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Want to know how to paint glass?

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Want to know how to paint glass?

Want to know how to paint glass?

Creating backpainted glass is easy, but despite that, many people don’t know how to paint glass. The good news is that backpainting glass doesn’t require any special tools or skills. Even better, you can complete a glass painting project in as little as a few hours. Here are a few things to know about painting glass.

When you are planning a glass painting project, plan to use glass paint! Ordinary paints aren’t designed to stick to glass. You can get paint to dry on glass, but it won’t stay put, and it won’t stand up to humidity, sunlight or mechanical contact. Glass paint bonds to the surface of the glass, and will not chip, fade or peel

Here’s how to paint glass!

The glass is the starting point in a glass paint project. The glass should be cut or sized to fit the final space – whether that’s a wall, a backsplash or a table top. Since you’ll be backpainting the glass, you’ll need enough horizontal work space to move around the glass while you’re painting. You’ll also need to allow the glass to dry between coats. Laying the glass flat means that you can eliminate problems with drips or runs. Since glass is heavy, you’ll need to fully support the glass while you’re working on it. Consider using a large sheet of plywood to support your glass sheet.

Once you have your glass cut, you can start painting. Glass requires minimal surface preparation, but don’t skip this step. To prep the glass surface for painting, you’ll need standard rubbing alcohol, steel wool and the cheapest paper towels you can find. Wash the glass down with the alcohol, and remove any surface dirt with steel wool. Use the paper towel to dry the glass until it’s “squeaky clean.” (Literally.) Don’t be tempted to use expensive paper towels or lint-free cloths. More expensive paper towels will leave paper fibers behind on the glass. The cheapies are definitely the way to go.

Now you can paint! You can apply the paint with whatever painting tools you prefer – brushes, rollers, sponges or sprayers. A high-volume, low-pressure sprayer – which you can find in a home improvement store – will provide the most professional coverage. It will also make your paint go farther! Finally, it will minimize the amount of time you need to wait before applying additional coats of paint.

Installing the finished product

Once your glass is painted and dried, you can install the glass using a quality neutral-cure silicone adhesive. Apply the adhesive to the painted side of the glass. The adhesive will not show through on the reverse side when you hang the glass. If you’re using a very heavy piece of glass, you may want to use mirror mastic for extra strength. Like the silicone adhesive, the mirror mastic will not show through the cured paint.

Glassprimer™ glass paint can be tinted to match any manufacturer’s paint palette. If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, or you’d like to place an order, please visit the rest of our site.

Photo Credit: Greg Nehring, via Flickr

Painted glass revives verre églomisé technique

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Painted glass revives verre églomisé technique

Painted glass revives verre églomisé technique

Although back painted glass predates the Roman Empire, a refined version of the technique is making a comeback. Jean-Baptiste Glomy, an 18th century art dealer, revived and popularized the painted glass technique. Verre églomisé refers to a painting technique that uses both a painted design and gilding on glass.

Verre églomisé combines painted glass and gold leaf

Glomy’s original designs were small. Often he made them from picture frames and other small pieces of glass. Over time, other artists adopted the technique and expanded the canvas to include murals, signage and other large-scale images.

The technique requires the artist to create an image in reverse order. The artist applies the gilding and highlights first, then creates the background image on top of the highlights. Verre églomisé art examples created in the Middle Ages still exist.. Glomy didn’t invent the technique, but merely revived it in both Europe and North America.

The original verre églomisé technique used adhesive to apply to gold or silver leaf to the glass. Artists may have used a gelatin or oil-based adhesive. Afterward, they applied steam to the leaf to create a shiny, mirror-like finish. Once the adhesive dried, the artist applied additional colored paints to complete the image. Traditional verre églomisé work often uses plain paint colors because it contrasts well with the metal leaf.

True verre églomisé artwork incorporates a recognizable design into the finished piece. In more modern works, the term can describe backpainted works that use metallic leaf but do not use an obvious design. Painted commercial signs made heavy use of the verre églomisé technique prior to the development of more modern silk screening and UV inkjet printing on glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint works well on painted glass projects. We also make an excellent glass primer designed especially for UV inkjet printing applications. If you would like more information about our products, or ideas for making decorative painted glass, please visit the rest of our website.

Photo Credit: Jasperdo, via Flickr

Glass painting distinguishes Burmese culture

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Glass painting distinguishes Burmese culture

Glass painting distinguishes Burmese culture

If you follow this blog, you may think of the reverse glass painting technique in a purely decorative way. For centuries, however, Burmese artists employed a reverse glass painting technique to preserve their history.

Glass paintings were stored at a temple

Cultures often use art to preserve their history, and these Burmese glass paintings embody that. The Wat Chong Klang temple in Mae Hong Son, Thailand houses a collection of 185 such paintings that share the tales of various incarnations of Buddha. Burmese artists from Mandalay first brought the paintings to the temple in 1857. The temple displayed the artwork for nearly 150 years, until an earthquake damaged or destroyed many of the images.

Fortunately, an Austin-area artist who saw the images both before and after the earthquake stepped in to help. Judy Jensen, who is an experienced glass painting artist, volunteered to recreate the broken pieces. (Reverse glass painting must be redone – it can’t be repaired once the glass is broken.)

Jensen created a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds she needed to replace 16 images. That’s nearly 10 percent of the original collection! Jensen said that glass painting isn’t like standard painting. When creating a glass painted image, the artist first applies the details and shadows. Then the artist creates the foreground, and finally adds the background.

Jensen’s Kickstarter campaign caught on and she raised the funds she needed to complete the project. She has worked since 2012 to help replace the damaged panels.

Buddhist imagery plays an important role in the practice of Buddhism. Local artwork often depicts Buddha in one of his known incarnations. The temple paintings reflect the ongoing importance of religion in the Thai culture.

You don’t have to be an artist to incorporate glass painting into your home. You can create simple painted glass pieces, like backsplashes and table tops to create a unique look for your home. For more information about glass painting or to place an order for glass paint, please visit our website.

Photo Credit: Ronan Crowley, via Flickr