How to Make a Glass Painting

One thing about me is that I love making DIY crafts, and I don't mean those paper plate crafts or the really simple ones for young kids. I mean a more upgraded level of crafts, the kind you can give out as a nice homemade gift to a family member or friend. One of the projects that I like to work on was this 2020 TikTok trend back during quarantine when everyone was slowly losing their minds and had to fill the void with art related ideas. The one that stood out to me and that I still do to this day are glass paintings. Again, I don’t mean those plastic pieces that you buy from the dollar store with the cheap paint that show the paint streaks, I mean the glass paintings  you can find on Etsy with literal paint on glass. If you’re still confused, a quick google search will show you what I mean.

For this project, you’ll need four items on your shopping list. First, you’ll need to find the right marker that will stick on the glass and not smudge when dry. When I first started, that was probably the most difficult thing to find in craft stores. Eventually I found the Sharpie extra fine tip oil paint marker to use that works pretty decently. I have yet to find a really good one. Another thing you would need is paint, I use INSERT BRAND acrylic paint. I definitely will say don’t go for the expensive kind, but don’t go too cheap like Dollar Tree. This is because you’ll need a lot of paint and paint that is thick. Dollar Tree, or any dollar store usually has a very thin and runny texture that won’t do your painting justice. For paintbrushes I used a variety of sizes, but a lot of thin brushes to get the fine details. I just went to my local Ross and grabbed a few packets of paintbrushes. The last thing you’ll need is the glass, now this is where I encourage the use of Dollar Tree. I say this because you can get really cheap picture frames that are good enough quality to use and you can just take the glass out of the frame and use it. 

The steps needed are pretty simple to understand, but executing the idea to real life may seem a bit more tricky than many may think. They take several hours or even days to finish.  The first step is to find a picture you want to recreate or draw one you want on a piece of paper. If this is your first time doing a glass painting I would recommend a simple drawing. After you have your image, place the paper under the glass, remember the painting will show up inverted on the other side that is for viewing. The next step is to grab your marker and trace the lines you have on your paper to create an outline on the glass. Once you’re done with that make sure the outline is dry for the paint.

Using your brushes, start with the small details that you would usually paint on last as you’ll need to work backwards. Instead of painting the background and then adding the details on top of that you need to do the literal opposite, details first then background. It’ll make sense when you’re finished. Make sure you have enough paint for this project, this will ensure that you will have a consistent color when you mix the paints together and enough to put on the glass as you’ll need a lot. Instead of brushing your paint onto the glass, you might want to take a different approach, What I do to make sure there are no stroke marks is that I use a heavy amount of paint and glob it on the glass (this is for bigger spaces on the outline) I then use the brush and slowly push the glob around until it fills the space needed. When painting, to make sure your small details don't smudge or move when adding a color on top of it, wait for the paint to be almost or completely dry which may take a while.

And then there you have it, your finished glass painting. 

Some tips I have learned while painting are rude to not share, so here are my tips on glass painting. When choosing an image, make sure there is negative space that will leave the glass areas with no paint, trust me it looks cooler. The last tip deals with sealing the paint. It ensures that the paint won't accidentally chip off. I would recommend using a glass paint sealer which is really hard to find a good one that wont leave streak marks. One that I use that has worked for me, is the Scorch Marker Makers Magic sealer. Make sure to read the instructions carefully, but to be completely transparent I hear mixed reviews occur, but I have never had a problem.

If you have followed these steps carefully, you should have what’s in front of you a beautiful glass painting in your hands. I’ve been doing glass paintings for years and it has become a recurrent hobby for me. I’ve given these projects as gifts to many of my friends and colleagues. Each time they love the glass paintings and are excited to hang them up. I hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading!

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