Fun Ceramic Painting Studio Art Activity with Kids 

Ceramic Painting Studio Art Activity

Are you looking for something to do that will break up these last few weeks of winter? Or for a special thing to look forward to on spring break with the kids? 

You might consider doing a fun ceramic painting studio art activity. 

PYOP- Paint Your Own Pottery!

This isn’t a craft that you do at home. You travel to a local ceramics painting studio where you get to do your own pottery painting! PYOP- Paint Your Own Pottery!!

I took a couple of my grands to a local studio last summer, and it was such a great activity on a hot afternoon.

I want to give a shout out to "On the Pot- a pottery playhouse!" It is our closest ceramic painting studio and is in Salina, Kansas. It's just a great place in every way.

Note: I'll be talking about our experience at "On the Pot" (OTP), but your local ceramics studio would be the similar, I'm sure!

Locate your nearest ceramic studio by doing a fast search online. Usually there is one within driving distance.

Caution...creativity ahead

Before we even entered the store, we were excited to paint ceramics. Colorful examples of pottery filled the front windows of the shop- examples of what you can do inside. Don't you love their sign board?

The creative juices really started flowing when we walked in the door. The tables were set up and ready for us to get started on our pottery pieces. Everything was bright and colorful; it just looks like a fun place.

Choosing pottery pieces- it's hard!

The hardest part was choosing which pieces of unglazed ceramics to paint! Right inside the door of the studio there were shelves and shelves of items of every type, ready to be painted. 

I was amazed at the variety of molded forms that were available (animals, figurines), dishware, platters). It was actually a bit overwhelming. Such a huge selection of ceramics! There's something for all skill levels!

The first time that we did this, the girls each painted a bowl for themselves. So they decided to do a plate this time.

Ceramic painting costs, studio fees-

There is a fee for each piece of pottery that you choose, so it is wise to put a dollar amount on what you are planning to spend before you go inside. Then the kids have those parameters to work with as they choose a ceramic piece. 

There is also a studio fee to pay for each person in addition to the cost of the pottery piece, your supplies and the firing of the piece are included in this price. That is important to know as well. Your studio may do it differently.

Ceramic painting process

Friendly & helpful staff

The girls brought their plates back to the table. In front of us was a beautiful bouquet of paint brushes and mason jars full of clean water, ready for us to get started.

The staff person came over and helped talk us through how we would go about our project. OTP has a very friendly staff (which is often the owners, two sisters), and they made it such a fun experience.

Glaze, kiln, glass fusing- what?

The plate that the girls were going to paint on is a raw bisque piece and the paint isn’t what we typically think of as paint, it’s a glaze. So you can say you are glazing the piece instead of painting the pottery if you want. 

The glaze has tiny little pieces (particles) of glass in it, and when it’s placed in the kiln to be fired, the heat causes the glass pieces to go through a glass fusing. This causes it to turn into a really shiny and hard surface on the piece that you glazed. It has a smooth, beautiful texture- with the vibrant colors we saw on the examples as we came in. 

What’s unusual is that the glazes are dull colors, not vibrant at all. When it’s glazed, the fusing in the heat cause it to come out those vibrant colors.

How to find the glaze colors

So the staff member showed us sample squares of what the glazes would look like after they were fired. Each was numbered. After finding the colors you like you go and find the paint bottles that have the same number on it. It’s a little different way of thinking about painting.

Design your piece and choose your colors of glaze

It was actually a really fun process- almost felt like an Easter egg hunt :-). The hunt was on for the perfect colors. 

The grands took some time to think about what it was that they wanted to paint on their plate. Then they could look at the glazed samples and choose the perfect paint color. 

What are the Ceramic Painting Techniques?

With the bottles of bisque in their hands, they came back to the table and squirted some of it in some little paint trays that were available for them to use.

The staff person explained the painting process and that there are several ways to put the glaze onto the surface of the plate. 

• Of course, they could use paint brushes- the glaze goes on like regular paint. 
• There were stencils or stamps that they could use to create designs on their plate.
• Lastly fine details like lettering could be make using small squirt bottles of glaze.

The creative process of ceramic painting

The design process was really fun. The girls had their ideas of what they wanted to do and then put together all these technique ideas to come up with their own creations!

I find the whole creative process so delightful. Each person comes up with such a unique design!

One chose to make a reef scene, the other an outdoor park scene. Both were such unique designs. 

Off to the kiln

The staff person took them plates back to shelves by the kilns when the kids were done. She explained to us that they would put them in the kiln and fire them. The pieces would be ready in about a week to pick up and bring home.

​So this is a project that you can’t complete and bring home a finished product in one visit.

We were in the studio for about 2 ½ hours. It was so much fun.

A beautiful piece of pottery

I returned to the store the next time I was in town and picked up the fired pieces. They were all wrapped up so I didn't see them until the kids came to visit the next time. 

It was like Christmas pulling the plates out of their wrappings. Each of them ended up with a beautiful piece. 

The colors of the glaze had turned from the dull tones they painted into the vivid colors in the samples. The plates had a smooth and hard texture, so they were ready to be used at home. The grands were so excited, can't you see how pleased they were with their ceramic pieces?

Quality time, creative time- a win, win

​This is a great way to spend quality time with people you care about...and stretch your creative side!

Once the pieces are fired, they are food safe and can be used to eat on. I don’t think they recommend putting them in a dishwasher or a microwave though. 

Like I mentioned earlier, the first time we went to OTP the girls painted their own bowls. It made it fun to eat their cereal or ice cream and then see their painting inside of the bowls! Now they will find their design on their plates when they are done with lunch!

Special event ceramic painting ideas

As I’ve been thinking about our experience, I thought about how fun it would be to bring a child in once a year and paint something that would create a set. For instance, make a plate every year with the child’s handprint or painting on it.

How about giving a gift card to your local studio as a birthday gift or Christmas gift. Then you could plan a special event that you get to look forward to. For example you could give a gift certificate as a gift for a baby shower. Then bring the new mom in with you and have their new babies footprints put on the plate.

If you want to go paint a piece yourself, you could make a cute gift for someone and personalize it. 

I know many people that use this for an activity time for a special event- a birthday party, bridal shower, ladies’ night out with a group of friends, or just an afternoon project for someone such as us. 

Look online for the location of a ceramics painting/pottery painting location near you and schedule a time!!

Other fun activities to do together-

Want some more fun activities ideas for spring break or other times?

• DIY Yarn Laser Maze Indoors
• You Belong in the Zoo Kids Free Zoo Activity Pages
• How to Make Stilts- So Fun!
• Miniature Fairy Garden Planter

Enjoy!

If you try this craft, let me know! Go ahead and leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo with #WelcometoNanas wherever you post.

Come join the fun at https://welcometonanas.com

Just a note or two-

​Note: I have been using the terms ceramic and pottery interchangeably and this is common. I've read that ceramics is a broad term for things that are fired and that pottery is a form of ceramics.  The pieces in this store were not made on a pottery wheel, they were molded. Painting ceramics is often referred to as painting pottery, even in OTP, "On the Pot".

A special thanks to "On the Pot, A pottery playhouse"! Support your local business and try a Fun Ceramic Painting Studio Art Activity with Kids yourself!!

Supplies for Fun Ceramic Painting Studio Art Activity are provided by the local ceramics studio