Star Santa Painting Instructions

Painting Instructions for Santa Star

Title: Santa is a Star!

Medium: China Painting

Level: Beginner/Easy

Paint a whimsical Santa! You will enjoy this easy project. You can paint several at once to use as gifts or for holiday bazaar items.

MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED:

CHINA PAINTS

American Beauty
Pompadour
Best Black
Pecan
Finishing Brown
Baby Blue
Red Violet of Iron
White

BRUSHES--SABLE OR SQUIRREL

#12 Flat Shader
#8 Flat Shader
#6 Flat Shader
#4 Flat Shader
Liner Brush

OTHER SUPPLIES

Graphite Paper
NOTE: Do not use carbon paper. It will not burn off in the kiln.
Grinding Glass or Ceramic Tile
Pallet Knife
Pallet
A pallet can be purchased from a supplier, i.e., Mr. and Mrs. of Dallas.Their address and telephone number is provided below. Also, an airtight tin can be used. Instructions are provided below for making a pallet from items found in your studio.
Mineral Oil
Denatured Alcohol or Glass Cleaner
Lint Free Rags
Old sheets or industrial strength blue paper towels and old t-shirts are suitable.
Stylus
Wipe Out Tool or Kneaded Eraser
Open or Closed Oil
Use oil/medium that you prefer when painting. Open Oil remains workable and does not dry. Closed Oil dries and cannot be re-worked.
Porcelain Star Ornament
SUPPLIER INFORMATION
Mr. & Mrs. of Dallas, Inc.
8428 Hwy. 121 N.
Melissa, TX 75454
E-Mail: mrandmrs@texoma.net
Access their website at http://www.mrandmrsofdallas.com. Mr. and Mrs. of Dallas carries a complete line of china painting supplies as well as glass painting supplies. Call their toll-free number (800) 878-7528 to order your free catalogue.

First Fire Instructions

Preparation:

Apply denatured alcohol or glass cleaner to the ornament and wipe off with a clean lint free cloth. Old sheets, t-shirts and industrial strength blue paper towels are suitable lint free choices for cleaning porcelain. Use the photo as a template for creating a pattern. Position your pattern on the ornament and use tape to secure the pattern in place. Insert the graphite paper face down on the porcelain underneath the pattern. Use a stylus to trace around each element of the design. Carefully lift the graphite paper and pattern and preview the tracing to make sure that the pattern is transferred completely. If you are satisfied with the transfer, remove the tape, pattern and graphite paper. You are ready to paint.

NOTE: If you like to draw your pattern freehand, use a grease pencil or china marker to sketch in the details.

Assembling a Pallet:

When choosing a pallet for china painting, use a container that is airtight to keep the paint from drying out and collecting dust. Pallets can be purchased from suppliers, i.e., Mr. and Mrs. of Dallas, http://www.dallaschina.com however, many painters begin with a simple pallet constructed from items easily found in their studios. A cookie or candy tin like the special editions tin boxes released by Nestle or Hersheys companies can be used. Place a piece paper in the bottom of the tin box. Write the names of the paint colors on the paper. Insert a piece of glass on top of the paper. A frame shop will usually cut glass inexpensively for you.

Mixing China Paint:

China paint is usually a powder mixture packed in clear plastic or glass vials. Pour a small amount of powder out onto the grinding glass or a ceramic tile. Use an eyedropper or scoop a small amount of mineral oil onto your pallet knife and drop onto the china paint powder. Use the pallet knife to mix the paint. Mix thoroughly. If the paint is too runny, add more powder. Marci Blattenberger, co-owner of Porcelain Painters International Online, http://www.ppio.com, suggests scooping up paint that has too much oil and placing it on newsprint. The newsprint absorbs the extra oil in the paint. Continue mixing the paint on the newsprint until it is the right consistency. Scrape the paint up with your pallet knife and place on your pallet.

Marci Blattenberger has written an excellent article for beginners regarding the basic tools and techniques used for china painting. http://www.ppio.com/ppioclass/beglesson2/page_2.htm It is worth the time to visit this link and read this article.

