Painting glass ornaments is not restricted to Christmastime. They make wonderful gifts for other occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and other special events. Painting glass ornaments isn't extremely difficult--even a child can do it under supervision--but using the correct paint will make the difference in the creation's longevity.
Interior Swirled Painted Glass Ornaments
Often found in boutiques, those beautiful glass ornaments with the colorful paint swirls coating the interior are relatively easy to make yourself. General-use acrylic-based paints are not recommended for painting on glass, but in this instance, all purpose acrylic paints work well.
Bake to Cure Glass Ornament Paints
Pebeo Vitrea paints are specifically formulated for painting on glass. A wide variety of colors, paint properties and accessories makes Pebeo paints one of the most popular glass paints.
The advantage of this glass paint, over a general-purpose water-based paint, is that it is cured to the glass by baking the finished painted ornament in the oven for a short period of time.
Air Dried Glass Ornament Paints
Delta acrylic glass paints are popular on several levels. When applied and cured properly, Delta paints are dishwasher safe and long lasting. The key to successfully using Delta glass paints is to first apply an undercoating that will bond with the paint applied to it. After painting, a varnish is applied over the entire ornament. Clean up with soap and water.
Because these paints air dry, each step requires approximately 10 days to dry before the next step can be started.
Solvent-Based Glass Paints
Solvent-based glass paints, such as the Deka line by Decart Inc., offer the most professional finish, but are also the most difficult to use. Care must be taken that colors do not overlap, and mistakes and clean up must be done with the appropriate solvent recommended. Drying time is lengthy, with the painted design remaining wet during part of that time, which may cause accidental damage to the painting if touched.
There are many other brands of solvent-based glass paint of the same quality as Deka, but which may not be found as easily at your local crafts store.
