Create beautiful floral items with glass painting

What you need...

• Paints, glass: crimson, green, clear
  Brushes: soft, medium, fine
  Outliner, grey
  Acetate
  Transfer paper, trace down or carbon
  Tape, double-sided
  Window hanger
  Mirror
  Ribbons, narrow

instructions

1. The Technique - 1 Glass painting is a very easy craft to master, but a little different to working on other surfaces. Apply the outliner as if you are icing a cake. Hold the nozzle slightly above the glass, squeeze the tube very gently and lay, rather than draw, the line in position.
   
   2 Leave to harden and dry before painting. This process will take 30-45 minutes, depending on the temperature of your work room. Apply the paint generously to one area at a time, allowing it to flow right up to the outline, but not over; think of it as forming the walls of a reservoir.

2. Window Hanger - 1 Wipe the surface of the glass with a lint-free cloth to remove any marks and grease. Tape the pattern flat on your work surface, then position the
   glass on top. Make sure they are both held firmly in place so they don’t move whilst transferring the design.
   
   2 Trace over the pattern with outliner and leave to dry. Fill the centre of the roses in crimson with a fine brush. Put a little crimson in an old saucer and mix with clear paint to make mid-pink. Leave for a few minutes, so any trapped air bubbles can dissipate.
   
   3 Colour the top petal on each flower. Add a little more clear paint to the mix, leave for a minute or so, then shade the remaining rose petals. Cover the background with green, leave to dry, then thread the loop with toning ribbons.

3. Mirror - 1 Clean the mirror to remove any marks or grease, then tape it to your work surface. Fix the pattern on top, then slip trace-down or carbon paper in between. Make sure they are held firmly in place. Use a ballpoint pen to draw firmly over the design.
   
   2 Remove the pattern and carbon paper. Trace over the design on the mirror with outliner. Leave to dry, then use a soft cloth to gently rub away any carbon marks that are still visible. Paint with crimson, pinks and greens in a variety of tones. When complete, the mirror can be mounted and framed.