Lesson 6: Painting on Glass -Supplies
Paints for Light Use Only
There are two basic types of paints for glass - those that must be baked to become permanent and those that are air cured, so that they acquire some degree of permanence after several days of drying time.
Those that must be baked are, in a sense, more forgiving than air cured paints, because you can correct mistakes at any time until they are baked. Once air cured paint starts to dry, removal becomes more difficult,
Another factor that determines what paint you want to use is durability. There are paints that will work well on glass that is strictly for decorative use and will need very little in the way of washing and scrubbing. Others will take hand washing but not the dishwasher, while still others are sturdy enough to withstand even that.
Regular acrylic paint
Any regular acrylic paint can be used on glass if it isn't going to be subjected to much handling and washing. Acrylics have the advantage of being opaque and fairly strong. If you have stenciled on other surfaces you will pretty well know exactly what to expect when you start stenciling on a glass surface - except that glass is slicker than plaster or wood. But acrylics are not suitable for anything that will need washing other than a light sponging off with water. Still - if you have come this far in these classes you pretty well know what to expect from this type of paint, so I won't bore you with repetition. One advantage to acrylic paints is that they can be thinned with water to produce a paler shade.
Note: Unless you are certain that your paint is acrylic do not thin with water. Most paint companies produce a diluting medium to accomplish thinning and for making paint less intense in color. But with ordinary acrylic paint, which is water based, you don't need this.
Peelable paint
This is a type of paint that is applied straight from the bottle onto a plastic or glass surface and then can be either cut into shapes after the fact or painted into the desired shapes through a stencil. The paint stiffens into a sort of gel texture that can be peeled up and placed on a hard to paint glass surface, where it will adhere.
Some of these paints can be peeled up and then reapplied limitless times. Because of this, they obviously won't work in situations where your design needs to be permanent. But they are handy for creating interesting effects such as faux mosaics, flower petals and centers, imitation stained glass, etc. This type of paint is also good for transforming household objects into seasonal decorations. When the holiday is over, peel off the decorations and store and you have a blank ready for the next holiday.
These products seem readily available and quite popular in Europe and the UK, where Anita's and Waco are two readily available brands. In the US you can use Glass Deco by Amos, or Artisticks by Pebeo. Both are somewhat difficult to find, although Sunshine Discount Art carries the Artisticks.
DecoArts Liquid Rainbow paint is also peel and stick and is the one most likely to be found in your average crafts store, but needs to be painted onto a special polystyrene blank and allowed to set before in becomes truly "paint and peel."
One us for this is to create a stencil of sorts by using the peelable liquid leading to outline your desired design. This can then be peeled up and stuck onto the surface you wish to paint. You can then fill in the areas between the outlines with the desired color as though you were stenciling. Since the peelable outline will flex to conform to a curved surface this can become more of a tool for permanent projects that a paint.
Glass Markers
Check the markers that are available for writing on glass. Some are fairly permanent once dried and will allow you to draw in details instead of trying to manipulate a very fine paintbrush. Unless they are specifically formulated for glass, however, and bakeable, they are no more or less permanent than the acrylic paints discussed in this lesson. However, there are many objects that do not get a lot of wear and tear for which these types of paint may be more than adequate.
