You can paint just about anything if you know the type of surface you are painting. China painting is an art that dates back centuries and has produced a range of beautiful art work. Seen in pendants, pottery, and canvas, china painting has been adapted to a variety of media and can be adjusted to use when working with metal jewelry.
History
China painting, sometimes called porcelain art, is a technique used to paint and decorate white glazed porcelain pieces. The style of images created can be likened to watercolor painting but with firmer brush strokes. China painting traditionally uses porcelain but is adaptable to use with metals for jewelry if using traditional china paint and durable metals for surfaces.
Paint
Traditionally when painting on porcelain a dry powder base mixed with oil creates the paint. The drying time required for the paint depends on the oil. When working with metals you can use a high heat paint that you have diluted to achieve muted watercolor pigments often reflected in china painting.
Techniques
Crosshatching and feather strokes are common paint strokes in china painting. The china painting process is a series of layers shifting between light paint coats and designs followed by firing the porcelain piece and repeating until finished. Using this painting process there is less risk of blistering or damaged paint with each layer exposed to the heat.
