Craftings of The World

Here I concentrate on painting on ‘glass’ - by this I mean not only glass as such; but plastic, mirrors and acetate. You don’t only have to paint on glass with glass paints either! Later I tell you how you can paint on ordinary household tin cans, making stunning metallic and jewel like objects.

Glass painting is really, really easy. However when I first started painting on glass I was really overawed by what I would need to start this most absorbing hobby. I was very nervous of going into craft shops and showing my ignorance. Most of my materials I bought by mail order until I knew what I was doing. I now know of course that I shouldn’t have been so coy. You really don’t need a lot of materials .... in fact it is a craft that needs very few compared with other more complicated crafts.

Added to this is the wonderful effects you can get without having to be Van Gogh! Glass painting has an immediacy and naivety to it so it doesn’t matter if your first attempts don’t look like artistic masterpieces.

Painting on glass (and other suitable materials) has become extremely popular in recent years. Every craft fair these days has a painted glass stall, and I remember a few years ago seeing some exquisite perfume bottles at a craft market painted in the most sumptuous colors and patterns. I now know of course that these items are in fact easy to make. Although the results are extremely beautiful, the technique is surprisingly easy to do, even for the complete novice.

Basically, what you need are only four major items to paint on glass:

1. Your base. This can be acetate film, mirror, plastic boxes and containers, even ordinary glass jars and bottles which we throw out of our households every week. In fact throwaways are the best things to start with because you are not losing anything should you not be very happy with your first results.

2: Brushes

3. Glass paint. Water or solvent based. Water based ones are the easiest to work with as you don’t need a medium to mix them with or to clean brushes with. These paints come in sets or can be purchased individually. They come in approximately 25 shades including clear.

4. Relief outliner paint. Cerne relief, which comes in many colors such as black, copper, gold, old gold, silver etc., is the better known brand, although there are other makes.

Outliners come in tubes with a nozzle at the end through which the paint is squeezed through onto your chosen surface. I often also use fabric outliner paint for outlining too. These come in a multitude of colors, including white and cream; not only the metallic ones. They also come in glitter and pearl shades. If you want to do things 'by the book', so to speak, then use glass paining outliner.

To follow is a very basic instruction for painting on any glass object. These instructions apply to any type of work, be it a three dimensional object such as a bottle, or a flat surface such as a mirror. As you will see however, there really is nothing to it! Here are some projects which are very easy to follow to give you some practice in your new craft.

Basic Glass painting

1. Clean your glass bottle or jar thoroughly. Using ‘leading in a tube’ (Cerne relief) or fabric relief paint, draw the outline of your pattern on the surface of the glass. Leave this outliner to dry completely.

2. When your outliner is dry fill in each section with the glass paint. You may need to practice on small pieces first, as glass paint has a unique quality to it and takes a bit of getting used to. Paint has to be flooded rather than painted onto the surface of the glass. Leave to dry thoroughly as it goes tacky as it dries therefore there is the risk of leaving fingerprints on the surface of your painted objects.

Painting on glass is one of the easiest and most delightful ways of transforming items which would usually be just tossed in the bin, namely, empty jars, bottles and glass containers. I have literally dozens of glass items around my house decorated with all manner of patterns and effects. I also give decorated coffee or sweet jars as presents. They cost next to nothing to make, but always elicit the most enthusiastic response from the receiver.

Some ideas for painting on glass are;

Small jars, painted and given a ‘handle’ of fuse wire. Place a night light in to make a gorgeous lantern.

Large coffee jars painted in pairs to make decorated matching tea and coffee or sugar and flour containers.

French dressing bottles decorated and turned into olive oil containers.

It is little known, but you can actually paint onto metallic surfaces such as silver foil or tin cans with glass paint and relief -

Trendy tin cans

1. After removing the labels from your cans, clean them with soapy water. If there is any label glue left on the outside of the tins clean it off with white spirit.

2. To decorate with glass paints, draw a pattern on the tin with relief outliner and leave to dry. Paint in the design as you would do on glass.

You can also make some super Christmas decorations made from ordinary clear or frosted plastic juice or milk bottles -

1. Wash out the bottles. Cut into different shapes. Using different colors of relief paint, for example gold, silver, black or even bright colors, draw designs onto the plastic. Leave to dry completely. Paint with glass paint (optional.)

2. Pierce a hole in the top of each decoration and thread string through. Make a knot for hanging.

You can also make Christmas tree ‘lanterns’ from decorated empty aromatherapy oil bottles -

1. Take any labels off the bottles and wash in hot soapy water, inside and out. Wrap some fuse wire round the neck of the bottles and make into loops for hanging. Replace the lids.

2. Using the glass paints, make squiggles, dots or lines on the surface of the bottles. Alternatively use a tiny sponge and dab the colors on, merging together where they meet. Leave to dry.

3. Using PVA glue, stick sequins on the bottles if desired.

As you will see, this craft is excellent for the less confident crafter, as the techniques are simplicity itself. I hope you enjoy making some delightful objects with the aid of this guide to basic glass painting.

Source : www.myartsandcrafts.comc

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