Plant Studies With Teacher's Palette Glazes

Goals & Objectives

Explore how dried Teacher's Palette glazes can be reconstituted and used like watercolors on bisque-fired ceramic tiles. You will apply watercolor techniques—such as washes, layering, and blending—to depict plant forms, learning to control glaze fluidity and transparency.

You will explore watercolor-style painting on bisque-fired tiles using dried Teacher's Palette glazes and plants as the subject of your image study.

Start by sketching a simple plant form and apply watercolor techniques such as wet-on-wet blending, dry brush texture, and layering for depth. Experiment with color flow, opacity, and brush control while learning how glaze behaves differently from paint.

Step 1

Find a plant outside or an image online. You could even use a fake plant! It is recommended to use a plant with all warm or all cool colors.

Step 2

Looking at your reference, sketch your plant onto your tile using a plain lead pencil.

Step 3

Spritz your Teacher's Palette watercolors with the spray bottle to get them ready for painting.

Learn more about creating Teacher's Palette Watercolor palettes here!

Step 4

Use your dried Teacher's Palette glazes like you would watercolors, dipping your brush into your water each time you get more glaze. Paint 1-2 layers of your lightest color over the entire plant/flower.

Step 5

Choose a slightly darker shade and layer it over areas that should be in shadow. Be sure to keep the lightest areas of your image untouched.

Step 6

Apply your darkest shade to deepen the shadows, adding dimension to your piece.

Quick Tip! You can also apply a complementary color to increase the contrast. Avoid using black, except in very small areas, as it can quickly muddy the colors.

Step 7

Fill in the background of your image. Use a complementary or contrasting color to help the plant/flower stand out.

Note: If the glaze on your tile is still shiny, allow it to dry to avoid the colors mixing unintentionally.

Step 8

Add finishing touches using an AMACO Underglaze Pencil.

Step 9

No need to apply a clear glaze! The TP Watercolors will fire matte where thin and glossy where thick. Fire to Cone 05 on medium speed.