17 Pottery Painting Ideas

Pottery painting is a fun and creative way to spend time with friends or family. It’s a great way to get out of the house, have some laughs, and also create something beautiful in the process. In this blog post, I will show you 15 different pottery paintings that are absolutely gorgeous!

One of the great things about pottery painting is that there are endless possibilities when it comes to what you can create. You can go with simple designs or intricate patterns – the choice is yours!

So, without further ado, here are 15 amazing pottery painting ideas:

1) Simple Floral Design

pottery with painted flowers 1

A simple floral design is one of the easiest things you can paint on a pot. Whether you’re painting on a vase, a plate, or a sculpture, flowers are the prettiest and fastest way to turn a boring and plain pottery piece into a beautiful piece of home decor or utensil. You can paint the pottery white for the background and paint the flowers over it so the colors will really pop. Paint a rainbow of pastel-colored flowers for a dainty and soft pottery painting.

2) Geometric Patterns

pottery with geometric pattern 1

Flowers can be hard to paint if you don’t know anything about petals, types of flowers, or different shading techniques. And so, if you want a fast and simple design idea, geometric patterns are the way to go. Paint a few triangles, circles, or even just a few lines on your pottery. You can also use gold paint to bring a sense of luxury to your simple designs.

3) Peaceful Scene

pottery with landcape painting 1

If you know how to paint, why not create a beautiful peaceful landscape on your pottery? Paint a picture of a field or a few trees, or even the beach. Scenery can turn any dull piece of pottery into a work of art that you can show off.

4) A Beautiful Sunflower

mugs with sunflower painting 1

If you want your pottery to scream “Summer,” then big, bright, and yellow sunflowers will do the trick. Paint a big sunflower or a few smaller flowers all over your pottery and place it on your desk, office, or coffee table for a true head-turner. Yellow is the brightest color during the day, and it will surely turn heads as people come into your home or office.

5) An Adorable Animal

Baby animals are adorable and they make for a great pottery painting idea. Paint a furry cat or a sweet puppy, or how about a tall giraffe, or maybe even a baby shark? Better yet, if you have a pet, why not paint their picture on your pottery pots or vases for a personal tribute to your canine companion or pet kitty?

6) A Vibrant Rainbow

pottery with rainbow painting 1

A vibrant rainbow of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet will turn any cakey and earthy vase or pot into a ray of happiness in any space. You can paint bright vibrant colors or even pastels, or even different color themes of rainbows, such as beige or natural colors for a cool and classy painting.

7) Swirling Flowers

swirling flowers painted on pottery 1

If you’re into psychedelic prints and colors, why not paint a kaleidoscope of flowers on your pottery? Swirling flowers are a groovy addition to a set of plain colored pottery pieces, or why not make an entire set of 70’s inspired pots and vases? 

8) Classic Polka Dots

pottery with polka dot painting 1

Polka dots will never go out of style and they’re a classic print on almost anything – be it on paper products, clothes, or print. And in our case, pottery! Paint your entire pottery piece white and create markings where you’ll paint your black dots as a guide. You can use a stencil to paint perfect circles or you can freehand cute little imperfect circles. 

You can even use different colored polka dots, such as a rainbow of colorful dots, pink dots, yellow dots, and any color you want.

9) Cool Chevron Stripes

Chevron stripes have boomed in popularity in recent years and it has become a staple in prints. Simple paint your entire pottery in a light color such as white or beige, and paint horizontal, big, and bold zigzag lines over it. You can also add a touch of gold on the edges of the lines to add a touch of sophistication and luxury to a vibrant stripe design.

10) A Playful Patchwork Design

For anyone who loves needlework, painting a playful patchwork is for you. There are so many ideas you can do with patchwork, as long as the idea of putting things together is the same. Make it colorful and paint different images in each patch, or you can paint one color in different shades – the possibilities for creativity are limitless with a playful patchwork design.

11) Pretty in Pink

pottery mug with heart painting on bottom

Paint pink hearts, ribbons, and even cute little dresses in pink. Painting pottery in pink is the perfect way to express your femininity and softness, while also adhering to your strong features as found in a piece of pottery.

12) Sweet and Simple Stripes

painting stripes on pottery 1

You don’t have to know how to paint a portrait to create beautiful designs on a clay pot or vase. Simply paint a few lines to create sweet and simple stripes on your pottery. You might not be Picasso but you can surely paint a mean line, can you?

13) A Funky Focal Point

mini mouse pottery painting 1

You don’t have to paint the entire pottery piece – even just one image on one side of your vase is enough to make it beautiful. You can paint anything as the funky focal point – an image of a person, animal, object, and just about anything.

With this featured design they did add elements and used sculpting tools to achieve this look.

14) Classic Black and White

pottery with black and white paint 1

Black and white will never go out of fashion and if you want a simple, classic, and sophisticated painting, this color pairing is the best idea. You can paint smile squares, stripes, or anything as long as you stick to these two colors.

15) Bright and Bold Abstract Design

abstract painting on pottery 1

Can’t think of an image? Or maybe you want to paint an animal or flower but you and your hand just won’t cooperate? Then why not paint an abstract design that’s hip and modern? An abstract design can be anything as long as it doesn’t obviously create recognition at first glance. Get your creative juices going with this pottery painting idea.

16) Add text or quotes to your pottery creations

Add a little bit of extra personality to your pottery by adding text or quotes. This can be done in a variety of ways, including hand painting, using stencils, or even carving into the clay itself. No matter what method you choose, make sure that your text or  quote is properly sealed so that it will remain durable and beautiful for years to come.

17) Use lace, ribbon, or other materials to decorate your pottery

There are many ways to decorate your pottery with lace or ribbon. You can use them to create a border around the edge of your pottery, or you can use them to create patterns on the surface of your pottery.

To create a border, simply glue the lace or ribbon around the edge of your pottery piece. You can use hot glue or craft glue for this.

To create patterns on the surface of your pottery, you’ll need to make a pattern template. This can be something as simple as a piece of paper with the pattern drawn on it, or it could be a more complicated shape like a leaf or flower.

Once you have your pattern template, you’ll need to trace it onto your pottery. You can do this with a pencil or a marker. Once the pattern is traced on, you can start painting or gluing on the lace or ribbon.

Time to Paint!

Which of these pottery painting ideas is your favorite? There are so many things you can paint on pottery that the world is truly our oyster when it comes to ideas. Let your imagination take you to new heights and paint whatever you like on pottery, turning something drab and dull into a work of art you can actually use.