Painted pots

I love to give old, or plain, pots and vases a new look. I usually give them a textured rustic finish, because you don't have to be too precise or perfect that way!!  Also, I like that look.... 


Here is a selection of ones I have previously done.

I use a mixture of paints to do this . I usually start by covering the pot with tile paint. This is really tough and gives a good surface to work on. It covers just about anything that is on the original pot. I tend to use white, but you could do this layer in a colour, or black. It is easiest to work on a potters wheel, so you can turn it around gradually, without touching the wet pot.

Sometimes I add a layer of texture right at the start. This is done with a textured paint spray, or simply by mixing PVA glue and sand.  The pot below has been textured, on the bottom half. I am now adding a coat of dark paint as a base layer.

I continue to add some colours. I am using acrylic paint. It does not have to be neat at this stage.

When this layer is dry, I dab on some similar colours, to break up the surface. This also makes  the textured layer stand out. Again, it is not particularly neat. I am just trying to work out the balance of colours. I have painted the rim a similar colour to the inside, to blend it together.

It is not finished yet. As I write this, the paint is still wet and not ready to add another layer. I shall come back to this in another post, when it is complete. I expect I will finish it in the next few days. 

Another technique I use quite a lot on my pots. is to use a layer of crackle glaze. This gives a fantastic broken surface. I like it best when you put a pale colour on top of a dark one. Here is a pot I have completed, using crackle glaze for some of the surface. The rest of the surface was textured with sand, PVA and paint built up in layers.

What do you think? I would love some comments.....