellow or ivory porcelain bisque.

Colored Porcelain:
Colored porcelain is a bit more expensive, but fun to paint on and you get interesting results. One lady told me that she ignored the color and painted her design just as she would on white china. I bet she had some lively and fun paintings.

If you all used the exact same supplies and fired in the same kiln, you would end with the same colors. However, this does not usually occur. Each Porcelain manufacturer has their own mixed color for (example) sky blue. Company A's sky blue would most likely not be the same hue as Company B's sky blue. The same with all colors of bisque ....including white. There is a blue white, grey white, creamy white, and the list goes on.

If china painting on porcelain bisque were an exact science, rules to follow would be possible. The same holds true for the china paints. Happy's yellow red might not be as intense or have more yellow than Painter's yellow red. For best results I strongly advise that colors be test fired on colored bisque scraps.

When you purchase colored porcelain, ask the dealer if they have the colored fired scraps so that you can use them for test-firing china paint colors. There should be no charge for the scraps, however it is worth the purchase if you do have to buy them.Test fire your colors. The colors will have a different tone than you are accustomed to if they have been matted and/or painted over colored bisque.

Some yellow greens might develop a golden brown color after firing. I use the greens that have more blue mixed in them.(note from Marci: brownish greens tend to not fire very pretty either)

Firing:
Fire the china paints to a cone 018. For the metallic paints ,go hotter...015. As a rule LBG and base for raised gold fire at 017. Follow the manufacturers firing suggestions on lusters or use your own judgment.

Cleaning smudges:
I use a mixture I refer to as 50/50 or half/half to clean off unwanted smudges. It is half garden lavender oil and half denature alcohol. This mixture does not creep and disperse wet china paint as turp does. Keep this mixture in a tightly sealed jar as it will evaporate if left out in the open.

There are many, many techniques that works well with porcelain bisque. Take what you already know and let your imagination take over.

I'm going to pass this on to you as it was told to me. I have no idea why, but do not use turpentine on the bisque.(?) My teacher's words have left a lasting impression with me, because I never have used turp on bisque. I have no idea what will happen; a turpentine-laden bisque will disintegrate in my hands, seven years of bad luck, my chair will collapse under me or what??????????
(note from Marci: if anyone out there is willing to try turp on bisque,please email me and let me know if you are now having seven years of bad luck or if your chair has collapsed ...or if the "Ghost of Teachers' Past" has come to haunt you! (grin!)

I hope some of these ideas will help you. Please remember: "what works for one might not work for all".

Beverly Stone
Seattle ,WA
email - bjstone@uswest.net