Glass decorating techniques vary as much as potential glass projects. Here is a small number of popular projects you may be considering:
windows
Stained glass effects and simple designs are popular, especially in period-style properties, small alcoves, porches and front doors, as well as for adding finishing touches to glass windows on stairways.
Wine and beer glasses
Stylish and colorful text printing is often seen on many pub glasses and effects can range from frosted to brand logos, engravings and embossing.
Mirrors
Decorated mirrors tend to be a bit more subtle, perhaps a design on the corner of the mirrors or small sets of drawers with mirror fronts can often have silhouettes printed on them.
crop frames
Clip frames often have printed border decorations to enhance the beauty of your favorite images. Flower borders and corner designs are common.
vases
Beginners embarking on their first glass painting projects often begin with a selection of plain glass vases to decorate. Once again, flowers top the list of popular designs, as they lend themselves so well to colored eyeliner and glass inks.
Glass decoration: techniques, options and expectations.
Glass printing techniques vary as much as potential projects, but certainly certain techniques are much simpler than others. It all depends on what you need to achieve. For example, let’s say you need to print “Congratulations Susan and James” on several glass vases for your wedding day. Since this is a one-time event, this project could easily be accomplished with wet paper.
Waterslide papers are fantastic for transferring any pictures, images, or text you’ve ever printed onto virtually any hard surface. The projects are not dishwasher safe, but since the effect is required for one day only, this would be the right choice, as images of flowers or other images could also be placed next to the text without any extra effort.
How to use water-based decal papers to decorate windows
Slide paper packs usually come in 5 or 10 A4 sheets, which is enough for potentially hundreds of decal designs. If you have an inkjet printer, you’ll also need to buy some clear spray varnish. If you have a laser printer, clear varnish is not required.
Start by printing your text and/or image on the glossy side of the water-based paper. Waterslide paper acts like regular paper and will travel through your printer the same way.
Once your design is printed, allow around 30 minutes for it to dry before spraying on a coat of clear varnish. (Inkjet only) Apply a couple more coats of clear varnish in quick, even bursts to seal the print into the paper. This is necessary as the next stage is to submerge your design in water for about 30 seconds.
The backing paper will begin to slide, allowing you to lift out of the water and slide the film containing your design onto the glass surface. You will have several moments to reposition your design while gently removing any remaining water from under your design with your fingers and thumbs. The design will begin to harden into the glass over the next two hours.
Reasons not to use water tracing papers on glass
If the glass surface you want to decorate will be exposed to the elements or washed down with water, you may want to consider other permanent options if possible.
Decorate glass with glass paints
With a little artistic skill, a permanent effect can be achieved with tracing paper, eyeliner, and glass paint.
If your glass surface is flat like a glass coaster for example, place the glass horizontally and trace the outline of your design onto the glass. If your glass is rounded, you will need to fix the design to trace it on the inside of the glass.
Get some glass paint and eyeliner. Vitrea as a brand is a good choice and both the glass paint and the liner are dishwasher safe once set in an oven at around 150°C for 30 minutes.
The purpose of starting with your outline is to prevent the colors from mixing with each other. Take a simple design like a flower, for example, and imagine drawing a stem and several petal outlines around the top of the stem.
Your eyeliner comes with a precision tip. Create your liner by squeezing some liner onto a tissue to check for clogs and air bubbles at the tips of the nozzles. As you work, keep cleaning the tip. This will help prevent the lines from becoming too thick.
The next step would be to fill each petal with color.
Start by applying the paint generously by puddling the paint or using a pipette. This will give you a flat stained glass effect. For a lighter colored paint, dilute with water. For non-water-based paint, use a gloss varnish.
Brushes can be used to fill in color or for an easy option glass paint markers can be used. Bullet tip markers are great for detailed work and quick projects. Markers are especially smart for novice painters and children. Baking markers, like paints, are very durable once baked. Synthetic brushes allow for more strokes, while natural hair brushes allow for more paint to be applied for smoother coverage.
Printing on transparent film for windows
Window cling is a transparent film that uses static to cling to glass. Car window stickers, for example, are made from window clings. Now it is possible to get a transparent adhesive window to print your own images or text. Transparent designs and stained glass effects are quick and easy to achieve.
Window sticker printing is a single sheet of film with a backing sheet that is peeled off after printing. Once you print your design, cut your images or colors close to the edge before removing the backing sheet. Now place your design directly onto your glass surface. You can move the window sticker around until you’re happy with the position, but be careful not to touch the static side, as finger marks can ruin the finished job.
Window clings can also be used to decorate interior mirrors and are popular in children’s rooms.
Glass decoration with transparent adhesive paper
Probably the fastest way to transfer virtually any image, design, or text to glass is with clear cling film. This is a sheet of clear A4 film with a clear adhesive backing. The process to use is very similar to window cling, except you can’t reposition your designs after applying them to the glass.
Where to buy glass decoration products
Your local arts and crafts store will always have a wide range of glass paints, whether in tubes, powder or paint. Ask for advice on which one is best for the project you have in mind.
Google Shopping and eBay are also packed with a wide variety of glass paints and liners. Pebeo is a leading brand and the eyeliners can often be bought in 20ml tubes quite cheaply with a bit of shopping around.
