There’s nothing better than getting to sink your creative teeth into a fun craft project! And what better craft project to get started on than painting ceramics?
Painting ceramics is a wonderful craft project that you can do yourself, or even as a creative project to get your kids involved with.
But with so many different types of paint on the art market, how can you be certain that you’re getting the best paint for ceramic? As with all mediums, you’ll want to ensure that you’re getting the right paint for your chosen canvas.
Not to worry! We’ve done all the research so that you don’t have to!
We’ve collated the top five paints that can be used to paint ceramics, so that you don’t have to spend hours trawling the internet to find them.
There’s also a helpful buyer’s guide included to give you all the information you need to make the right choice for you.
We’ve even included some handy frequently asked questions!
In a hurry? Check out our top pick below!
OUR TOP PICK
This 24 acrylic paint set from Crafts 4 All is perfect for those wanting to paint ceramics. This high quality paint will work on most surfaces, not just ceramics.
It can be used on wood, canvas, glass, plastic, craft foam, blackboard easel, paper, as well as ceramics! So you can use these acrylic paints for a variety of craft projects.
These paints are easy to use for artists of all skill levels. Crafts 4 All’s acrylic paints are made using premium raw materials to create a versatile medium.
So there’s no need to worry about your artistic skills - these acrylics will be perfect for your craft project, no matter whether you’re an expert or a novice.
Crafts 4 All’s acrylic paint set comes with 24 tubes of different colored paints. This will be ideal if you want to have a greater range of colors for using on your ceramic crafts projects!
Buying this range of colors in one set will be much kinder on your wallet, too, as it will save you from having to buy the tubes individually. This particular set even comes with three handy paint brushes to get you started with your projects.
Haven’t spotted the particular color you need for your craft project? The great thing about these acrylic paints is that you can blend them and mix them to get the colors you’re looking for. They can even be layered so as to help you create the shades you would like on your ceramics.
This particular paint set makes for a great gift for any crafty people you have in your life. As this paint set comes with everything you need to get started with painting ceramics, it will be the ideal gift for any keen ceramics painters!
Pros:
- Suitable for a variety of surfaces, including ceramics, canvas, wood, and glass.
- Perfect gift set for friends and family who love painting ceramics.
- 24 acrylic paint set with three paintbrushes.
- Easy to mix and blend to achieve a greater color spectrum.
- Ideal for artists of any skill level, from novice to expert.
Cons:
- Paint tubes may be on the smaller side for those who will use them regularly.
EDITORS CHOICE
The MyArtScape 12 acrylic paint set will be ideal for any of your ceramic projects.
These versatile paints are perfect for use on a variety of surfaces, including canvas, clay, wood, fabric, paper, nails, metal, and of course ceramics.
So you could even use it to broaden your artistic horizons once you’ve finished your ceramic projects!
These paints are of a professional artist caliber, so you can rest assured that you’re investing in a quality product that will be perfect for your ceramics.
This particular set comes in a range of 12 great colors to give you all you need to get started on your ceramic projects! They can even be mixed or blended together so as to get a greater gamut of color.
There’s no need to worry about these vibrant colors fading over time. MyArtScape makes their paint to last, so you can stay safe in the knowledge that any vivid colors you use on your ceramics will stay just as colorful as they were at the start.
These particular acrylic paints come with a unique 1 year replacement guarantee. So if you’re not 100% satisfied with your paint, or any particular color, they will replace it.
MyArtScape acrylic paints are 100% non-toxic. They have been manufactured to meet ASTM D-4236 and EN71-3 (CE) safety standards to give you more peace of mind. Perfect if you plan on using them for any ceramic projects with your kids!
Pros:
- Suitable for use on a variety of surfaces, including ceramics, canvas, metal, wood, and many others.
- MyArtScape manufactures professional artist quality acrylic paints.
- 100% non-toxic acrylic paints that meet several safety standards.
- Designed to stay as vibrant and colorful as when they were first used.
- Comes with a 1 year satisfaction replacement guarantee.
Cons:
- Only 12 paints are available in this particular set, so you may need to do a lot of mixing to get a wider variety of colors.
BEST VALUE
Artistro’s 30 acrylic paint pens are just the thing you need for your ceramic crafts project.
These particular paint pens can be used on a wide variety of surfaces, including ceramic, wood, metal, glass, porcelain, canvas, stone, plastic, and many more.
These paint pens are also designed to be as mess-free as possible, so as to cause you less clean up stress afterward!
