Porcelain painting
Porcelain can be painted with a number of mediums and techniques. I've heard of oil painted dolls, though I've never seen them. A variety of ceramic treatments can be applied, too. Traditionally, high bisque fired dolls are painted with china paints. Technically, these are onglaze colours that can be applied to any white ceramic ware. To add colour and expression to dolls, these pulverised minerals are applied in a very specific manner.
Firstly, paints need to be prepared. They come in powder form and have to be mixed with oils or water based painting mediums. On a white ceramic tile they are ground with a palette knife untill the right consistency is achieved. They can be stored in closed containers afterwards.
Secondly, the doll pieces need to be cleaned (again, I know! - a dollmaker must really be a little obsessive about keeping everything spotless) by wiping them with surgical spirits (it may be also referred to as rubbing or denaturated alcohol). Prepared in this way, the pieces are free of any oil residue from one’s fingers etc.
Paints are applied in layers and low fired (around 730 degrees) between applications. From what I've read, everybody has a different way of doing it, some people apply an overal wash (thin layer of colour) first, others leave it to the end. Usually red colours need to be fired a little lower and they're applied at the end, so they don't burn out in the next firing.
This is all I know about the process. I must admit I am completely unexperienced when it comes to this. I've only ever given it a go once and it was not a very successful attempt (to put it mildly). Still, I will continue to try until I'm happy with the results. Wish me luck!
The only problem is, I won't be able to do it for a while. More in next post.