Creating Wonderful Handmade Kids Greeting Cards Using Painted Ceramics

By Author: Mark Adams
Total Articles: 7
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Sometimes we find that publishers will apply their ceramic methods to embellishments for Kids Greeting Cards and this commentary provides all the information desired to beginning to painting in watercolour.

Equipment Needed:

Ceramic Object, glazed or unglazed (small enough to attach to a kids greeting card)
Colours - obtainable in paints or pens, you can use them together if preferred
Brushes, flat for wide strokes, round for detail, dagger for leaves
Some Kids cards, previously handmade with space for embellishments.

Extra Apparatus:

Outliners - to create a raised pattern in your design
Matt medium - to give a matt finish
Gloss medium - to lighten colours without thinning them
Thinner - to make the colours more fluid without losing the properties of the paint.

Method:
Ensure that you have thoroughly cleaned and dried the ceramic surface that is to be painted onto, and that it is completely free from grease. Apply paint directly from the bottle, ...
... it does not need to be outlined first. Pens, recommended for lines and writing, outliners can be applied directly to the ceramic surface. Leave the paint to dry for 24 hours minimum.

The item does not need to be finished in the oven if it is an embellishment, which is most likely, should you be applying them to your designs.
As a note, If you wish to make a ceramic dishwasher proof before attaching it to your greeting cards, then place it into an oven. Set the oven to 150C and heat for approximately thirty five minutes, when the oven reaches the correct temperature. After thirty five minutes, turn off the oven, open the door and allow to cool.

Hints:
You can make corrections to your designs before attaching the ceramic to your kids greeting cards, using cotton buds before the colour dries.

Load your brush liberally and apply the colour, dabbing it into place, the colour has the tendency to settle to an even finish when ample paint is applied.

Use a stencil to add your design, securing it in place with masking tape. Background paints can be sponged into place to create a speckled finish.

Use masking tape to create straight lines in a design. When the paint has dried, remove the tape.

Be sure to read the label on your ceramic paints so you can understand the number of coats that are needed for your chosen colour. Alternatively, you can always ask the vendor at the time of purchase to find out any special details about coatings and longevity.

Safety:

When producing the paintings, it is greatly important that the embellishments and add-ons are not too small, so there are no injuries caused to the kids. Thus, be sure to use a decorative ceramic item that is fairly large and sturdy so that it can’t be broken into small pieces.

Be sure to completely wash your hands after finishing painting, especially when painting.

While working, be sure that the kids can’t get hold of any of the materials being used. They may not realize the difference between the different paints, which could end up causing many problems for everyone.

www.cardly.co.uk is one shop on the internet that promotes kids greeting cards with painted ceramic embellishments attached. They are generally created by Blue Eyed Sun and are nicely made.