These particular paint pens utilize a highly pigmented ink, that is designed to dry quickly. They produce a glossy, opaque finish once dry on almost all surfaces!
In this paint pen set, you’ll get a range of 28 fabulous colors to choose from. Artistro is also mindful of the fact that you tend to use more white and black when creating designs, so have included extra pens of those two particular shades.
The paint pens come with an extra fine 0.7mm tip so that you can use them to create really detailed designs on your ceramics.
This will be great for creating beautifully detailed drawings, without having to swap between brush sizes to create the image you want! This will be especially handy for those ceramic projects which need finer details.
These Artistro paint pens are designed to meet ASTM D-4236 and EN-71 safety standards to give you more peace of mind.
Not only are they non-toxic - there’s also no unpleasant odor when you use them. Ideal if you hate having to cope with smelly fumes!
This particular set of paint pens from Artistro will also make the perfect gift set for any budding crafts hobbyists you know!
Pros:
- Perfect for use on a variety of surfaces, including ceramics, glass, wood, canvas, and many more.
- Ideal to be given as a gift set for budding crafts enthusiasts.
- Comes in a range of 28 colors, with extra black and white pens.
- Extra fine 0.7mm tips so as to allow you to create more detailed designs.
- Manufactured to meet EN71 and ASTM D-4236 safety standards.
Cons:
- You must shake well before use to ensure the pens are ready for your ceramic crafts projects.
RUNNER UP
The Artecho 24 acrylic paint set is ideal for your ceramic painting projects.
The paint is designed to be easy to use, and will glide smoothly onto your ceramics. These are fast drying acrylic paints that will leave you with a beautiful glossy finish!
The great thing about this particular paint set is that it comes with a variety of 24 colors for you to choose from. So you’ll have a great range of colors to choose from for use on your ceramic projects!
These acrylic paints can even be mixed or blended together so as to create a greater variety of colors. Perfect if you want to create a more varied color palette for your projects!
The Artecho acrylic paints are perfect for use with children. These particular paints are manufactured to meet ASTM D-4236 and EN71 safety standards so as to give you more peace of mind.
They are non-toxic and acid-free, so will be ideal to use on any family-friendly ceramic crafts projects you have in mind.
These acrylic paints can even be used on a variety of surfaces as well as ceramics. They can be used on canvas, wood, paper, fabric, leather, cardboard, and many more.
Perfect if you’re after a versatile medium that can be used on a series of crafts projects.
Pros:
- These acrylic paints will glide smoothly onto your ceramics.
- Comes in a range of 24 colors for use on your crafts projects.
- Can be mixed or blended together to create more colors as needed.
- Ideal for use on a variety of surfaces, including ceramics, leather, wood, canvas, and many more.
- Perfect for use with children as they are manufactured to meet ASTM D-4236 and EN71 safety standards.
Cons:
- Some customers found that the paint tubes were a little smaller than similar products.
RUNNER UP
The FolkArt 24 satin finish acrylic paint set is ideal for any ceramic crafts projects you have planned!
These fantastic acrylic paints can be used on a variety of surfaces, including ceramics, paper mache, glass, fabric, canvas, and many more.
This particular acrylic paint set comes in a range of 12 vibrant colors. These are ideal for using to create a vast array of detailed designs on your ceramics!
Some of the colors included are lime green, daffodil yellow, cardinal red, and many more.
These particular paints are designed so as to be suitable for a whole variety of different crafts projects. So you won’t have to wonder about whether these are suitable for use on your ceramic projects!
FolkArt’s range of satin finish acrylic paints can be used both indoors and outdoors. These are water-based paints and are non-toxic.
They have been manufactured in the USA, too - so you’ll know you’re buying a quality product!
Not satisfied with only 12 colors? The great thing about these acrylic paints is that you can mix and blend them seamlessly so as to create a more varied palette for you to use.
Perfect if you want to create beautiful vibrant ceramics!
Pros:
- Can be used on a variety of surfaces, including ceramics, paper mache, glass, and many more.
- Comes in a set of 12 vibrant colors for you to use on your ceramics.
- Easy to mix and blend so as to create a more varied palette.
- Manufactured in the USA.
- Suitable for use indoors and outdoors.
Cons:
- A few customers found that the colors of items painted and left outside permanently could fade over time.
