Plastercraft is a non fired way to paint items that are going to be ornamental. Meaning not for use with food or water and for indoor placement. Using acrylic paints and spray or brush-on glazing  at the end for a finished look.

When painting plastercraft keep in mind that all areas must be painted in order for the glaze to work. Areas not painted will not be able to hold a finish. Many companies in the past did sell a product called "basecoat". Now this product is not available. Basecoat was used to cover the whole plastercraft project with a white or off white acrylic paint. Now that that product is not available, the same affect can be achieved by using white or off white acrylic paint. The reason for besecoating the whole project is so that if you miss a spot while painting the glaze will still shine on that spot because of the basecoat being there.

Paint all areas with the different acrylic colors as desired. Acrylic paints must be for ceramic and plastercraft, see label. Once finished let colors dry to the touch. Spray or brush-on glaze the project. (gloss or matte sprays & brush-on gloss or matte glazes are available on this web site). These glazes give your project that really shiny  or satin look. Let dry for a few minutes and you're finished creating a masterpiece!

Remember that bisque can be painted this way too, it just can't be used for food or water. For that you need to paint on bisque & use underglazes or glazes and then use a firable clear glaze & fire them in a kiln.

How to Drybrush and Wetbrush Ceramics

These techniques add color to and bring out the texture of your projects.
Drybrushing   Steps: 1.  Dip the tip of a dry, stiff, round-bristled brush into a dab of acrylic paint.   2.  Zigzag the brush on a paper towel or paper grocery bag until you've removed most of the color.   3.  Brush the end of the bristles briskly back and forth across, not with, the texture of the piece.     Tips: Drybrushing works best over a base coat - a solid-colored coat of paint applied to the whole piece of bisque. Dark colors work better than light colors.   The drybrushing technique puts highlights of color on ridges and details, leaving the darker base coat color in the grooves and furrows.  

Wetbrushing   Steps: 1.  Dip the tip of a moist, stiff, round-bristled brush into a dab of acrylic paint.   2.  Zigzag the brush on a paper towel or paper grocery bag until you've removed most of the color. Because the brush is wet to begin with, more paint stays on the bristles.   3.  Brush the end of the bristles briskly back and forth across the texture of the piece as when drybrushing.     Tips: Use wetbrushing as an alternative to drybrushing for more vivid and smoother colors. Pearls and metallic colors are particularly good paints to try this with.     Overall Warnings: Refrain from rubbing or wiping a smudged area that has received too much paint. Wait for it to dry and go over it with a darker color. Then, rebrush it.    

Large View Large View Large View Large View     General Store Dk. Green: Roof shingles, side yard and front grassy patches, front bushes. Yellow-Green: Treetops, assorted bushes, front grassy path, assorted fruit. Dk. Blue-Gray: Siding, front door panel. White: Trim on store and lattice work, windows, door and circular window. Tan: Wooden fruit boxes. Peach: Awnings, assorted fruit. Beige: Chimney bricks, flour bag, barrel strapping. Dk. Brown: Tree trunks, front porch floor, broom handle, doorknobs. Yellow: Back of signboard to “General Store”, fruit, broom bristles. Red-Brown: Barrels, accents on fruit. Black: Lettering: “General Store”. For Decorative Use Only. HELPFUL HINTS: - Use acrylic paint. They can be washed up with soap and water, but do not wash out of clothes. - If, for some reason, there are small broken pieces you can glue them back on with an all-purpose craft glue, and if there are any tiny holes you would like to fill you can do so with spackle or joint compound. - To dust your piece in the future, use a damp towel or feather duster. DO NOT submerge in water. - To seal your piece and make it easier to dust you can spray it with a clear sealer when you are completely finished. QUICK BASIC TECHNIQUE TIPS: WASH: A wash is achieved when you mix a small amount of paint with an equal or larger amount of water. This diluted color is then brushed over areas of a piece before you start with more detailed painting. Washes are perfect for preventing unsightly white spots in areas with lots of texture when your piece is finished. (Note: Areas that have been repaired with glue or spackle are likely to repel a wash.) DRYBRUSH: A technique that allows a base color to show through. Use a stiff brush, fill it with paint, and brush it back and forth on paper towel until the brush is almost “dry” of paint. Then with light, short strokes brush over areas on the piece hitting only the most raised surfaces.

