Ceramic paint on pottery, Why Painting on Ceramics Is Harder Than Canvas?

If you’ve always painted on canvas—say Western-style oil paintings—or on paper with traditional Chinese ink painting, do you know what changes when you switch to painting on ceramics?

Even though the basic painting skills are the same, painting on ceramics is very different from painting on paper or canvas. It takes time to adjust.

First, canvas and paper are flat. Ceramic surfaces are three-dimensional. If you paint on a flat plate, it may still feel familiar. But when you move to a teapot, a vase, or a jar, the shape curves in many directions, and the feeling is completely different.

Second, painting on ceramics takes longer and demands more patience. The surface is smooth and slippery, unlike absorbent paper or canvas. You can’t load too much pigment or glaze onto your brush. On paper, extra ink can be absorbed, but on porcelain, too much will drip or smear. After painting, the piece has to dry carefully. You might leave it in the sun, or use a heater to dry it. If you’re not careful, the colors can blur or the glaze can run, and all your effort is wasted.

Third, there’s the risk of firing. Every ceramic painting has to go through the kiln—electric, gas, or wood-fired. And every color reacts differently under heat. Some pigments are high-temperature glazes that can withstand 1,300 degrees. Others, like overglaze “new color” pigments, can only handle around 750 degrees. If the temperature isn’t right, cracks may appear, or the colors may shift.

So the firing stage is crucial. It decides whether the surface stays smooth and flawless, or ends up with flaws.

That’s why a finished ceramic painting is usually worth more than a painting on canvas or paper. The process is harder, the risks are greater, and the craft requires more skill and patience.