A process for preparing complex-shaped, ceramic-metal composite articles, comprising: (a) contacting a non-wettable powder that is non-wetting to a metal to be used for infiltration with a shaped ceramic body to form a layer of the non-wettable powder on one or more surfaces of the shaped ceramic body, wherein the shaped ceramic body has a region where there is no layer of the non-wettable powder, and (b) infiltration the shaped ceramic body with the metal through the region or regions where there is no layer of the non-wettable powder, such that a complex-shaped ceramic-metal composite comprising one or more metal phases and one or more ceramic phases is formed, wherein the article has substantially the net shape of the shaped ceramic body and undesirable regions of excess metal on the surface and undesirable phases within the complex-shaped ceramic-metal composite article near the surface are located only in the region or regions where there is no layer of the non-wettable powder. The process of the invention allows the preparation of complex-shaped ceramic-metal composite articles with undesirable regions of excess metal and undesirable phases on the surface(s), of, or within, the article only in the regions where there is, or was, no layer of non-wettable powder. The process of the invention allows the preparation of a complex-shaped ceramic-metal composite article which requires little or no machining of the surface(s) to achieve a finished article. A complex-shaped ceramic-metal composite article is prepared which contains few undesirable regions of excess metal and undesirable phases.