These unique style vases (below) had been in the family home for a while. I had seen a few tutorials online where regular ceramics or vases were turned into terracotta-looking vases, and thought this would be the perfect project for them.

The initial step was to clean and prepare the surface of the vases for painting. I wiped them down with a damp cloth to remove any dust.

One of the vases had a rough surface, which was perfect for painting, as the rough texture holds the paint well. The other vase had a very smooth finish, which meant that the paint was less likely to adhere.

For smooth polished surfaces, the best way to increase paint adhesion is to use baking powder, or Plaster of Paris, mixed in with the paint. This is similar to chalk paint, which you can buy ready-made.

For this project, I used Plaster of Paris, mixed with regular acrylic craft paint. I didn’t want to use too much Plaster of Paris, as I didn’t want the painted surface to look too gritty.

To create the custom terracotta colour, I mixed together raw sienna as the base, with red oxide and yellow oxide in different proportions, to create the terracotta hue.

Rather than leaving the vases as a single colour, I wanted to create an aged rustic look to the vases. So I used watered-down white paint applied with a brush, applied in random directions across the surface.

The key is to apply the paint in very light soft layers. I also used a damp cloth to smudge and blend the paint in certain areas.

I love the surface finish of these vases. They turned out so well.