Not everyone is a potter. But almost anyone can try a hand at painting pottery.

Emily Sappington has been working at Firehouse Pottery in Springfield for over a year and knows her way around a paintbrush.

She explains process for painting your own pottery at Firehouse:

Step 1: Pick out your pottery

With so many options, this step might be the hardest part. From fun, decorative pieces to practical, kitchen pieces, you can create something new each time.

Step 2: Pick a seat

Pick whichever table you want to sit at.  Each table is already prepared with water and a tile to put your paint on.

Step 3: Paint lesson

The paint lessons are typically for new visitors, with employees explaining the process.

“It’s totally free,” Sappington says. “It just shows them tips and tricks on how to paint and how to get the best results.”

There are stamps or bumpy doodles (paint bottles you can write with that will turn out bumpy once fired). Employees also demonstrate how to use multiple coats of paint and how to copy an image onto your piece.

Step 4: Choose your design

The paint lesson can give you a good idea of some designs you can do with stamps or copy, but you can do so much more.

Sappington says there are idea books all over the studio, not to mention the decorations around the room as inspiration. “It’s kind of fun to see what they come up with when they don’t know what to do and they just kind of go with it,” she says.

How the pottery looks while you’re painting it sometimes looks different than when it’s fired. Your end design might surprise you.

Step 5: Gather supplies

After you pick your design, the supplies needed will be available.  An
entire shelf is dedicated to sponges, stamps, sandpaper, lace, and more.  It all depends on what your vision is, though.

Step 6: Pick your paint

“There’s no limit to how many colors they can use,” Sappington says.

At Firehouse, the bottles are good for painting background colors. There are fine-tip writers for adding words as well as pottery style paint and crystal glazes to color the entire piece. With the glazes, the crystals explode and create a creative effect.

“They turn out really cool, and it looks like you worked super hard on them, but you really just painted it on,” says Sappington.

Step 7: Finish

When your piece is finished at Firehouse and you’re ready to go, bring it up to the front and pay.  The price includes a $6 studio fee along with the price of your individual piece. A week after you leave the shop, your work will be ready for pickup.