Using Watercolor Pencils On Ceramics

Watercolor underglazes work best on bisque fired pieces since a great deal of water is needed to apply them.

Using watercolor pencils on ceramics.

Ceramic stains and underglazes mixed with water painted on unfired white glazed bisque is pretty similar to watercolor painting on paper. This will feel the most like watercolor painting except that instead of dipping your brush into watercolor paint you re using water to spread pigment already on the paper. As you apply the water mimic the shape and direction of the pencil strokes. But once you get used to that you can create beautiful watercolor like surfaces.

Watercolor pencils are designed to be used with water which can be applied with a soft brush after making marks with the pencil. Pencil sets are compact and easy to carry. Apply pencil lightly over very large areas and use the wet paint brush to fill it in. Typically water is applied with a brush but sponges and other tools can be used as well.

This results in darker colors. The colors blend seamlessly providing more dimension in pieces. Guidelines also can be painted on with vermilion watercolor paint which also burns away. The main difference is that the glazed bisque surface absorbs the color and water mixture more quickly.

Just create your desired colors on the page first and mix in water to get your paint. Use smooth strokes as you use the brush to spread the pigment from the watercolor pencils. Use watercolor pencils as portable paints. Using this type of underglaze can achieve painterly effects.

This process is called activation. Much more so than paint sets. This allows the colors to spread like watercolor paint when painted over with water but it also makes them more difficult to blend without the use of water. I love water brushes as they are perfect to have for when you are on the go and inspiration strikes you.

Once the material has been activated it behaves like watercolor. When using watercolor pencils you will need for sure some brushes. Apply pencil to the outside edges of a shape then fill in with a wet paint brush. Marks made with graphite pencils on ceramic surfaces will burn out in the firing which can be very convenient as the firing erases the guidelines or grids used for painting or drawing on patterns and designs in ceramic pigments.

Okay this isn t really a technique but one really nice benefit of watercolor pencils is that you can use them as on the go paints. Once the pottery piece is fired in a kiln it will look like it was painted using watercolor paints. On the test tile above you can see the difference one coat of clear glaze makes to the watercolor surface. Apply water to an area then color in with a pencil.