Front Side Santa Suit:

Mix one half Pompadour and one half American Beauty. Paint the front side of the Santa with the Pompadour/American Beauty mixture. Wipe out the area for the face and beard and fur around the hat and pom pom on the end of the hat. Wipe out fluffy areas on the ends of the arms and the legs. Leave room to paint the black mittens and boots. Wipe out the belt and buckle areas. Smooth out the paint and clean up the wiped out areas.

Boots, Mittens and Belt/Buckle:

Paint Best Black on the feet and mittens and the belt. Wipe out the buckle of the belt. It seems to be easier to paint the buckle on the second fire. If you are comfortable with painting the small belt buckle area, you can choose to paint the buckle with Pecan.

Clean Up:

Carefully remove any smudges from the un-painted side of the ornament with de-natured alcohol.

Fire:

Fire at 015. If you are familiar with firing hand-painted porcelain, there is no need to read further. If you are a beginner, it is important to note the following: Always place your porcelain on kiln furniture or stilts to keep the air circulating around the piece during the firing process. Air circulation is important to keep the piece from cracking or breaking. Use cones to determine whether or not your kiln is firing to the correct temperature. Every kiln has its own personality. Take notes each time you fire a piece. These notes will be come invaluable information as you practice firing your artwork.

Second Fire Instructions--Back Side of Ornament

Preparation:

Use the method provided in the first fire instructions to prepare the back of the ornament.

Back-Side Santa Suit:

Use the mixture of one half Pompadour and one half American Beauty to paint the red suit. Let the paint rest 5 to 10 minutes. Allowing the paint to set up slightly results in easier shading and less time fussing with the paint. Use a #8 or #12 Shader to shade the paint on the seat of the pants. Wipe out the area for the hair escaping from the base of the hat. Wipe out the fur area on the hat.

Hair:

Mix White and Best Black using your #4 shader brush until you get a middle value gray. Paint the hair area and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Wipe out slightly wavey strands of hair with a wipe out tool or form a point on a kneaded eraser to use as a wipe-out tool. Each time an area is wiped out, clean the tool or eraser with a lint free cloth.

You can also use a small stiff clean brush to wipe out areas. Dip your brush in Turpentine or Lavendar Oil and blot the brush on your lint free cloth. The brush is very dry on this technique. Too much Turp or Lavendar Oil on the brush will cause the paint to run or smear. Wipe out an area then clean the brush and apply another load of Turpentine or Lavendar Oil and repeat until the wipe outs are completed.

Boots, Mittens and Belt:

Paint Best Black on the feet and mittens and the belt.

Clean Up:

Carefully remove any smudges from the un-painted side of the ornament with de-natured alcohol.

Fire:

Fire at 015

Third Fire Instructions--Details Front Side of Ornament

Face:

Paint Baby Blue on the face to form the eyes. Load a liner brush with Best Black and place a dot on the center of each eye. Use a toothpick to wipe out highlights on the pupil. The highlights can be eliminated if they prove to be troublesome or painting time needs to be shortened. Paint Finishing Brown on the cheeks and nose. Use a wipe out tool to form the nose. Paint Red Violet of Iron on the Cheeks and Lip. Use Best Black on the inside of the mouth. Mix White/Best Black to a middle grey value and paint the eye brows beard and hair strands.

Hair and Beard:

Load your #4 brush with Best Black and White and mix until a middle gray forms. Paint the gray the on hair area. Wipe out the wavey hair strands.

Belt Buckle:

If you haven't painted the belt buckle in a previous fire, use Pecan to finish the belt buckle now.

Finishing Details:

You might feel that the black or red could be stronger in value. At this point add any details or darken areas that could use a little more emphasis.

Clean Up:

Carefully remove any smudges from the un-painted side of the ornament with de-natured alcohol.

Fire:

You did it! This would be your last fire. Fire at 015. Enjoy your creation!

NOTE: Additional firing is subjective. If you feel that your ornament could use more color, paint and re-fire until you are satisfied with the results.