The first methods of painting on glass appeared during the Renaissance. Craftsmen of that time used various chemicals to make paints. A modern artist does not need to know the periodic table. Everything he needs to paint on glass is ready-made in the store. A variety of colors and paints, tools and materials helps to develop artistic talent, create for your own pleasure and delight the people around you with beautiful crafts.
Glass paint
Paints help turn not only paper into a masterpiece. Any glass product is a good material for an artist. A wealth of colors and good imagination will help you decorate an ordinary vase or make a unique lamp from an old glass, and then give the craft to your beloved friends.
After practicing on small glass objects, you can move to a higher level of skill - creating stained glass, for example, from a window in your own apartment. Decorations in the form of butterflies flying over the green leaves of beautiful flowers will create an atmosphere of spring in the house, and the sunlight penetrating through the mosaic patterns will lift your spirits throughout the day.
Stained glass paints for glass
Stained glass is a work of art made from glass pieces of different colors. It is often used as a decorative interior decoration: inserted into a door or window opening, used as a glass panel, etc. Artificial or natural light enhances the unique composition of stained glass.
Previously, not everyone had the opportunity to create colored glass crafts on their own. But everything changed when stained glass paints appeared on sale. New Year's holidays are no longer complete without handmade glass crafts. With the advent of paints and varnishes, everyone can now try to depict stained glass.
For painting, special stained glass paints based on acrylic are used, which have a distinctive property - transparency. This results in a realistic stained glass effect. To create high-quality painting, you need to have experience, but if you don’t have it, then you shouldn’t buy a whole set of stained glass paints at once. As a beginner, it is best to concentrate on a few basic shades and two contours (gold or black).
Idea Vetro by Maimeri
Maymeri is another flagship of the market, one of the most popular Italian paints. They are liquid, like Pebeo, take a little longer to dry (about 40-50 minutes before touching with a finger), but overall they are very easy to use and show outstanding performance once dry.
Their color range is a little narrower than that of Lefranc and Pebeo, but for most tasks it is quite sufficient. The palette consists of 13 color shades and 12 metallic colors.
Idea Vetro stained glass varnish paints from Maimeri
Types of stained glass paints
- Burnt. This type of paint on glass and ceramics is often used for painting dishes, which then need to be fired. At home, use an oven heated to 170 degrees Celsius. The firing time for a specific paint is given in the instructions. Before placing the dishes in the oven, you need to give the paint time to dry. This usually takes three hours. After heat treatment, the pattern becomes transparent and bright, resistant to abrasion and chemicals. Now the product can be washed without fear that the paint will peel off.
- Unfired. The peculiarity of such paints is the color saturation. Due to the fact that the paint is not subject to heat treatment, it can be erased from the surface if the product is washed. Therefore, it is better to carefully wipe the craft with damp wipes. Unburnt glass paint is used in painting various interior items. In order for it to dry well, you need to give it time. At room temperature, the paint can dry completely in a few days.
Glass matting
Matting involves the use of a special composition that reduces the transparency of the surface . The glass becomes rougher and less smooth, which makes it possible to create interesting design ideas.
There are several main methods for this procedure:
- Use of drugs containing acid.
- Sandblasting.
- The use of chemicals, including special pastes.
Manufacturers of stained glass paints
If you are just beginning to comprehend the art of painting with stained glass paints, then you should not take products from domestic manufacturers. This product is of poor quality and complicates the drawing process. Foreign brands are best. Among them are inexpensive and high-quality paints:
- Marabu - the paints of this company are wash-resistant, have a rich shade, mix well with each other, which makes it easy to create the desired colors.
- Hobby line is a company that creates paints that are perfect for painting items made of natural glass, ceramics or metal. Mixes well and brightens.
- Pebero is a well-known manufacturer producing water-based and solvent paints. They have a rich color palette. They can be burned or immediately varnished. Transparency allows you to create realistic stained glass windows.
- Idea - paints from a well-known brand that are resistant to changes in temperature and humidity. They dry well in air and do not require fixing with varnish. Works well on glass, plastic, wood, ceramics and metal.
S.Kreul Hobby line Glasmal Farbe
German paints with a narrow palette and low price. They say that when mixed with Lefranc & Bourgeois or Idea Vetro they give a wonderful matte stained glass surface.
