Painting Enamels

There are a couple different styles of painting enamels. There are liquid enamels, watercolor enamels, and ceramic painting enamels.

The chief difference between the enamels we have been using and these enamels is the fineness of the powder. The paint enamels are ground much finer so that you can achieve a much finer line/shading.

To use:

• Spoon a little enamel powder onto a palette or dish.
• Mix in water (watercolor) or oil (ceramic) to achieve desired thickness and opacity.
• The more liquid added the thinner the color will be. For watercolor enamels, thinner colors are more translucent.
• Paint piece with agar.
• Using brushes, paint on the colors.
• Let the colors dry before firing. 
• When using the ceramic pigments, move your piece in and out of the kiln several times before placing in and firing fully. This exposure to heat dries out the oil.
• Paint one layer at a time.

Tips:

• Fire a background layer before using the paints.
• For watercolor enamels, a light background color is best.
• Work in layers. Build up levels and layers of colors. This adds richness to the piece.
• Face masks are a must- this powder is even finer than the others!
• This technique can be used on top of other techniques.
• You can fire a clear top layer over the paints at the end if desired.