TECHNIQUE
new ways with glass
SKILL LEVEL
Moderate
Create in a weekend
YOU WILL NEED

  • L&B Vitrail glass paints in bright red 433, pink 351, orange yellow 231
  • L&B Ceramic paint– gold
  • Large curved glass bottles clear and coloured
  • White spirit
  • Palette
  • Soft hair paintbrush, medium and large
The technique
The idea is to blend and overlap the colours, using a variety of shades that are mixed in the palette or on the glass. The gold paint can be intermixed with the Vitrail, creating warm rose gold, yellow gold or copper tones. Coule is dripped colour which is slightly diluted by the white spirit and contrasting strokes of colour are added with neat paint.
 
Large bottle
 
1 Dilute the red slightly with the white spirit in the palette and begin by dripping the paint down the vessel using the medium brush, starting at the top. The brush can be wiped slightly on the edge of the glass to release the colour. Space the lines of colour around the glass.
 
2 Add lines of yellow and mix the two colours to create an orange. Using the larger brush, paint a number of red lines diagonally with neat colour sweeping around the bulbous part of the bottle.
 
3 Whilst the paint is still wet add gold. Allow the paint to drip into the glass colour – some areas in the middle of a line, some at the top of the vessel.
 
As the paint meets the stained glass colour it may create a grained effect which should be encouraged. Small amounts of white spirit can be added to the layers of paint to create further interesting paint effects. Do not add too much white spirit as it may remove the paint or not allow it to adhere to the glass.
 
TIP:
Practice the technique on a milk bottle to experiment with the results. 4 Add further diagonal lines around the bottle using the Vitrail paints. Continue with the glass paint drips and combining the gold until the glass is decorated. Small areas of clear glass can be left in-between the drips of colour to avoid overworking the design.
 
Bottle with stopper
 
1 Paint the stopper in copper, mixing gold and red in the palette. Stand upright and allow to dry until tack-free and paint the base of the stopper. Using the pink and red Vitrail, drip the paint as previously described.
 
2 Mix a pink gold using gold and rose, dripping onto the Vitrail paint and alone. If you are painting on coloured glass you can allow some of the glass to show through.
 
3 Allow paint to dry for 24 hours. Glass should be wiped with a damp cloth and is for decorative use only. PC
 
SUPPLIERS
Most materials listed are readily available at HobbyCraft.
Tel:0800 027 2387
www.hobbycraft.co.uk
 
For L&B Vitrail paint visit:
www.greatart.co.uk/