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Y'all don't need to be a professional to create beautiful drinking glass paintings that are satisfying and fun to make. Yous can personalize your existing glass photo frames or plough unused drinking glass into an art piece. We've compiled the steps you'll demand to boot your artistic mind into gear and get started with glass painting!

  1. 1

    Buy oil, acrylic, or specialty glass paint. The blazon of paint to pick depends on how opaque you'd similar your design to exist, also equally how easily yous'd like to apply the paint.[1]

    • Cull oil paint for an opaque option that allows some room for fault. Since oil paint takes anywhere from 24 hours to several days to dry, you'll have a chance to ready any mistakes.[2]
    • Select acrylic paint if you'd like a non-toxic, opaque paint that's easy to clean upwards and apply.[3] Acrylic paint dries in effectually 20 minutes.[four]
    • Pick thick water-based drinking glass paint if you'd like to be able to peel your fine art off the glass and end up with a transparent painting.[5] Water-based pigment takes twenty minutes to ready, and ii-3 days to fully dry.[six]
    • Utilize solvent-based paint to requite your image a more transparent wait.[7] Solvent-based paint takes 2 hours to gear up and 8 hours to fully dry.[8]

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    The most common style to get glass is to use a cheap photo frame. Open the back of the frame as if you lot were going to put in a photo. Then, merely gently lift the glass panel out to remove it.[9] Alternatively, find a modest glass panel from a craft or hardware store, just avert traditional window drinking glass equally it'due south often too large to hands pigment.[10]

    • For a three-dimensional piece of fine art, choose whatever drinking drinking glass or glass statue.

  1. 1

    Scrub whatever dirt or residue off the glass to prepare it for painting. Dampen a cloth with isopropyl alcohol and gently rub the cloth over the drinking glass.[11] Alternatively, if you accept acetone-based smash polish remover on manus, dampen a cotton wool ball with the remover, and rub the cotton ball over the glass. Switch out cotton balls if you meet the ball getting dirty.[12]

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    Cull an image you want to copy onto the drinking glass. An image with articulate, bold lines (line a cartoon or anime image) works best for tracing. Scale the image to the size of your slice of glass, and print information technology out on standard paper.[13]

    • If you'd adopt to draw your own image, create a drawing in a digital pattern software and print it out, or draw your image on a regular sheet of newspaper.[xiv]

  1. 1

    Slide the image under the drinking glass, so tape the glass to the epitome. Use regular record (or painter's tape) to secure the glass to the edges of your printout. Exist sure to place the tape in a spot on your image where you lot don't have to worry well-nigh tracing lines.[15] For extra security, yous tin can also tape the glass down to the table.[16]

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    Use black paint pens to describe in the major lines of the paradigm. Choose oil-based pens instead of regular markers since they'll be more than resistant to smudging.[17] Outlining your artwork makes it easier to fill in singled-out areas with color, and it'll make your artwork pop. Yous don't need to wait for the lines to dry before starting to paint in colors.[eighteen]

    • If yous smudge the outline, dip a cotton swab in either isopropyl booze or nail smoothen remover and gently clean up the smudge.[nineteen]

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    Scrape off backlog paint if the lines look uneven. In some places where yous stopped tracing and started again, you might end upward with bulges or bends in the lines. Utilise a craft knife, toothpick, safety pivot, or blackhead extractor to neaten up the lines past gently scratching off the backlog black pigment.[twenty]

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  1. 1

    Offset with the shadows and work your way to the highlights. That way, if yous accidentally paint colors over each other, the lighter colors won't finish up showing over the darker colors.[21] Utilise controlled, short strokes with a small brush to keep your paint within the outlines. Paint multiple layers (while the paint is wet) to build up more than intense colour.[22]

    • Yous don't have to wait for the colors to dry out before y'all motion onto the side by side i.

