Apply wax to the bottom of the piece and any other areas of the piece that you don’t want to be glazed. Mix the glaze you are using for the base coat. Hold the piece either in your hands or using dipping tongs. Dip the piece into the glaze, and hold it there for two to five seconds. Move your hand or the tongs to a different area of the piece and dip the portion of the piece you were holding the first time back into the glaze. Sponge off the glaze on the wax-covered portions of the ceramic piece.
Multiple layers of glaze must be applied to the ceramic piece to create a brushed basecoat. After applying the first coat, allow the glaze to dry before applying the next coat. Though the method is more time-consuming than dipping, it also produces a less even basecoat, and will include imperfections and visible brushstrokes. That unevenness and texture gives more depth to the basecoat, and adds to the color wash method’s faux finish affect.
Use a sea sponge or a dish sponge. Wait to apply the sponged layer of glaze until after the ceramic piece’s basecoat is dry. Dip the sponge into the glaze you want to sponge onto the piece. The glaze you’re applying with the sponge may be the same color as the base coat, but you can also use a different color if you’d like – either way, you’re still using the color wash technique. Dab the sponge over every area of the ceramic piece that is already covered in the basecoat. Do not dab in a pattern, and overlap dabbed areas so the piece is covered in a thorough layer of new glaze.
Run a dry, soft brush over the sponged-on glaze to slightly blend the marks from the sponge. Move the brush in a circular or cross-hatching motion. When the glaze is as blended as you’d like, fire the piece to vitrify the glaze.