The first methods of drawing on glass appeared in the Renaissance. Masters of that time used various chemicals - paints were made from them. A contemporary artist does not need to know the periodic table. All that he will need for drawing on glass is in the store ready-made. A variety of colors and paints, tools and materials helps to develop artistic talent, create for your own pleasure and delight people around with wonderful crafts.
Paint for glass
Inks help to turn not only a paper canvas into a masterpiece. Any glass product is a good material for the artist. The richness of shades and good imagination will help to decorate an ordinary vase or make a unique lamp from an old glass, and then present the craft to your beloved friends.
Having trained on small glass objects, you can go to a higher level of skill - creating stained-glass windows, for example, from a window in your own apartment. Decorations in the form of butterflies flying over green leaves of beautiful flowers will create an atmosphere of spring in the house, and sunlight penetrating through mosaic patterns will cheer up the whole day.
Stained glass paints
Stained glass is a work of art made from glass pieces of different colors. It is often used as a decorative decoration of the interior: it is inserted into a door or window opening, used as a glass panel, etc. Artificial or natural light enhances the unique composition of the stained glass window.
Previously, not everyone had the opportunity to independently create colored glass crafts. But everything changed when stained glass paints appeared on sale. New Year's holidays are now complete without glass crafts made by hand. With the advent of paints and varnishes, everyone can now try to depict stained glass.
For drawing, special stained glass paints for glass based on acrylic are used, which have a distinctive property - transparency. This gives a realistic stained glass effect . To create high-quality painting, you need to have experience, but if it is not there, then you should not buy immediately a whole set of stained glass paints. It is best for a beginner to concentrate on several basic shades and two contours (gold or black).
Types of stained glass paints
- Burned. This type of paint on glass and ceramics is often used for painting dishes, which then need to be burned. At home, use an oven heated to 170 degrees Celsius. The firing time for a specific paint is given in the instructions. Before you put the dishes in the oven, you need to give the paint time to dry. It 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.
- Unburned. A feature of such paints is the color saturation. Due to the fact that the paint is not subjected to heat treatment, it can be wiped off the surface if the product is washed. Therefore, the craft is better to gently wipe with wet wipes. Non-fired paint for glass 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.
Stained Glass Manufacturers
If you are just starting to comprehend the art of stained glass painting, then do not take the products of domestic manufacturers. This product is of poor quality and complicates the drawing process. Foreign brands are best suited. Among them there are inexpensive and high-quality paints:
- Marabu - paints of this company are resistant to washing, have a rich shade, mix well with each other, which makes it easy to create the right colors.
- Hobby line is a company that creates paints that are great for painting products made of natural glass, ceramic or metal. Mix well and brighten.
- Pebero is a well-known manufacturer of water-based and solvent-based paints. They have a rich color palette. They can be burned or immediately varnished. Transparency allows you to create realistic stained glass windows.
- Idea are paints of a well-known brand that are resistant to changes in temperature and humidity. They dry perfectly in the air and do not require fixing with varnish. They fit well on glass, plastic, wood, ceramics and metal.
Tools and materials for painting
To create a 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 glass surface is smooth, so the paint spreads easily. To fix the problem, apply contour paste. With the help of it, the borders of the drawing are made . The contours are black, gold or silver. Sold in tubes with a long dispenser.
- Brushes. Paint for glass incorporates acrylic resin, so brushes with artificial nap are best suited. They are round, which are suitable for small strokes and details, and flat, which are used when applying paint and varnish on large surfaces.
- Lacquer. Protects the picture from mechanical damage and gives it a glossy look.
In addition, you will need additional materials: a water jar, a stencil drawing and rags.
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. To reveal talent will help the practitioner. 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.
Instruction:
- First, degrease the glass surface with a solution containing alcohol.
- Make the lines and borders of the future drawing a contour paste. If it turned out badly, you can fix it with a rag.
- Wait half an hour until the paste dries itself, or blow dry with a hairdryer.
- Brush paint over all fragments of the ornament. Try not to overdo it with paint. It is necessary that it was not too much or not enough.
- Let the paint dry for eight hours, and then coat the painting with a layer of varnish. If you have fired paint, then it is not necessary to varnish - you need to burn the product in the oven.
Useful tips for painting glass
- To make the image look better, it is necessary to apply several layers of paint. In this case, you need to give everyone time to dry.
- For uniform distribution of paint layers, it is carefully and very finely smeared on the surface of the picture. Everything should be done quickly, because the paint dries quickly, stains may remain.
- The texture in the picture is done with a foam sponge or a hard brush, which will leave small furrows after itself.
- To obtain a custom shade, colors of different colors are always mixed.
- If a glass paint containing alkyd resins is used (fumes of such paints are corrosive), then you need to work in a room that is well ventilated. This will help reduce the harmful effects on the airways.
- The paint will look fresh and saturated for a long time if it is coated with a layer of varnish.
Precautionary measures
When working with stained glass paints, certain safety rules must be observed. It must always be remembered that paints are flammable. Where you work, there should be no open source of fire. All paints, evaporating, emit toxic fumes, so try not to inhale them. Protect your skin from paint, use gloves and clothing covering parts of the body. In no case do not taste the paint, because many of them contain substances that cause severe poisoning. Do not 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 turn on your imagination and listen to it.