  1. 1

    Check for whatsoever unpainted spots and fill up them in. Since most people exercise glass paintings over photos or reference images, it's easy to miss a spot or two while you're painting. Look for places in your artwork where the light shines through, and bear on them up past brushing on a little more than of the correct color paint.[23]

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    Flip your painting over and put the painted side confronting a slice of paper. And then, retrieve the original photo frame from which you took the glass. Put your new painted piece of drinking glass back into the frame.[24]

    • Apply textured or sparkly paper to set your image off against a unique background.[25]

Add New Question

  • Question

    What kind of paint works on drinking glass?

    Nicole Bolin

    Nicole Bolin is a Crafting Specialist and the CEO of Stencil, a DIY Craft Studio in Phoenix, Arizona. Nicole specializes in interior design and various arts and crafts and DIY projects. Nicole holds a Certificate in Interior Design from the New York Establish of Art and Blueprint. She opened Stencil in 2022 to teach others to create DIY projects that fit their habitation and lifestyle.

    Nicole Bolin

    Crafts & DIY Specialist

    Expert Answer

    At that place are many brands out there that make paint that is peculiarly formulated to stick to glass. I recommend using this type of glass paint, as other paints volition not stick well.

  • Question

    How do I forestall smudging or color spreading?

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    This reply was written past 1 of our trained team of researchers who validated information technology for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    Staff Reply

    Start from an upper corner (the upper left if yous're right-handed or the upper right if you're left-handed). Then piece of work your way downwardly and across the painting to prevent your arm from smudging the work. Employ a thicker pigment if y'all find your pigment spreading likewise much.

  • Question

    How long does glass pigment accept to dry?

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    Staff Reply

    Specialty glass paints have nearly 20 minutes to ready and 2-iii days to fully dry. Acrylic pigment tin can take betwixt 20 minutes to several hours to dry, depending on the blazon. Oil paint can have 2-12 days to fully dry out.

  • Question

    Can I use poster paints on glass?

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    This reply was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    Staff Respond

    Y'all can use poster pigment on drinking glass, but your artwork might not concluding as long since poster paints are water-based. Equally a issue, they're more likely to spread if they get wet.

  • Question

    Are in that location whatsoever particular kind of brushes for glass painting?

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    Staff Answer

    You tin can employ any kind of regular painting brush (any size and shape) for glass painting. Just keep in mind that information technology'southward easier to make clean glass paint off of natural hair brushes rather than synthetic ones.

  • Question

    I painted an erstwhile window to hang on my back porch. I used acrylic paint. Do I demand to treat the painting with annihilation to keep wet from making the pigment run?

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    This answer was written by i of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    Staff Respond

    Apply acrylic varnish to protect your work from UV rays and to add a layer to keep out wet. Yous can apply acrylic varnish with a regular brush.

  • Question

    How do I use the drinking glass liner properly?

    Community Answer

    Keep the glass in a horizontal position and apply constant compatible pressure on the tube, keeping uniform speed while cartoon lines/strokes with the glass liner. This volition avert both line breakages and accidental thickening of the strokes.

  • Question

    Can I use transparent paper instead of glass?

    Community Answer

    Yes, considering you can see through it, but be careful considering the paper volition tear easily.

  • Question

    How long does it take the film to dry?

    Community Answer

    You should wait at least mean solar day to make certain it doesn't smear. And so, bank check information technology by lightly touching it. If it'due south non dry, wait some other twelve hours.

  • Question

    Tin I paint glass with fabric colors?

    Community Answer

    No. Glass can't be painted from cloth colors, because they are not h2o soluble and volition not remain on the glass for a period of time.

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Things You lot'll Demand

  • Glass
  • Isopropyl booze or smash shine
  • A cotton cloth or cotton balls
  • Acrylic, oil, or specialty glass paint
  • Oil-based paint pens
  • Modest paint brushes

References

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Reader Success Stories

  • Geetha Swaminathan

    Geetha Swaminathan

    Aug 30, 2018

    "I didn't know how to paint on glass, simply after reading this article I volition be able to describe my motion-picture show easily."

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