Painting Glass – Pears and Strawberries
Inspired by vintage hand-painted plates I have started painting half-gallon glass jars. Imagine opening your pantry and seeing art instead of cereal boxes, flour canisters, or bags of beans!
Painting glass jars is a great way to decorate your pantry or kitchen cupboards. These are standard half-gallon size canning jars. You could easily do this on gallon jars or the glass canister jars available and many big box stores.
Paint a Frost Finish on Glass
I started by putting a frost finish on the jar and letting it dry. Plaid Folk Art enamels have a frost finish and a clear finish. Both will work.
how to
Frost Glass
Frosting the glass first helps to give the surface tooth and make it easier for the next layers of paint to stick. Though optional, it is very helpful for those just learning glass painting.
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Paint for Glass Jars and Supplies
Paints: Plaid Folk Art Enamels
Yellow Ocher
Moon Yellow
Yellow
Lipstick Red
Berry Wine
Thicket
Fresh Foliage
Burnt Sienna
Brushes: Donna Dewberry Set
#4 Royal Majestic Filbert
#0 Royal Majestic Liner
Mediums – Plaid Folk Art
Frost Medium or Clear Medium
Flow Medium
Glass jar or surface of choice
Transfer Design
Transfer Design
To transfer the design onto the glass tuck the pattern inside the jar and trace with a wax pencil. These are the ones I have, Sharpie China Marking Pencils
Painting Pear on Glass Jar
Double load the Yellow Ocher and Moon Yellow on the #12 flat brush. Stroke the color along the sides of the pear with the Yellow Ocher to the outside edge.
Don’t know what a double load is?
Basic Brush Strokes
Help with the basic strokes and terminology.
Fill in the center with the flat of the brush. It will not be opaque, don’t worry we will be going over this again.
Let that dry.
Base Paint Strawberries on Glass
Double load your #12 flat brush with Berry Wine and Lipstick Red. Stroke around the strawberries with the Berry Wine to the outside edge.
This will not be opaque either, we will need to do a second coat after this first one dries.
Paint leaves on the glass jar
Double load the #12 flat brush with Thicket and Fresh Foliage.
Paint simple scallop or stroke leaves. You can place the leaves wherever you feel is best. Remember this is your painting.
learn to paint
Leaves
This lesson will take you through the steps to paint several types of leaves. One easy stroke at a time.
Glass Painting Highlights on Pear
Using Yellow Chiffon and the #12 flat brush stroke in some lighter color in the center of the top area of the pear and on the belly of the pear.
Once done highlighting paint around the pear as you did the very first time with the Yellow Ocher and the Moon Yellow.
Pear Stem
Paint a small smile shape near the top of the pear with yellow ocher.
Using Burnt Sienna and the flat brush paint the stem of the pear coming from the smile shape, this is a chisel edge stroke. You could also use a liner brush for the stem.
Paint More Red on Strawberries
Using Berry Wine and Lipstick red, add another coat to the strawberries.
All about
How to Paint Strawberries
See a step-by-step complete lesson on how to paint strawberries. Pattern and ebook linked.
Painting Strawberry details
Using a #4 filbert brush double load with Thicket and Fresh Foliage. Paint small petal strokes in a star-like shape to create the strawberry tops.
Use the #0 liner, double load with Thicket and Fresh Foliage on the very tip. Stroke small lines onto the strawberry to create seeds.
Let your jars cure for 21 days or oven bake.
Time Lapse video Painting Glass Pears and Strawberries
To Bake Painted glassware
Let the paint dry for 24 hours then place in a cold oven, you can set them on the rack or on a cookie sheet. Set the temperature to 350 degrees, let the oven rise to temperature then bake for 30 minutes. Once the glass items have baked for 30 minutes, shut off the oven, don’t open the door.
Let cool completely, then remove from oven.