Best Paint for Ceramic Buying Guide
Painting ceramics is a wonderfully creative hobby that you can do either on your own, or as something fun to do with your kids. It can be a great way to encourage creativity in your young kids - but you’ll want to make sure that you’ve got the right tools at your disposal first.
But with so many different products on the market, it can be a little overwhelming when trying to choose the best paint for ceramics. So we’ve compiled a list of the most important factors you should consider before you choose the perfect paint for you and your craft project!
Take a look at the below points to help you better choose the perfect product for your ceramic painting.
Suitable for Ceramics
It may seem a little obvious, but the most important factor when choosing the best paint for your ceramics is to ensure that they are indeed suitable for use on ceramics.
There are three main different types of paint that can be used on ceramics, but acrylics are by far the most easily available, and easily affordable.
Some acrylic paints may need to be baked onto your ceramic objects in order to ensure that they stay on. Otherwise, if you’re painting ceramic plates or mugs, it’s important to remember to hand wash them only so as to prevent the paint from coming off when you clean them.
While some paints will need to be baked in the oven once applied to your ceramics in order to seal them properly, it’s important to double check that the acrylic paint you’ve chosen is actually appropriate for this.
If the acrylic paint isn’t safe to be baked in the oven, it will either burn or run off the ceramics entirely, spoiling all of your hard work. Most acrylic paints only need to be sealed with a clear acrylic spray which you can apply once you’ve finished painting and it’s all dry.
The other two paints that you can use for painting ceramics are epoxy paints and latex. Epoxy paint tends to be the better choice out of these two, as it will give you a glossy, highly durable, long lasting finish.
However, it is much pricier than acrylic paints, and can be more difficult to get your hands on - hence why we’ve opted for a range of acrylic paints instead.
Variety of Colors
In order to create your creative masterpieces, you’ll need a variety of colors to get you started!
The more colors your paint set can offer you, the better. However, don’t worry if the acrylic paint set doesn’t have every color under the sun. The great thing about acrylic paints is that you can easily mix and blend them together so as to create a greater range of colors for you to choose from!
Make sure that you’ve got plenty of white and black to keep you going, and you should have all you’ll need to create many different vibrant ceramics. Most paint sets will come in either 12 or 24 colors.
Remember to take a look at the size of the paint tubes that are included as part of the set. The larger the tubes, the more value for money you’ll get. You’ll be using a lot of white to create more varied colors, so try and opt for a paint set that gives you the most paint for the best possible value.
Easy to Mix
One of the most important factors when choosing the best paint for your ceramics is to ensure that they are easy to mix with one another. That’s because no matter how hard you look, you’re not going to find a paint set that will be able to offer you every single possible color on the color wheel.
As we’ve mentioned above, however, as long as the colors can be mixed together, you have infinite possibilities at your fingertips - or paintbrush.
Just make sure you’ve got the three primary colors - red, yellow, and blue - as well as plenty of white and black so that you can adjust your mixed shades accordingly.
Non-toxic
If you plan on using ceramic painting as a fun project for you to do with your kids, it’s best to opt for paint that is non-toxic.
The good news is that the vast majority of acrylic paints are manufactured so as to meet several international safety standards, such as ASTM D-4236 and EN71.
Accidents can sometimes happen, and it’s better to be safe than sorry! If you opt for a paint set that promises to be non-toxic, it will do wonders for your peace of mind. And means you can just sit back and enjoy doing something creative with your kids - or even just on your own!
Non-toxic paints will also be ideal for any dinnerware you plan on painting, or any ceramics that you plan to use for holding food.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Paint Stick to Glazed Ceramic?
The short answer is no. Paint will struggle to stick to an already glazed surface, as the glaze is designed to protect your ceramics from small scratches.
The good news is that you can prepare the surface so that the new paint will stick to your chosen ceramic, though! Simply sand down the ceramic’s surface with 150-grit sandpaper to create a rough surface.
Next, apply a coat of primer so as to give something for the new paint to stick to - allow this to dry thoroughly before painting. Then you can paint away with your new ceramic paints!
Can You Use Acrylic Paint on Ceramic?
You can indeed use acrylic paint on ceramic surfaces!
The great thing about acrylic paint is that it is widely available, and is much more affordable than some of the other more specialized epoxy paints.
How Do You Seal Acrylic Paint on Glazed Ceramic?
All you need to do to seal acrylic paint on glazed ceramics - or even unglazed ceramics - once you have applied it, is to use a clear acrylic spray.
This will keep your colors looking wonderful and glossy once you have finished!