Lesson 6: Painting on Glass -Supplies

Heat Cured Permanent Glass Paint

The top rated paint for permanence on glass is Pebeo Vitreo 160 - so named because it is baked at 160 degrees C. (325 F.) to achieve a fair degree of permanence. Glass artisans that recommend this say that they have run it through the dishwasher and even tried to scrape the paint off with a craft knife after baking - but that it stays put. In fact in the end this became my own favorite glass paint - and I have run a few hand painted plates through the dishwasher more than once. They appear as good as new.

I found this paint pretty tricky when I first started to use it, mainly because it is so transparent - and I was accustomed to working with opaque paints. However, I have come to prefer it now that I have had the opportunity to try several kinds of projects using the different kinds of paint.

It comes in two types of colors - glossy and frosted, and in three forms. Jars of paint need to be mixed thoroughly before using. Tubes of paint are a bit more opaque and are capable of drawing fairly fine lines if used carefully. They make great outliners which are good wherever you want slight dimensional effects, and come in all the colors that the paint does. Finally they have paint markers in both glossy and frosted colors that are extremely easy to use, especially to rough in your outlines when you do not want the somewhat "leaded glass" effect that the outlining tubes can give.

They also sell a couple of media - one for a frosted effect, one clear gloss sealer and an iridescent medium that makes ordinary paint look like Tiffany glass - absolutely beautiful. (I think it was this that got me hooked on the Pebeo line - none of the other iridescent media I've tried were half as effective.) There is also a two-step process for creating a crackled effect, as well as a diluent, which is used to dilute the paint both to create lighter colors and to help the paint to flow better when needed for blending or fine detail work.

One thing I like about this paint is that even if you decide to correct or change something several days after painting you can, either with a craft knife or carefully with a wet cotton swab. I practiced over and over on the same plate until I felt I had the technique down, simply washing off my efforts when I was done - something not as easy to do with paints that will cure with air-drying - even those that can also be baked.

But once you do bake these - forty minutes in a 325-degree oven - they are very durable.

Once you get accustomed to working with transparent paint, you may want to spend the extra amount for these paints, as they will last through just about anything but a lot of knives and forks sawing against the painted surface on a regular basis.

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