Glass Paint

by Mickie
(Texas)

I have never used glass paint on a piece of stained glass, however, a project that I am about to embark on would make the job a whole lot easier if I did use some shadowing with paint. What paint do you suggest and how do you apply, seal(?) & maintain it? I have several kinds of glass paint that I use in another area. This project will be artifically lighted so will not be exposed to natural light.

Answer

Hi Mickie,

I don't want you to get your hopes up, but I don't think the liquid glass paint, that you buy in a bottle, is going to give you the shadowing effect that you want. The only way to get proper shadowing would be to use glass paint made from ground up glass and oxides and fire it in a kiln. That type of painting on glass is a technique all on its own and takes months (actually years) to learn.

With that said, you could probably use Glass Magic paint. You would have to practice on a separate piece of glass until you get as close to the desired effects as you can with that type of paint. When I use it, for simple details, I coat it with Glass Magics' Clear UV Sealant. The only draw back to Glass Magic paint is that it fades in sunlight, even with the sealant.

At Photo Gallery take a look at the pictures of Moonrose and Whisper. The detail on their hands and face was done with black Glass Magic Paint. That may give you an idea of what the paint looks like on glass.

I know that Pueblo paint makes a liquid glass paint that needs to be "baked" in the oven. I have not used it, so I can't tell you anything about it. The paint can be purchased at craft shops like AC Moore or Michaels. I'm quite sure you can find more information about it on the internet.

I hope some of this will help you decide what you want to do about painting some shadowing, and/or if you want to do it at all.