Italian Ceramic Tables |
How ceramic is painted Inside the artisan shop, where ceramic is painted, you will always find hugh tubs full of glaze. In each tub, there is a different colour which will produce the covering glaze for the several pieces of ceramic. The terracotta part that needs to be glazed is taken with special pliers (for bigger items, by hand) and dipped in one of the tubs. Then it is kept in a place where the terracotta can absorb the glaze and be ready to be decorated. The artist draws the initial pattern with a pencil. The item is then hand-painted following a scale of colours, generally from the lighter ones and usually starting to paint the bigger parts of the terracotta piece. Little by little, all the spaces are covered by the colours and as a final touch, some special varnish is sprayed to make the surface look smooth and shiny. The piece of ceramic is left to absorb all the colours before being fired in kilns at very high temperatures. We would like to specify that all the glazes used by our artisans are lead-free. |