Supplies
Tools
- 1 soft sand paintbrush, n° 0
- 1 or several soft flat paintbrushes, thick or thin, according to the number of colors and surfaces to paint
- 1 rag
- 1 palette
- Small sponges
- 1 stencil brush for speckled effects or for graduated colors
- Pencil
Materials
- Glass paint that can be diluted with white spirit or water
- White spirit or water
- Tissue paper (preferable to tracing paper) because it's transparent, it transfers directly and, thin and flexible, it adapts easily to round shapes
- Ethyl or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), or dish detergent
- Paper
Paint choice for glass painting
To paint on glass, you can choose between 2 types of paint. Whichever you choose, the technique is the same.
- Oil-based or non-water-based paint: diluted with white spirit
- Advantages: White spirit doesn't affect the paint's color saturation, so its pigment stays strong, and you can obtain both saturated and transparent color from one batch. The paintbrush strokes blend in gradually.
- Disadvantages: Once it's dry, you can't add a second coat. It's fragile and you need to wash it by hand without any abrasive agent. It needs to be reserved for decorative use.
- Water-based paint: diluted with water
- Advantages: It can be fixed by heating it in an oven at 150°C (302°F) and stands up well against washing. You can use dish detergent with it. It can come into contact with food. Once it's cooked, you can add another coat of paint.
- Disadvantages: Its colors aren't highly saturated, so the results will be pale. The paintbrush (or sponge) strokes are practically impossible to hide.
Directions
Prepare your tools for glass painting
- Clean the surface you're going to paint with a rag soaked in rubbing alcohol. If you're using a dish detergent, rince the object with hot water and let it dry.
- Create your design on a sheet of paper.
- Position your design on the inside of the object you're painting. Hold it in place with your hand (the one you're not painting with!) or some tape.
- Trace the pattern directly on the glass with a thin sable paintbrush.
- Put a few drops of dilutant in one of the sections of your palette and add the same amount of your first color.
- Mix well.
NB: The success of your work is in how you mix the paint and the dilutant. If it's not diluted enough, the paint will stick to the glass and you won't be able to blend it at all. If it's too diluted, it runs, won't stay where it should on the glass, and shows drip lines and drops.
Begin painting the glass
- With a paintbrush or a sponge, lightly apply the paint. Be careful not to make bubbles on the surfaces you paint.
- Apply a second coat with a refilled paintbrush to the still-wet paint to erase any lines that show in the first coat.
- Do the same thing for each color.
- Once it's completely dry, place the object in a cold oven, then turn the oven on and cook the object, usually for about 50 mn at 160°C (320°F).
NB: This method of cooking doesn't work for all types of paint. Check the manufacturer's instructions before cooking.
- Let the object cool in the oven with the door open.
Tips
- Set up your work somewhere safe from dust so that you don't get any particles in your paint during the painting or drying processes.
- It's best to work against a white background: that way you can see the colors easily on the glass.
- Apply the colors in a series, one after the other, because glass paint dries very quickly.
- To erase any small mistakes, rub gently with a cotton swab soaked with white spirit or hot water.
Going further