Learn how to paint space with stained glass paints in a simple way! This technique works for creating beautiful abstract wall art and decorating craft projects.

Birthdays and Christmas approaching, my family usually ask me at some point. “Any ideas on what you’d like to get as a gift?”

I’m thinking that it would be sensible to ask for a new set of bedding or a pie pan instead of the one that broke last week, but my eyes start gleaming and I blurt out, “I’ve seen this Japanese watercolour paint set!” or “I really want to try some fabric markers.” I just love trying new art materials. I never have enough time to learn them in depth, which is a pity, but playing with them is so much fun. Come to think of it, this might be the reason why I love new art materials – I don’t feel as much pressure from myself to create something worthwhile. I just play with them.

The last few weeks, I’ve been playing around with my stained glass paints. I like painting space – with watercolours and with acrylics. That was my first project to try with stained glass paints as well.

How to Work with Stained Glass Paints

I’d say there are two main factors that define stained glass paints: they stick to non-porous materials like glass, and they are translucent enough to let the light through.

Now, there are several kinds of paints available. For this project, I used Pebeo Vitrail paints. They are oil-based, so be careful when applying the paint or work with gloves on. They have beautifully vibrant colours and flow very well. They start drying very fast, so if you want an even finish, you will not want to meddle around with the surface after about five minutes. You can use a brush for spreading the paint around, but I found that it works better to simply tilt and rotate the surface around a little, letting the paint flow naturally. It wouldn’t work for everything, but it gives a nice effect!

What can you use for a surface? Anything made of glass or clear plastic! I used laminating pouches, having put them through the laminator without any paper inside. They are easy to cut into shapes afterwards if you want to decorate your windows sparingly. If you want to make a painting, like I did here, I would get my hands on a picture frame, take the plastic/glass part out and paint on it directly. I would still recommend trying on a piece of recyclable plastic first to get a hang of it.

Alright, here is my laminated pouch and the paints. I used all the shades of blue and purple that were available in the set, plus white and golden for this one.

Start pouring paint out. You can do it directly from the jars, which is what I did, or use pipettes for more accuracy.

As soon as you get all the colours onto the surface, pick it up and start turning it around slowly, allowing the paints to flow and mix. Use a brush for helping the paint spread around.