Stained-glass windows still amaze the imagination of our contemporaries, along with fireplaces and rocking chairs. For us, all this is a sign of romance, prosperity, comfort and beauty. But if earlier stained-glass windows adorned temples and houses of the nobility, now almost anyone can order them. Moreover, patterns on glass now adorn not only window openings. They decorate interior doors and glass doors on cabinets, vases, glasses and lampshades, decorate them in the form of paintings, put them on car windows - and you never know what other use an inventive person in pursuit of beauty can find for this decoration.
The patterns on glass become even more attractive because, using modern materials and technologies, a person can decorate their beloved home with them on their own. Even if he has little ability to draw, there is enough desire, perseverance and accuracy.
How can I draw on glass? The simplest "paint"
When choosing materials firstYou need to consider what and where you are going to draw. If you just need a decorative inscription with some small pattern on the front door, and there is a chance that it will have to be changed over time, then you can draw on glass with stationery glue and ink. Silicate is added one tenth. An outline of a drawing or an inscription is outlined on the glass - and they are filled with the resulting composition. However, a colorful picture will not work - the mascara does not have an abundance of shades. But it holds tight, it is not washed off with water, and if you need to remove it, it can be easily removed with a solvent and a clerical knife (or better, with a razor blade).
Christmas window decorations
Frosty patterns on glass are more short-lived - but they are only needed before Christmas. There are several ways to apply them: toothpaste dissolved in water and sprayed on glass from a spray bottle; beer with magnesia in the ratio of half a glass per 50 g; fixer for photographs… However, such patterns on glass, created by one's own hands, live only until the next window washing, and if you painted a picture for a long admiration, you will have to additionally fix it. When "long-term" frost stained glass is required, craftsmen advise using wood glue. To make such paintings look even more authentic, the surface of the glass must be made matte - with sand, beer or matting paint.
Full painting
Earlier, ordinary oil paints were used to paint on glass. The result was not inspiring: it turned out rough, with streaks and unevenshades. Naturally, due to an unsuitable surface, the painting could be smeared at any time and required varnishing.
If you are wondering what colors are used to paint full-fledged pictures on glass today, pay attention to stained glass. They do not spread over the surface, and after drying they do not require fixing with additional reagents. Such paints are of two types: those that require firing, and those that do not need it. The latter, of course, require less labor costs and are more saturated in brightness. True, they dry for a long time - up to three weeks - but folk craftsmen and craftsmen figured out how to shorten this period. In principle, the idea lay on the surface: it is enough to use an ordinary hair dryer, and the drying time is reduced to a day.
Rules for success
Before you start painting on glass, it must be degreased. This is easy to achieve with just soap and water or your usual glass cleaner. Then the glass must be dried. If you wipe it, the process will go faster and there will be no traces of drops, but the fabric must be chosen so that it does not leave lint on the surface.
At the preparatory stage, the contours of the picture you like are applied to the glass. Ideally, this should be done with a pencil, but it can be replaced with a thin marker. And if the drawing is applied to a flat surface, carbon paper will do.
The template is placed under the bottom of the base, and patterns for painting on glass are outlined with the selected tool. Of course, if carbon paper is used, then a sheet with a picture is placedtop in mirror image. Traditionally, thin paper is taken for templates, but in their experience, those who have already been involved in painting have seen that the transparent film from the file for documents is much more convenient.
Very responsible moment
It is impossible to paint patterns on glass immediately, focusing on the contours - after all, we are not working with paper. First, the outlines are outlined with a special contour paste. Most often it is taken in black, silver or gold. The choice depends both on personal preferences and on the style of the chosen pattern. In addition to making the drawing more clear, such contours will prevent the colors from spreading and mixing with each other in the future.
If the hand trembled somewhere, the mistake is corrected with a stick with cotton wool; as long as the paste is not dry, it can be easily wiped off.
At the end of the stroke, the workpiece is left for some time so that the contour paste dries and does not smear afterwards. Complete drying is not required: in a day the glass will be ready for further manipulations.
Main work
If you do not really trust your artistic abilities, it is advisable to have a color picture that you will refer to when coloring. For each approach, you need to draw on glass with only one color: that is, first all the details are drawn, say, red, then the brush is washed and a different color is taken. Paints are spent much less this way - and they are not cheap.
If your patterns on the glass lay somewhere in a thinner layer, you will have to wait until the applied paint dries,before saturating the desired fragment with color. Otherwise, greater brightness on this material cannot be achieved.
Subtleties and secrets
In order not to be disappointed in your first experience, it would be nice to listen to the advice of more experienced associates. So, everyone unanimously argues that at first it is better to limit yourself to a small size and a flat surface - curves will not be available to you for some time.
Before you draw on glass, you need to take care of the emphasis for the working hand, and it is better to practice on paper so as not to spoil the paint and glass. Otherwise, the hand will quickly get tired and begin to tremble.
Brushes for work should be chosen as thin as possible - they will allow you to draw even very small details. And do not forget to wash the tools after each use: the paint dries tightly, and the next morning the brushes can only be thrown away, it will be impossible to wash them.
Unsuccessful strokes and strokes are in no case painted over - nothing will work, the glass has a too smooth surface. Such places are carefully cleaned with a cotton swab and repainted.
Paint will inevitably form small bubbles. To prevent this from affecting the final result, they must be carefully pierced with a pin or toothpick.
Required verification
Before you send your patterns on glass to dry, look at them against the light in front of a window or lamp to see the imperfections of the drawing. And this must be done in the course of work,to notice and eliminate defects in time.
It is necessary to shine through very carefully. If the paint spreads, the number of imperfections will increase dramatically, and it is not certain that you will be able to fix them all.
It's quite possible that if you get carried away with painting on glass, you will discover some additional tricks. But what you already know is enough to create your own masterpiece. And let it be just a glass door in your buffet - you will definitely not find such an exclusive anywhere else.
