Supplies You Need to China Paint a Doll!

When I started this blog, I thought that I would go through the steps of making a porcelain doll. It is obvious that you first need to pour a mold, clean the greenware then high fire it in a kiln. But I am not going to do the obvious I am going to start with china painting the fired bisque.

In order to china paint, you need a comfortable and well lit place to do this. It seems so obvious, but it needs to be said. If you do any kind of craft, that is the first thing you need to consider. Sometimes that is not possible, so we do the best that we can.

I have a studio in my home where I teach dollmaking and where I make dolls for myself and for sale. The most important items that I need to china paint porcelain dolls, is an opti-visor and an ott light on the table. You have to be able to see what you are painting.

Here you can see me mixing china paints. I use Seeley Doll Company china paints and mixing media. I mix my paints on ceramic tiles that are glazed. I find that using white tiles is best. I use worksheets for the Antique dolls. These worksheets give you a picture of the Antique doll and the china paint colors. For the Modern Dolls, I decide what colors I want to use.

The china paints that I use do not have any lead in them and the medium that I use to mix them is water soluble. So clean up is easy on you and the enviroment.

The last important item that you need are brushes. The painting of your doll is only going to be as good as your paint and your brushes.