Painting ceramic bisque is easy and requires no additional firing of the ceramic piece.  Besides the piece of bisque you will be painting you will need:

• Acrylic paint, sold in 2 or 8 ounce bottles (not tubes used for painting on canvas).  These are rather inexpensive and can be bought at ceramic shops, craft stores, and large discount stores.
• Paint brushes, sizes depending of the piece you are painting.  Don't buy the cheapest brushes you can find!  You will probably need a larger brush for larger areas down to a brush with a few hairs for fine detail work.
• If you want you peice to have a more realistic look, you will want to buy an antique.  This can be either water or oil base.  Oil based is easier to work with, but may be harder to find.  Water based antiques can be found in craft, ceramic shops, and discount stores.  The best place to look is a ceramic shop or if looking to buy on the internet, search for "oil based" translucent.
• If you choose oil based, you will need to buy a can of odorless mineral spirits (can be bought at a hardware store).  You will also need clean rags to wipe off excess antique.  Make sure you dispose of the rags properly. Minerals spirits is very flammable!  You will also want to a work in an area with plenty of ventilation.  Note instructions on the bottle!  You may also want to wear rubber gloves for the antique step.
• Spray on or brush on sealer.  This will seal your piece once all painting is complete.  This too can be found along side of the acrylic paint in stores.
• Newspapers to protect your work area, water for clean up, and a paint shirt to protect your clothes!

Below is a step by step example of how to paint a Ceramic Bisque Letter Bear.

1) Choose the piece you would like to paint.  We have a variety of pieces in or store, or you can choose from many great bisque stores on EBay. Our store can be found at: http://stores.ebay.com/familyceramicbisque_W0QQstorecachemissZfamilyceramicbisqueQQtZkm

2) Here is how a bear will look when it arrives to you:

3) The first step will be to paint the bear in a light-medium brown.  Paint the bottom of the bear first, working your way up and around the piece.  When you reach the head, the piece will probably be dry enough for you to hold it by the bottom to paint the head.  Set the piece down and allow to dry for a few more minutes.  Look the piece over and go over any thin or white spots.  Here is how the bear will look so far:

4) The next step is to paint the pads a light-medium pink.  Here is how the bear will look so far:

5)  The next step is to antique the piece, we are using an oil based translucent.  Note we are doing this before the letter is painted because we want the letter to look 'clean'.  Follow the directions and precautions on the bottle.  In general, paint the entire piece with the antique.  Once done, with a cloth, dampen with mineral spirits.  Wipe off the desired amount of antique.  Moisten the rag as needed.  You might want to use one rag to get off most of the antique and another to finish.   Here is how the bear will look so far:

6)  The next step is to paint the letter the desired color.  Depending on the color, two to three coats may be necessary.  On this step, also paint the eyes and nose black.  Also, we outlined the letter with a darker red.  Note we added a white highlight in the eyes.  Here is how the bear will look so far:

7) In the final step, we did a little dry brushing with light tan paint on the bear's face around the seams.  When dry, we sprayed the piece with a matt sealer.  Please note the directions on the can!  Here is how the piece looks completed.