Glass painting has a long tradition and is known for its beauty. Whether you are wanting to paint a stained glass imitation or you are wanting to paint a wine glass with a folk art image there are several things you need to know. Both methods can be done fairly easily and with a little bit of time.

True Glass Painting.
True glass painting gives an image that is similar to stained glass. The paints are solvent based and thinned and brushes are cleaned with ceramic thinner. This method can be done on glass panes, glass in a picture frame, sun catchers, or even wine glasses or other dishware. It should only be used for decorative purposes once finished and doesn't hold up to heavy washing or harsh detergents.

Directions:
Begin by washing the glass and removing any dust or dirt. Then prepare the surface using white spirits.

Carefully place the design so that it can be transfered to the surface of the glass. For flat pieces this is easy, simply place the pattern beneath the piece and be careful not to move the top. For rounded pieces you will need to carefully place the design inside so that it is pressed up against the surface so that it is smooth.

Carefully outline your picture. Glass paints are very liquid and won't stay in one place. If painted directly onto the surface they will run and not hold a shape. To prevent this an outliner is used to outline the picture and each section of it. This will hold your paint in place. You have several outliner options including outliner stickers (recommended for beginners and children, but don't look professional), outliner paints which come in a tube with a thin nozzle, liquid lead which is often hard to work with it but is also often worth the work, and lead tape which can be formed into the correct shapes. The choice is yours for the look you want. You will need to carefully outline the design.

Fill the design in. Carefully stir your paint if need be (don't shake or stir violently because bubbles are hard to get rid of). Gently dab your brush in the paint and carefully paint from the edge in ward. Then fill your brush and fill in the center. Work all sections of the same color and let them dry (at least to the touch) and then go back and work the other sections. It takes 1 hour for the paint to dry to touch and at least 8 hours should be allowed for more thorough drying of a piece. The piece should remain flat during this time.

These pieces should be treated gently and washed carefully. The

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