How to Color Etched Glass
Add color to your etched glass designs with stained glass paint. Stained glass paint is translucent and mimics the look of real stained glass. You can apply it as easily as regular acrylic craft paint. Stained glass paint comes in a variety of beautiful colors and is specially formulated to adhere to a slick glass surface.
Things You'll Need
- Glass cleaner and rubbing alcohol
- Stained glass paint
- Artist's brushes
- Painter's tape
Instructions
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Place the etched side of the glass face down on a protected work surface. Clean the back of the etched glass with glass cleaner and dry it. Wipe the area with rubbing alcohol to remove any fingerprints. The rubbing alcohol will evaporate.
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Tape the sections of the etched design that are to be separate colors with painter's tape. You will be painting on the smooth surface of the glass behind the etched design. Painting directly on the etched surface could remove the frosted look of the etching. Adding translucent color behind the design allows the etching to remain intact while the color shows through.
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Apply paint inside the tape and let it dry. This method works for applying different colors to a flat piece of glass, but you can also paint the inside of a round vase with etched designs. Load a long paintbrush with paint and apply it to the inside of a vase or curved surface. Depending on the top opening, you might or might not be able to tape off a particular design. Even if you add only one color, the etched design will stand out against a colored background.
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Tips & Warnings
Add layers of color behind an etched design inside a glass vase by loading your brush and applying the paint in a swirling motion. Do not cover the entire surface. Let it dry. Go back over the unpainted areas with a complementary color using the same swirl motion.
Wash your paint brushes immediately after using them.
