What is underglaze? Your guide to painting pottery (2025)

Do you remember all the fun arts and crafts we’d do at birthday parties growing up? The Color Me Mine birthday parties really took the metaphorical birthday cake for me. If you’re unfamiliar with this little pottery painting studio, it’s packed to the brim with different bisque ware pieces to paint. You’d throw on a smock, pick from their library of pieces, select from a rainbow of colors, and paint to your heart’s content. Years later and multiple years of pottery under my belt, I now know those birthday parties were my introduction to the world of underglaze!

What is underglaze? It’s basically a watered down slip with pigment—you can apply this to greenware (e.g. clay that hasn’t been fired yet) or to bisque-fired clay. Anytime you spot beautiful hand-painted designs gracing tiles or quirky mugs emblazoned with fun characters, you’re likely admiring the work of underglaze. 

We want you to put your pottery painting party hat on, so in this guide, we’ll share our favorite brands, techniques, and inspiration. Pull out the paintbrushes, and let’s get started! 

Favorite Underglaze Brands 

AMACO Velvet Underglaze Set

Yes, Amaco underglazes are an investment, but luckily, a little goes a long way. These satin-matte underglazes consistently come out of the kiln pretty and pigmented. Apart from the notorious kiln battles with yellow (yellow rarely shows up after a firing), we’re big fans of the work AMACO underglazes produce. 

Top with a coat of clear glaze, and these colors truly shine. We’ve tested at both cone 6 and 10—no matter what the temp, these colors will work for your wares. 

Mayco Stroke and Coat

If you’re looking for a more economical option, we consider these low fire underglazes from Stroke and Coat another go-to. With a wide range of colors and a glossy finish, it’s easy to mix and match to get your desired end result. Plus, the squeeze top makes it super easy to put in a paint palette! 

Pasler Underglaze Pencils

Underglaze isn’t limited to paints—you can get underglaze pens, crayons, and pencils to get that fine detail work. If sketching is more your speed over painting, we recommend you get your hands on an underglaze pencil ASAP.

Underglaze Techniques 

Just Paint 

To get started using underglaze, there’s no real technique necessary. All you need is a brush or a sponge, and get to work! Paint on your favorite phrase, or create an Impressionistic sky by blending colors with a sponge. Just make sure to read the instructions on the container—some underglazes need quite a few coats to show up post-firing.

P.S. if painting freehand scares you as much as it scares me, sketch your design with pencil first! The lead will fire off in the kiln. 

Sgraffito  (greenware only!) 

Sgraffito is a time old technique that potters know and love. Apply a layer of underglaze to a leather hard pot, and then scratch away at the surface to reveal the clay (or a different coat of underglaze) below. The dimension and depth that these etched pots wind up with is visually stunning! 

You can also do this technique with wax—cover the surface of your pot with wax resist, etch your design, then fill with underglaze. Sponge away the excess underglaze, and only your carved work will sport your color! 

Stencil 

If you prefer consistent shapes over freeform brush strokes, try out a stencil. I custom make vinyl shapes using a Cricut, but you can use c paper or buy your own. Press to your piece, fill the negative space with underglaze, and voila! You’ve got shapes! 

Tape 

Love a geometric look? Use tape as a “resist” and form shapes and lines all over your piece. Paint your underglaze, wait for it to dry, and then peal off the type to reveal your cool design! 

Inspiration 

Check out these fantastic potters for more painting inspo:

@modhome.ceramics: her high contrast sgraffito pieces bring flora, fauna, and fish to life! 

@moniquilla_official: her work is an explosion of color in the best way—her floral designs practically dance off her pieces. 

@theklaylab: I love how the Klay Lab personalizes her pieces— her tailor-made wedding plates for couples are the perfect memento to mark the occasion! 

@kimly_ceramics: her delicate line work and simple, sleek designs are pieces to aspire to! 

Wrapping Up

Adding underglaze to your pottery toolkit gives a splash of personalization, whimsy, and color to your creations. Whether you enjoy the precision of a stencil or painting outside the lines, underglaze is the secret sauce to make your ceramics truly yours. So go get a set of colors, bring out the paint palette, and starting painting your pottery!