One question that I get quite often from people interested in our paintable gnome statues and unpainted ceramic figurines is what type of paint can I use. Is there special gnome paints and where can I find them? When looking for paint for the hobby of ceramics it is very confusing and it's not as simple as picking out paints for your rooms of your home. There is literally thousands of paints for both green-ware and bisque type ceramics with as many types and combinations. But lets make this simple for those looking for a craft or just painting their own personalized statue for the garden.
These paints are called acrylic stain paints and are easily found at your local hobby store and ceramic studios. These cool paints are designed for ceramic bisque along with many other useful crafts. For those not sure what ceramic bisque is it after the green-ware has been fired in a kiln and is then ready to be painted. These paints come in many colors that are safe and are water-base for easy clean up in case your kids decide to have a paint fight. After your done painting and your paints have completely dried a matte, satin or gloss finish can be sprayed on to help protect your paint. Also stain painting can be touch up periodically to revitalize some of the faded areas.
Another type of stain paint that many craft stores carry is for outdoor purposes. It is UV and weather resistant and helps fading from the sun and other harmful elements. In most cases the protective coating is part of the paint so no additional spray coating is needed. I would still recommend some type of a shady to semi-shady place in the garden to place your gnome figurine statue to further protect from the sun. Again what's nice with stain painting a touch up is easily done when needed.
FINALLY:
There are many outstanding gnome paints for stain painting. The two image pictures above are two of the more common ones found in craft stores today. However there are many more out there that make fantastic acrylic stain paints for unpainted ceramic figurines. Don't forget about ceramic stores as the carry better quality paints. These paints not only give you better painting coverage but apply much easier. Let's start painting and give our gnomes that personality they deserve that fits in well with your special garden setting
