Step One
Surface preperation - This is an old ceramic pot that has a white glaze which is smooth and non-porus. When starting with a glazed or smooth surface it is important to remove all dirt, oil and to abraide the surface some in order to allow the primer to better stick to the surface.
Step Two
Apply the waterbased primer - May be applied by spraying, brushing or sponging on. The author used a papertowel, any texture, runs or flaws in the primer application will be covered by textue paint. If a smooth finish is desired it is best to spray.
NOTE: It is very important that the ceramic piece is entirely sealed, 2 coats are better than one. Allow to dry throughly between each coat as the primer will remove itself unles cured.
Step three
Apply texture paint (optional) - You may wish to apply one coat or several allowing each to dry in between applications. Sanding after each coat is optional and will help the layers blend into one another and build depth in the surface by creating positive and negetive space.
In this example the texture was built up in three layers, the first was smeared on by hand, the second and third were applied by hand again, but manuplated with a sponge, plastic wrap and rocks. Sanded in between coats.
Step Four
Apply a second coat of water based primer - Our texture paint is porus when dry, applying another coat of primer will stop the first coat of metal coating from absorbing into the texture paint, one may skip this step, but do plan on applying more metal coating.
This step will also help smooth the texture paint a bit more by filling in many of the smaller receses and removing the sharper edges of the texture caused by sanding. The more coats you apply the smoother (rounder) the sharp edges will become.
Step Five
Apply the metal coating - The coatings may be applied using a brush, sponge or sprayer. If a smooth finish is desired it is best to spray. Type “B” may be used for the first two coats, then a minimum of 2 coats of type “C” metal coating is applied.
Click here for more information on our metal coatings
Step Six
Apply the patina Solution - Sculpt Nouveau Tiffany Green and Ferric Nitrate/Ferric Chloride Patinas were applied alternately until the desired colors and effect were obtained.
