Painting isn’t just for paper. The great thing about paint is that it can go on almost any surface- wood, fabric, glass. Recently I decided to try my hand at glass painting.
When a friend of mine turned twenty-one a few months ago, I thought what better gift to get her than something she can actually use with her new-found status. But when I bought these stemless wine glasses, I wasn’t a big fan of their plain appearance. While wine glasses are typically ordinary, this friend is anything but. I just felt like they could use a little spicing up. So I decided to turn her birthday present into my own art project. And here’s how!
What You Will Need:
Drinking glasses
Paint brushes
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint sealer
Toothpicks (optional)
Paper plate (optional)
Paper towels (optional)
Pencils (optional)
Paper (optional)
Scissors (optional)
Tape (optional)
Step 1:
Make sure, before you do anything, to clean your glass. Wash it with soap and water to remove any oil or dust that might be on the surface. I would recommend air drying to prevent any streak marks or paper towel pieces sticking to the glass.
Step 2:
Because painting on glass is different than painting on a canvas, depending on how intricate your design ideas are, drawing them out beforehand might be helpful. For those of you who feel comfortable free-handing, you can go ahead and move on to Step 3.
Your pattern is your choice. Popular choices include stripes, dots, or other simple shapes. Just remember that the more basic your pattern, the easier it’ll be to paint. After drawing out the design of your choice, go ahead and cut it out, keeping as close to the design as you can. It takes less effort to tape smaller pieces of paper to the inside of the glass.
Taping the paper to the glass might take some trial and error. My best piece of advice is to put the paper as close to the interior as possible. Because glasses curve, the closer it is to the surface, the better chance you have of following the design.
Step 3:
Now it’s time to paint! Mix and match colors to your liking. Add as much paint as you want (but it might be smart to stay away from the areas your mouth or drink will touch).
Your best choice of paint is probably Acrylic Glass Paint or Acrylic Enamel Paint- they stick better to the surface you’ll be working on. They can also be found at local craft stores. I used regular acrylic paint, which is why I took the extra step to buy Clear Acrylic Sealer. To stay on the safe side, hand wash your dishes after use.
Just in case you make a mistake or find your design came out slightly crooked, use a toothpick to chip away any unwanted parts.
Step 4:
Once the paint is dry, it’s time to spray your glass with the acrylic sealer. This spray can have a pretty strong scent, so make sure you’re in a well-ventilated area (outside, perhaps) before using it. Hold your glass about arms length to prevent any spots from the spray from sticking to the surface. Any spots that do appear should disappear with time or water after the first wash.
Do not use this spray if you want to make any changes to your design. The spray material is dangerous to chip off, so once you use it, your design is permanent.
Step 5:
Wait twenty-four hours before handling your art. This gives the paint a good amount of time to finish setting. Carefully wash your glass before using. And enjoy!
This was the first time I’d done anything like this with glass. It was definitely a task making sure I could use a certain type of paint, figuring out the best way to tape my pattern inside the glass, and guessing how far away to hold the glass before spraying it with sealer. But despite how tedious some aspects of this project were, it was fun experimenting and learning what worked and what didn’t. And I got some pretty cool drinking glasses out of it.
Comment below how well (or poorly) you think I did, and make sure to let me know if you end up trying this DIY!
samanthasabio 