Ceramic - Pottery Dictionary

by Susan Mussi

MAJOLICA: 5b - Tiles preparing to paint.

ca: MAJÒLICA: 5b – Preparant rajoles per a treballar

es: MAYÓLICA: 5b - Azulejos el proceso de trabajo

To see photos of large tile designs go to: Majolica: 5d – 12 Tile Designs

The following covers the process of painting tiles and the illustrations are of a one tile design. In the following section working with thirty tiles is explained.

a) Hand pole
b) Tile stand
c) Tile
d) Borders – Support for tiles.
e) Wooden bar – Tile support
f) Cloth
g) Pot – Water cleaning brushes
h) Brushes – Majolica painting
i) Pots – Prepared colors
j) Bottle – For clean water
k) Table-trolley

The products you need to work with and prepare the tiles to paint are explained in the following section. Read more about: MAJOLICA: 5a – Preparing to paint tiles, plates, jars and lids

Preparing to paint.
Along the stand first put a line of measuring the same length as what you are going to paint. This creates a space between the tiles at the bottom of the design and the bar that supports them, so that when products that are being used fall, they collect on top of the bar, against the border and do not touch and damage the prepared tiles. On top of the bisque tiles, place the ones that have been prepared to work with. If it is a large picture, start to paint at the top and work downwards, so if you drop any paint it falls on an undecorated part and it will be easier to clean. With a large picture, one usually sits while painting the bottom rows and stands for the ones at the top.

If it is a small design you work sitting down and put more bisque tiles on the large board, so the height of what you are working on is comfortable. Alternatively, use a tile stand that can be put on top of a table and which is made to hold up to six tiles vertically or horizontally.

The process of working:
There are seven stages for preparing and decorating tiles. The following photos show the last five, as photos for the first two stages, a bisque tile and a tile with the glaze-base, are not needed. The first two photos apply to both decorating in blue and with colors and are followed by six photos, three showing the stages in blue and three with colors.

The following photos show the stages of using colors.

Author – Susan Mussi

The next section; Majolica: 5c – The stages of painting tiles