How to Paint a Terra-cotta Pot

I've been on a search for decently priced grey stone pots for my front porch for a few weeks. I was actually shocked at the price of large pots.  One that had the colors I was going for, the size I wanted, but the wrong shape was $89.00 and that was the cheapest they had.  Wanting two of them, I knew that I could not dish out $180.00 for pots for my front porch.  I decided to check out Home Depot and found these terracotta pots for $27.00 each.  I bought them on the spot.  I called my mom and asked her if spray paint would do the trick and her answer was a big NO.  The paint won't stick and would likely peel off.  Ugh.  Not the answer the master of spray painting everything was looking for.

Luckily, I had been contacted by Decoart offering me some paints to sample.  I sent them an email asking if they had anything that would do the trick for my new pots and the answer was a big fat YES! I think I jumped up and down a bit.  They have a line of called Patio Paint that is specifically for use on concrete, terra-cotta, wood, masonry, stucco, stone, ceramic bisque, cast aluminum, and Styrofoam. Cue the stars aligning.  I emailed them with the color ideas I was looking for and they suggested the colors below. 

I gave the pots a coat of Eucalyptus Green just to get rid of the orange.  I wasn't really sure what technique I would be using for this, it was all a fly by the seat of my pants, and cross my fingers it worked.

I then mixed Wrought Iron Black and Sterling Silver.  I would say I used about 2/3's black to 1/3 silver.  I did not fully mix the paint to get both colors showing through.

I used an old T-shirt and just swept the rag across the pot starting from top to bottom. 

Then I mixed Glorious Gold, Woodland Brown, and a bit of Sterling Silver.  I did the same drag the rag technique for this layer.  I wanted the pots to have dimension and not just slap on a layer of grey/black paint and call it day.  When I finished this layer, I actually loved the look. It had a bit of a bronze/copper feel to it. If my colors had been in the browns, it would have stayed just like this.  You can see some of the darker layer peaking through.

Finally, I got Wrought Iron Black, Sterling Silver, and a bit of Glorious Gold and did the same technique.  You can see below the rag technique. Oh yea, I also put a coat of Clear Coat on top further protect the paint. I loved the texture that the paint has. I find the texture of Terra-Cotta pots to be kind of like a nail scratching a chalkboard. These particularly had a rough texture, and it's gone. They are super smooth right now.  I loved playing around with the different paint colors. I think there are tons of combinations that you could do.  This paint is just so easy to use.

Here it is on my front porch.  I LOVE them, like really LOVE them.  I can't believe they were $27.00 each and some bottles of paint. 

I really want to thank Decoart for sending me this amazing paint. I am beyond happy with the results.   I can't wait to see what else I can paint.  Have you tried Decoart Paints before?  Have you ever painted Terra-Cotta?  Do tell...

I'll be linking up to these parties

and Beyond the Picket Fence, Between Naps on the Porch, DIY Showoff