Hi Penguinbob,

There are a lot of different types of clay out there and it’s really your own preference as to what type you use. Firing a medium to high fire clays like you mentioned (Clay that fires to maturity at Cone 6-10) to a lower temperature (Cone 04 to 06) will mean that the clay stays porous. When you paint it, the paint will stick and not chip off.

Are you going to glaze it with a firable paint or use non-firing paint?

Do you want a clay that has grit to it, some texture? Then you want more grog in the clay. If you use a clay that fires to a white color, then a semi-translucent glaze will show up brighter. So the color of clay effects how the paint up looks. Unless you use an opaque paint that covers over everything.

Enjoy!

I’ve oil painted on porcelain fired to cone 8 and it adhered well. I am sure what you plan to do will work great. The grog in the clay helps reduce shrinkage of the clay and release vapor/gases during firing. I’ve never heard of fine grog making a clay body stronger. Firing a clay sculpture at a lower heat than maturity will lessen it’s strength. The longer it is fired, the more vitreous it will be and strong as well.

Look forward to seeing your project!:thumbsup: