Any step-by-step guide to glass painting techniques has to include matting or sh

ading. It s the process that will make your work look 3-D like the drapery in chur
ch stained glass windows. It requires a very different temperament to the stain
glass painting techniques you ve just learnt instead of spontaneously applying pai
nt you re patiently removing it with various brushes called scrubs .
Once you ve made your painted line work permanent by firing it, you re ready to pain
t over it with a wash or matt which you then proceed to work into gradually to r
eveal the colour underneath. Think of a steamed up window that you draw into to
reveal the world beyond, and you re on the right track
What you need:
Glass palette. Palette knife. Water. Glass paint. Gum Arabic. Pipette. Glass pai
ntbrushes a badger brush (left in photo), various scrubs and a 1.5inch ox hair mop (
next to badger brush in photo). A light box.
Step one: Clean your glass
The painAt wash will separate out and be hard to apply evenly if the glass is di
rty or greasy. You can clean it with alcohol isopropyl is great, but equally goo
d is a smear of your mixed paint rubbed over and then off your glass.
Step two: Charge your brush
As usual with glass painting techniques, getting the consistency of the glass pa
int is crucial. It needs to be runnier than the paint used for your line work yo
u re creating a delicate wash rather than a solid one so go for evaporated milk as
a guide. Use water on your mop to dilute part of your beautifully mixed paint,
and test the paint on your light box for depth of colour beforehand.
of your glass with lines of glass paint. Use the mop at a 45degree angle to stro
ke the paint in continuous lines from one edge of the glass to another. You can t
hang around here, as the paint will start to dry and you need to blend it before
it does so. The good thing about these particular glass painting techniques, is
that if you make a mistake, you can go over it again with the mop and have anot
her go.
Step four: Blend the paint
This is where the unique qualities of the badger brush come into play. Nothing e
lse will do this job they re an expensive but essential part of your glass paintin
g techniques equipment. You need to hold the badger at right angles to the glass
and very lightly barely touching the paint make repeated figures of eight over
the whole of the painted area. You re aiming for an even coverage that is blended
seamlessly. It s not easy. I d recommend lots of practice, with different consistenc
ies of paint and darkness, until you start to feel confident with these glass pa
inting techniques.
Step five: Stipple the matt (optional)
Once you re happy with the matt, and before it s dried, you can create a stippled ef
fect by repeatedly dipping into the surface of the paint with the tip of the bad
ger brush. This breaks up the paint and allows pinpricks of light to penetrate t
he matt. You can see from the photos how different an effect this produces. Once
you re happy with your wash, wait for it to dry, or if you re impatient use a haird
ryer. Now you re ready to start playing for real!
Step six: Break into the surface of the matt
What with, you may ask? With absolutely anything that makes the kind of marks th
at you need for your particular project. This photo shows how you can use a crum
pled up paper tissue to create a texture, or flick a drop or two of water on to
create a halo effect. This is when the scrubs cheap brushes modified by cutting
are used. If you want something subtler, you can stroke and dab away parts of yo
ur matting gently with softer brushes, to create a rounded, gentle effect. This
sleeping squirrel was formed in this way by one of my students. The joy of these
glass painting techniques is the freedom it allows you to experiment and explor
e. I ve used bubble wrap, needles, sticks, cotton wool, netting, combs and sponges
for texture literally anything that gives me marks I m looking for.
Step seven: Fire the glass
The matt will fire about 25% lighter in the kiln, but you can always do another
layer or more! if it needs more depth and form.
Assuming it's simple glass paint mixed with water, I'd recommend the following (
first figures in C, second in F):
Segment 1. 300/570 ph to 660(matt)-675(shiny) /1220-1250. Soak 5 mins.
Segment 2. Full to 560/1040. Soak 5 mins.
Segment 3. 10/50ph to 530/986. No soak. Off.
If you want information on how to save time and money by combining two firings,
I ve I ve written Glass Painting Tips just for you!
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