Glass Painting

Glass Painting - Hints and Instructions

Preparing the surface

Glass paint and outliners will work on many different surfaces including glass, PVC, acetate, metal, mirror and ceramics.

Surfaces should be washed with warm soapy water or wiped with white spirit before painting to ensure they are clean and free from grease. Use a cleaner which is appropriate to the surface it’s cleaning.

Mixing it up

Glass paints can be used directly from the bottle onto clean glass but for an infinite range of colours and shades the paints can be intermixed. To achieve very subtle, pale colours, start with clear paint and add colour to it a small drip at a time until you reach the desired shade.

Techniques

Using a brush is only one way of applying paint. Look around you for things with an interesting texture and experiment with different paint effects. The following are a few suggestions:

Sponges and pieces of "scrunched" up fabric are great for adding a textured look. Try sponging a layer of paint, leaving it to dry, then sponging a layer of a paler shade on top.

Cover up your workbench well with old newspaper and load your brush with paint. Flick paint from your brush at different angles onto your glass for a spatter effect. Again build up layers of colours once the first has dried.

Paint in a block of colour but before it dries use a soft brush to swirl generous amounts of a contrasting colour on top. Avoid mixing the second colour on top for too long as they will merge together.

Whatever you use to apply your paint always keep it clean by rinsing out in clear, cold water, before the paint dries.

For practice runs it is a good idea to have a collection of jam jars, wine bottles etc, as they can be used over again until you perfect your technique.

When working with glass paint it is best to have a horizontal surface otherwise runs may occur. It also helps to keep your working environment as dust free as possible.

Painting on PVC or glass

PVC sheeting is an excellent medium for glass paint. It can be cut to shape before being painted and is flexible enough to create items such as lampshades, mobiles, Christmas decorations, window designs etc.

The same technique can be used with glass and PVC.

Transferring a design onto glass or PVC can be done in two different ways. The easiest is to place the design underneath the glass so that it is possible to trace the outline directly on to the surface with an outliner. Alternatively, if you wish to draw freehand, you can do so using a marker pen with a fine point so that you can cover up the lines with the outliner paste afterwards.

Any mistakes in the outline can either be wiped away with a tissue or a cotton bud whilst the paint/liner is still wet, or scraped off with a scalpel once it is dry.