DIY Hand Painted Decorative Tiles

Everyone likes to personalize their space, be it at home or work. A great way to do this is with easily created custom hand painted ceramic tiles. Useful sizes are the 4" x 4" up to the 12" x 12". I find the under 4" x 4" tiles to be too small for display, and the larger 18" x 18" too large for displaying on a plate easel. The 18" x 18" tiles would work display nicely framed and hung on the wall, or inserted as a end table or coffee table top, with a glass cover.
The best tiles I've found to use are the ones that are unglazed. If you use glazed tiles you have to roughen the glaze enough so that the primer will adhere to the surface.
The supplies you'll absolutely need are:

• Tiles, preferable unglazed
• Acrylic or oil paint. Acrylic is faster drying and easier clean up, oil may be more durable over the long term but is much slower drying. Acrylic latex indoor/outdoor paint also works.
• Clear polyurethane appropriate for the paint you've chosen. I prefer the water based over acrylic paint.
• Something to paint with, as simple as your fingers, sponges, brushes or any other creative tool you can think of.
• Work space where you can work without having to finish everything in one sitting, preferably with good ventilation.

That's it! Told you it would be simple. So what are you going to paint? That's up to you, and should be something you're comfortable with as far as skill level goes. I personally prefer to do abstract paintings, as they are personal and unique to myself. Others prefer to do floral renditions, wild life, or whatever else may take their fancy.
Remember, tiles are an inexpensive canvas on which to paint. I can purchase the unglazed ceramic tiles (12" x 12") where I live for less than $1 each. Even considering the cost of paint, brushes and polyurethane, I can have beautiful custom painted tiles for less than $5 each, and can sell them for around $30 or more each, when I wish to part with them. They also make great gifts for giving to family and friends. So what are you waiting for? Go grab some old clothes, set up a table with a plastic drop cloth, grab your paints and tile and get started!
If you need inspiration for ideas, do a search on google for "acrylic painting on tile" and then click on images at the top. If you do a lot of image browsing on google you should consider downloading and installing cooliris. I use it all the time! Oh, and best part, it's a free download.

Thank you for reading my article - I hope you found it informative and helpful. I always welcome feedback from my readers, listeners, and viewers, and you can get in touch with me by visiting my website or by Googling my name, Donald "Hawkaye" Hill.
Just like anything else, creating your own hand painted tiles isn't difficult when you know what to do, and you have the right tools to do it. For detailed information, resources and examples of custom hand painted ceramic tiles, as well as other DIY creative projects, be sure to visit http://www.YourCustomeArt.com where you will find more ways to save money and personalize your home and office every month!
Sincerely,
Donald "Hawkaye" Hill

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glass tile