Painting my Hand Sculpted Clay Vase | Hand Pained Airdry Clay Portrait

The Art of Handmade Vases – Behind the Scenes of My Process

Hand Painting Featuring the “Devil Boy” Vase (Available here)

I'm not going to lie, sculpting is my absolute favourite thing in the world to do... painting? Not so much.
Don't get me wrong, I love the final product, and I’m definitely embracing and learning to love the process, but trying to convince myself to get the brushes out and start painting is a hard task. It doesn’t have the raw excitement of “what the hell is it going to look like?” that I get when I'm sculpting. But it’s a necessary part of the job.

I predominantly use acrylic paints because they give me full control over the final look. Acrylics allow for bold colour but also fine detail and precise layering. Like sculpting, I’ve never had any formal training with paints, but I’ve developed my own techniques and tricks along the way... all of which feature in the timelapse video above.

I won't bore you with how I mix my base skin tones or how much water I add to make my red washes. I mean, I can in a future blog if that’s what you're after, but consider this a quick introductory post. A broad view of my process.

You might notice that I’ve gone for a less detailed, more stylized vibe here compared to some of my other work. Just the concept of a young child with horns is pretty dark and creepy, and if I went full-on realism, I thought it would be too much (even for me). That’s why I went for a simpler, more angelic paint job and gave it a smooth, sleek, childlike glossy finish, like one of those “cute” porcelain dolls my grandmother collected (honestly, some of those dolls were WAY creepier than anything I’ve ever made!).

While we’re on the vase’s glossy finish, I’ll tell you a bit about how I finished this piece. Since I painted the vase using acrylics, the paint needs to be sealed to protect it and make sure it continues to look as good as when I first completed it. I use many different methods to finish my products depending on the look I want to achieve, but for this one, I chose a clear spray lacquer.

As you can see, I’m a good boy and made sure to wear my respiratory mask and open the doors of my studio for ventilation, because this stuff can really space you out! But the finish I get from it is awesome. Not only does it seal and protect the piece, I also love using it on certain projects because, if used correctly, it can act as a kind of blending tool. If you have harsh details or paint transitions, it can really help soften them out. That worked perfectly for this piece to create that doll-like skin tone.

Now, just a quick question to end on...

“Why the hell are you covering the back in black paint and ruining it?”

Good question. This is a technique I like to use to help bring out texture and definition. I used it on the back of this piece because I felt the plain block colour needed a darker edge. So I hit it with a thick black wash, let it seep into all the crevices, and wiped off the excess. Voilà.

Anyway, that’s how I painted my hand-sculpted Devil Boy vase. I'm hoping to record some more process video of both sculpting and painting my pieces, so check back soon for more!

And whilst you're here...

Interested in a Custom Vase?

Whether you’re looking for a custom portrait vase, a gift for someone special, or have a wild idea for a sculptural piece, I’m always happy to chat about commissions. Drop me a message and let’s talk about what we can create together.