Silver stain can also serve a useful purpose to modify the colours of glass. If you add a silver stain pattern to a piece of light blue glass, for example, the result will be a green pattern. This creates all sorts of creative opportunities, particularly when used in conjunction with etched flash glass.
It is also possible to use the silver stain successfully with other paint and enamel colours to warm the colours.
Showing posts with label Glass Painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glass Painting. Show all posts
Friday 13 March 2009
Thursday 12 March 2009
Silver Stains - Mending Mistakes
If the stain did not take, there are techniques to try and improve the colour.
One is firing the silver stain face down on a sifted and smoothed out bed of whiting or thick ceramic fiber paper.
Another is to re-apply your stain and fire again between 675°C (1250°F) and 760°C (1400° F). The higher heat will help the silver stain "take" to the glass. Fire the silver stain face down because the higher temperature will melt the high fire tracery and matting resulting in kiln-wash sticking to the painting.
A third method is to use hydroflouric acid to remove the stain and so start again with clear glass. Remember this is an extremely dangerous chemical.
After a second successful firing, be sure to discard the loose whiting or shelf paper from your kiln-shelf as any residual silver stain absorbed during the firing can result in yellow spotting on your glass on later firings.
One is firing the silver stain face down on a sifted and smoothed out bed of whiting or thick ceramic fiber paper.
Another is to re-apply your stain and fire again between 675°C (1250°F) and 760°C (1400° F). The higher heat will help the silver stain "take" to the glass. Fire the silver stain face down because the higher temperature will melt the high fire tracery and matting resulting in kiln-wash sticking to the painting.
A third method is to use hydroflouric acid to remove the stain and so start again with clear glass. Remember this is an extremely dangerous chemical.
After a second successful firing, be sure to discard the loose whiting or shelf paper from your kiln-shelf as any residual silver stain absorbed during the firing can result in yellow spotting on your glass on later firings.
Wednesday 11 March 2009
Firing and Cleaning Silver Stain
After the silver stain has completely dried, the glass is ready to fire in the kiln. Remember to fire silver stained items separately from other painted glass. The maturing temperature is between 509°C (950°F) and 565°C (1050° F). Place the glass on the kiln shelf with the painted side down and the silver stain facing up. Fire between 509°C (950°F) and 537°C (1000° F) for softer glasses, and to between 537°C (1000° F) and 565°C (1050° F) for harder glasses. The higher temperatures in each range will result in darker colour.
After firing and cooling remove your glass from the kiln. The glass will look exactly as it did when you first placed it in the kiln, as though it hasn't fired. In fact, the firing process will have done its job, but first you must remove the residual layer of gamboge gum. Simply spray with window cleaner and wipe off. Underneath, your glass should be stained some lovely shade of golden yellow.
After firing and cooling remove your glass from the kiln. The glass will look exactly as it did when you first placed it in the kiln, as though it hasn't fired. In fact, the firing process will have done its job, but first you must remove the residual layer of gamboge gum. Simply spray with window cleaner and wipe off. Underneath, your glass should be stained some lovely shade of golden yellow.
Tuesday 10 March 2009
Applying Silver Stains
Introduction
Contrary to its name, silver stain actually stains the glass yellow. Silver stain is available in shades from pale yellow to deep orange. Today the use of silver stain remains a popular choice for the glass painter with no other pigment matching its delicacy and wholly translucent quality. Silver stain is composed of silver nitrate and gamboge gum, a resin from Southeast Asian trees. It is sold in powdered form and is mixed only with water. A separate set of tools is required for silver stains as the stain itself is terribly corrosive to brushes and other tools.
Application
To use, the artist mixes the powdered stain on a glass palette to a thin consistency. This can either be applied thinly in a free-hand manner to the back side of the glass painting, or applied and quickly blended to smoothness with a badger blender for a more even result. Always apply the silver stain to the back side of the glass - in other words, the opposite side from the one that bears the tracery and matting you have previously completed. There are several reasons for this, but the primary one is that the silver stain will metallise the black and brown paint work during firing if applied to the same side. This metallising results in a strong bluish and opaque haze on the tracing and matting.
During application, be sure to work rapidly and evenly, finishing before the wet stain has a chance to completely dry. Also remove the excess stain while the stain is still damp. Scraping off the run-over will prove to be quite a challenge if you let it dry. When you have completed these steps, immediately wash your tools.
Contrary to its name, silver stain actually stains the glass yellow. Silver stain is available in shades from pale yellow to deep orange. Today the use of silver stain remains a popular choice for the glass painter with no other pigment matching its delicacy and wholly translucent quality. Silver stain is composed of silver nitrate and gamboge gum, a resin from Southeast Asian trees. It is sold in powdered form and is mixed only with water. A separate set of tools is required for silver stains as the stain itself is terribly corrosive to brushes and other tools.