Large View Large View Large View Large View   ITEM NO.: 10303 Country Church Dk. Blue-Gray: Roof shingles. White: “Wooden” church siding, doors. Gray: Church trim, steps, door trim, window trim, decorative gable trim. Dk. Brown: Tree trunks. Yellow-Green: Treetops, bushes. Blue-Green: Grass. Gold: Bell, doorknobs, steeple decoration. For Decorative Use Only. HELPFUL HINTS: - Use acrylic paint. They can be washed up with soap and water, but do not wash out of clothes. - If, for some reason, there are small broken pieces you can glue them back on with an all-purpose craft glue, and if there are any tiny holes you would like to fill you can do so with spackle or joint compound. - To dust your piece in the future, use a damp towel or feather duster. DO NOT submerge in water. - To seal your piece and make it easier to dust you can spray it with a clear sealer when you are completely finished. QUICK BASIC TECHNIQUE TIPS: WASH: A wash is achieved when you mix a small amount of paint with an equal or larger amount of water. This diluted color is then brushed over areas of a piece before you start with more detailed painting. Washes are perfect for preventing unsightly white spots in areas with lots of texture when your piece is finished. (Note: Areas that have been repaired with glue or spackle are likely to repel a wash.) DRYBRUSH: A technique that allows a base color to show through. Use a stiff brush, fill it with paint, and brush it back and forth on paper towel until the brush is almost “dry” of paint. Then with light, short strokes brush over areas on the piece hitting only the most raised surfaces.

Large View Large View Large View Large View     Country Barn Gray: Roof shingles, silo shingles, hinges, outer rim of wheel, center of wheel. Red-Brown: “Wooden” siding, wheel, planter, wooden doors. Beige: Bricks, silo. White: Barn trim, fence. Dk. Brown: Tree trunks. Yellow: Straw. Yellow-Green: Treetops and bushes. Blue-Green: Grass. Tan: Pathway. For Decorative Use Only. HELPFUL HINTS: - Use acrylic paint. They can be washed up with soap and water, but do not wash out of clothes. - If, for some reason, there are small broken pieces you can glue them back on with an all-purpose craft glue, and if there are any tiny holes you would like to fill you can do so with spackle or joint compound. - To dust your piece in the future, use a damp towel or feather duster. DO NOT submerge in water. - To seal your piece and make it easier to dust you can spray it with a clear sealer when you are completely finished. QUICK BASIC TECHNIQUE TIPS: WASH: A wash is achieved when you mix a small amount of paint with an equal or larger amount of water. This diluted color is then brushed over areas of a piece before you start with more detailed painting. Washes are perfect for preventing unsightly white spots in areas with lots of texture when your piece is finished. (Note: Areas that have been repaired with glue or spackle are likely to repel a wash.) DRYBRUSH: A technique that allows a base color to show through. Use a stiff brush, fill it with paint, and brush it back and forth on paper towel until the brush is almost “dry” of paint. Then with light, short strokes brush over areas on the piece hitting only the most raised surfaces.

Large View Large View Large View Large View     School White: Snow, building trim, stairs, doors, windows. Brown: Bottom of base, roofs. Grey Wash: Cobblestones. Green: Trees. Red: Building, steeple. Black: "SCHOOL", door knobs. HELPFUL HINTS: - Use acrylic paint. They can be washed up with soap and water, but do not wash out of clothes. - If, for some reason, there are small broken pieces you can glue them back on with an all-purpose craft glue, and if there are any tiny holes you would like to fill you can do so with spackle or joint compound. - To dust your piece in the future use a damp towel or feather duster. DO NOT submerge in water. - To seal your piece and make it easier to dust you can spray it with a clear sealer when you are completely finished. QUICK BASIC TECHNIQUE TIPS: WASH: A wash is achieved when you mix a small amount of paint with an equal or larger amount of water. This diluted color is then brushed over areas of a piece before you start with more detailed painting. Washes are perfect for preventing unsightly white spots in areas with lots of texture when your piece is finished. (Note: Areas that have been repaired with glue or spackle are likely to repel a wash.) DRYBRUSH: A technique that allows a base color to show through. Use a stiff brush, fill it with paint, and brush it back and forth on paper towel until the brush is almost “dry” of paint. Then with light, short strokes brush over areas on the piece hitting only the most raised surfaces.

As always you can email us with a specific symptoms and or problems and we will try to come up with the proper remedy.

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Happy painting!