How to Do Simple Glass Painting

You don't need to be a professional to create beautiful glass paintings that are satisfying and fun to make. You can personalize your existing glass photo frames or turn unused glass into an art piece. We've compiled the steps you'll need to kick your creative mind into gear and get started with glass painting!

Question1

Choose your paint.Download Article

1. 
   Buy oil, acrylic, or specialty glass paint.The type of paint to pick depends on how opaque you'd like your design to be, as well as how easily you'd like to apply the paint.^[1]

   • Choose oil paint for an opaque option that allows some room for error. Since oil paint takes anywhere from 24 hours to several days to dry, you'll have a chance to fix any mistakes.^[2]
   • Select acrylic paint if you'd like a non-toxic, opaque paint that's easy to clean up and apply.^[3] Acrylic paint dries in around 20 minutes.^[4]
   • Pick thick water-based glass paint if you'd like to be able to peel your art off the glass and end up with a transparent painting.^[5] Water-based paint takes 20 minutes to set, and 2-3 days to fully dry.^[6]
   • Use solvent-based paint to give your image a more transparent look.^[7] Solvent-based paint takes 2 hours to set and 8 hours to fully dry.^[8]

Question2

Get your glass from a photo frame, panel, or drinkware.Download Article

1. 
   The most common way to get glass is to use a cheap photo frame.Open the back of the frame as if you were going to put in a photo. Then, just gently lift the glass panel out to remove it.^[9] Alternatively, find a small glass panel from a craft or hardware store, but avoid traditional window glass as it's often too large to easily paint.^[10]

   • For a three-dimensional piece of art, choose any drinking glass or glass statue.

Question3

Clean the glass with alcohol and a soft cloth.Download Article

1. 

   
   Scrub any dirt or residue off the glass to prepare it for painting.Dampen a cloth with isopropyl alcohol and gently rub the cloth over the glass.^[11] Alternatively, if you have acetone-based nail polish remover on hand, dampen a cotton ball with the remover, and rub the cotton ball over the glass. Switch out cotton balls if you see the ball getting dirty.^[12]

Question4

Print out a reference image.Download Article

1. 
   Choose an image you want to copy onto the glass.An image with clear, bold lines (line a cartoon or anime image) works best for tracing. Scale the image to the size of your piece of glass, and print it out on standard paper.^[13]

   • If you'd prefer to draw your own image, create a drawing in a digital design software and print it out, or draw your image on a regular sheet of paper.^[14]

Question5

Tape the image to the glass to prevent shifting as you trace.Download Article

1. 

   
   Slide the image under the glass, then tape the glass to the image.Use regular tape (or painter's tape) to secure the glass to the edges of your printout. Be sure to place the tape in a spot on your image where you don't have to worry about tracing lines.^[15] For extra security, you can also tape the glass down to the table.^[16]

Question6

Outline the image with oil-based paint pens.Download Article

1. 

   
   Use black paint pens to draw in the major lines of the image.Choose oil-based pens instead of regular markers since they'll be more resistant to smudging.^[17] Outlining your artwork makes it easier to fill in distinct areas with color, and it'll make your artwork pop. You don't need to wait for the lines to dry before starting to paint in colors.^[18]

   • If you smudge the outline, dip a cotton swab in either isopropyl alcohol or nail polish remover and gently clean up the smudge.^[19]

Question7

Clean up the outlines with a sharp tool.Download Article

1. 

   
   Scrape off excess paint if the lines look uneven.In some places where you stopped tracing and started again, you might end up with bulges or bends in the lines. Use a craft knife, toothpick, safety pin, or blackhead extractor to neaten up the lines by gently scratching off the excess black paint.^[20]

Question8

Paint the colors from darkest to lightest.Download Article

1. 

   
   Start with the shadows and work your way to the highlights.That way, if you accidentally paint colors over each other, the lighter colors won't end up showing over the darker colors.^[21] Use controlled, short strokes with a small brush to keep your paint within the outlines. Paint multiple layers (while the paint is wet) to build up more intense color.^[22]

   • You don't have to wait for the colors to dry before you move onto the next one.

Question9

Hold your painting up to the light before the paint dries.Download Article

1. 
   Check for any unpainted spots and fill them in.Since most people do glass paintings over photos or reference images, it's easy to miss a spot or two while you're painting. Look for places in your artwork where the light shines through, and touch them up by brushing on a little more of the correct color paint.^[23]

Question10

Frame your painting once it's dry.Download Article

1. 
   Flip your painting over and put the painted side against a piece of paper.Then, retrieve the original photo frame from which you took the glass. Put your new painted piece of glass back into the frame.^[24]

   • Use textured or sparkly paper to set your image off against a unique background.^[25]