DIY Ceramic Painted Dog Bowls

Sixty-three percent of dog owner's surveyed by the American Humane Association said that they buy birthday and Christmas gifts for their dogs. A personalized food bowl would be a great way to show your pet some love. Whether you select a bisque piece to glaze yourself, or choose to add a designer touch to a glazed piece that you purchased, ceramic bowls are a classic choice for dog gifts.

Rinse the bisque piece and allow it to air dry for at least three minutes; do not dry it with a cloth or paper towel. Draw your design onto the bisque. As an alternative, you can use clay carbon paper to trace a design or text onto the bisque. Pencil lines and carbon tracings will both fire off when the piece is put into the kiln.

Use a small, soft-bristle brush to paint over your drawing with three coats of underglaze, allowing each coat to dry between applications. Allow the underglaze design to dry well before continuing to the next step.

Pour clear glaze into a shallow dish. Use a sponge to daub the first coat of clear glaze over your painted design. After the first coat has dried, use a fan brush to apply two more even coats of clear glaze.

Fire the piece in a kiln to a cone 06 setting. (Firing is the term used for heating pieces to extreme temperatures. Typically this step is done for you in a contemporary ceramic studio.)

Use a small soft-bristle brush to apply water-based oven-bake porcelain paints that are designed to be heated in your own kitchen oven. There are also low-fire porcelain paint markers available that you can use with the liquid paints or on their own. If using more than one color, allow the paint to dry between coats to prevent smearing. Use these paints only on the outside of the dish since they are not food safe.

Allow the piece to dry for 24 hours.

Place the bowl on an oven rack and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Bake the painted piece at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the piece to cool in the oven to prevent cracking.