I believe that it is better to avoid mixing glass paints from different companies. You also need to use only special products for dilution, lightening, and so on. A review article on the world of stained glass painting will help beginners in stained glass technique
Stained glass varnish paints S.Kreul Hobby line Glasmal Farbe
It is unknown how the paint will behave after some time. It will be a great shame if it starts to peel and fall off due to the incompatibility of the paint base.
Tools and materials for painting
To create glass painting with acrylic paints, you need a good set of tools and quality materials:
- Suitable paint. If the work is done indoors, it is better that the glass paint is water-based, as it does not have a strong odor and is environmentally friendly.
- Contours. The surface of the glass is smooth, so the paint spreads easily. To fix the problem, use contour paste. It is used to create the boundaries of the drawing. The outlines are black, gold or silver. Sold in tubes with a long dispenser.
- Brushes. Glass paint contains acrylic resin, so brushes with artificial bristles are best suited. They come in round shapes, which are suitable for fine strokes and detailing, and flat ones, which are used when applying paint and varnish to large surfaces.
- Varnish. Protects the design from mechanical damage and gives it a glossy appearance.
In addition, you will need additional materials: a jar of water, a stencil design and a rag.
Vetro Color by Ferrario
Vetro Color, judging by the reviews, is a very good varnish paint with 24 basic transparent colors, 4 top colors and a colorless thinner.
They have an ultraviolet filter, due to which they are reliably protected from fading. Manufacturer Italy
Stained glass varnish paints Vetro Color from Ferrario
Glass painting
Drawing on glass is an interesting art that anyone can master. Any creative success begins with the desire to create your own masterpieces. Practice will help you discover your talent. Before you start painting on glass with acrylic paints, you need to prepare all the necessary tools and materials. Now that everything is assembled, you can learn to draw.
Instructions:
- First, degrease the glass surface with a solution containing alcohol.
- Make the lines and boundaries of the future drawing with contour paste. If it turns out bad, you can correct it with a rag.
- Wait half an hour for the paste to dry on its own, or dry it with a hairdryer.
- Use a brush to paint over all fragments of the ornament. Try not to overdo it with paint. It needs to be neither too much nor too little.
- Let the paint dry for eight hours, and then cover the design with a layer of varnish. If you have paint that can be fired, then it is not necessary to coat it with varnish - you need to fire the product in the oven.
We paint at home
Painting glass is not particularly difficult , the main thing is to adhere to the basic rules and recommendations . In order for the end result to please you, you should follow the following sequence:
- First you need to prepare the tools necessary for applying paint. For this procedure, a spray bottle, end-type brushes with bristles, rollers, and foam swabs are suitable.
- Now you need to wipe the glass well with a soap solution , and then rinse with warm, then hot running water.
- Next you need to degrease the glass using acetone . Remove the solvent with a rag.
- Areas that are not planned to be painted should be covered with masking tape.
- We tint the finished mixture or prepare it ourselves. For convenience, pour the paint into a separate container.
- Now, using the selected tool, we apply paint to the surface, trying to do it as evenly as possible .
- After the paint has completely dried, remove the masking tape. If necessary, you can cover it with an additional layer.
Useful tips for painting glass
- To make the image look better, you need to apply several layers of paint. In this case, you need to give everyone time to dry out.
- To evenly distribute the layers of paint, it is carefully and very thinly smeared on the surface of the drawing. Everything must be done quickly, because the paint dries quickly and streaks may remain.
- The texture in the drawing is done with a foam sponge or a hard brush, which will leave behind small grooves.
- To obtain a non-standard shade, paints of different colors are always mixed.
- If you use glass paint containing alkyd resins (the fumes from such paints are caustic), then you need to work in a well-ventilated room. This will help reduce harmful effects on the respiratory tract.
- The paint will look fresh and rich for a long time if it is covered with a layer of varnish.
Precautionary measures
When working with stained glass paints, certain safety rules must be followed. You must always remember that paints are flammable. There should be no open source of fire where you work. All paints and varnishes emit toxic fumes when they evaporate, so try not to inhale them. Protect your skin from getting paint, use gloves and clothing to cover certain areas of your body. Do not taste paints under any circumstances, because many of them contain substances that cause severe poisoning. Don't let your children play with paints.
Stained glass art allows you to turn an inconspicuous glass product into a unique piece. Any person can make drawings on glass with paints, the main thing is to use your imagination and listen to it.
