Since I had finally tinted a jar (See tinting tutorial here), I needed to do something with it. I ran across a photo I liked on Pinterest. This was my inspiration, a lovely moroccan-inspired painted jar lantern for sale on Etsy by Lit Decor. Since this would be my first time trying this (and since it was an item for sale with no instructions), I knew I'd need to start with a much simpler design. This one is so lovely though.
First, gather the supplies.
- Tinted jar
- Metallic puffy paint
- Transparent tape (optional)
- Dry-erase marker (optional)
- Pencil and paper (optional)
At this point I skipped ahead and wired the jar for hanging. If I do this again, I'll do this step AFTER I finish decorating the jar.
If you want to draw out a pattern beforehand, do that at this point.
You can use the tape to guide you in making straight lines. I used the dry-erase marker to draw along the edges of the tape for straight lines. Next time I'd probably not use the marker, but it's up to you. It comes off easily, so if you do it and don't like it, no big deal.
I also added some large dots to places where the design would peak, so I could keep them somewhat even.
Then I got started with the painting. Just gently squeeze the bottle and lift away to form little dots with peaks. Follow the lines if you have them. Any mistakes can be cleared away with a Q-tip as you go along.
As the design starts to fill the surface of the jar, it gets easier and easier to smear. Occasionally through the process I dried it with a hairdryer set on low/cool, just to help with that problem a little.
After I finished the painting, I finished off the wiring for hanging, and let it dry. All done, and pop a votive candle in, and enjoy!
Here's the finished project.
Thank you for the brilliant idea. Have been making these for about a week and realized I'm not much of a free-hander. It never occurred to me to use a dry erase marker to pre-draw a pattern. Do you think it will still allow for glass paint to adhere to the surface and be baked?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure. I colored the glass first, before I drew the design. One thing about this method that I discovered later... You will still be able to see the lines through the glass on the opposite side. Not a huge issue, but I think it looks better using another trick I discovered of putting a piece of tape along the sides and using that as a guide. Then you can just pull the tape off later with no remaining marks. Good luck with your project!
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