Application
To use, the artist mixes the powdered stain on a glass palette to a thin consistency. This can either be applied thinly in a free-hand manner to the back side of the glass painting, or applied and quickly blended to smoothness with a badger blender for a more even result. Always apply the silver stain to the back side of the glass - in other words, the opposite side from the one that bears the tracery and matting you have previously completed. There are several reasons for this, but the primary one is that the silver stain will metallise the black and brown paint work during firing if applied to the same side. This metallising results in a strong bluish and opaque haze on the tracing and matting.
During application, be sure to work rapidly and evenly, finishing before the wet stain has a chance to completely dry. Also remove the excess stain while the stain is still damp. Scraping off the run-over will prove to be quite a challenge if you let it dry. When you have completed these steps, immediately wash your tools.
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Matting in Glass Painting
To give your stained glass design a bit of dimension, you need to try a technique called matting. Some use a stippled matte almost exclusively in their glass painting to prevent a heavy-handed look in the end result. It is also a good deal easier to achieve than a flat matte, especially for the novice.
Application
You may use black or bistre brown for matting. For the sake of practice, mix a batch of bistre brown paint on a new palette (always use a separate palette for each color of paint) and follow the steps used for mixing black. On another clean piece of glass and using your small brush, quickly apply bistre brown paint over the entire surface. Then, while the paint is wet, take a large soft blender brush and gently sweep vertically over the glass, then horizontally, blending the paint as evenly as possible.
Blending motion
This sweeping motion should be made from the elbow to give an even blending of the paint. If done from the wrist, the paint will be moved in localised areas. This can be used to give a fine graduation in tone, but is not suitable for an even blend of paint over an area.
Stippling
When the paint begins to dry in streaks, immediately begin a gentle up-and-down pouncing motion on the glass. This stippling technique creates a pin-hole effect over the glass surface allowing light to sparkle through. It helps avoid the muddy opaqueness resulting from simple blending that often destroys the translucent beauty of the glass; and the effect of good glass painting.
Blender
If you like the "look" of matting and intend to use it often, you should acquire one other brush that will serve you well - a 3"-4" badger hair blender. Nothing accomplishes even blending as well and as quickly. Blenders are, however, a bit pricey. These brushes are an investment well worth the cost and they will last for years with good care.
Firing
It would be helpful for you at this point to fire your practice pieces in a kiln to check the results of your paint mixing and painting techniques. The black and brown pigments are high-fire paints and will need to be fired to 650°C (1200 °F) or a little higher for float glass. Correctly fired colours should acquire a translucency and should clearly appear to have fused with the glass.
Application
You may use black or bistre brown for matting. For the sake of practice, mix a batch of bistre brown paint on a new palette (always use a separate palette for each color of paint) and follow the steps used for mixing black. On another clean piece of glass and using your small brush, quickly apply bistre brown paint over the entire surface. Then, while the paint is wet, take a large soft blender brush and gently sweep vertically over the glass, then horizontally, blending the paint as evenly as possible.
Blending motion
This sweeping motion should be made from the elbow to give an even blending of the paint. If done from the wrist, the paint will be moved in localised areas. This can be used to give a fine graduation in tone, but is not suitable for an even blend of paint over an area.
Stippling
When the paint begins to dry in streaks, immediately begin a gentle up-and-down pouncing motion on the glass. This stippling technique creates a pin-hole effect over the glass surface allowing light to sparkle through. It helps avoid the muddy opaqueness resulting from simple blending that often destroys the translucent beauty of the glass; and the effect of good glass painting.
Blender
If you like the "look" of matting and intend to use it often, you should acquire one other brush that will serve you well - a 3"-4" badger hair blender. Nothing accomplishes even blending as well and as quickly. Blenders are, however, a bit pricey. These brushes are an investment well worth the cost and they will last for years with good care.
Firing
It would be helpful for you at this point to fire your practice pieces in a kiln to check the results of your paint mixing and painting techniques. The black and brown pigments are high-fire paints and will need to be fired to 650°C (1200 °F) or a little higher for float glass. Correctly fired colours should acquire a translucency and should clearly appear to have fused with the glass.
Friday 23 January 2009
Painting Tracing Lines on Glass
Testing the thickness of the paint
Using your smaller brush, load the paint into it, and practice applying black lines on a clear piece of scrap glass. If the paint seems too thick, add a very small amount of water.
Paint that does not stick
If the paint seems to bubble up or not adhere to portions of the glass, it is likely the glass is not clean. You can wash the glass, or simply add a little more water to the paint already on the glass and rub the paint over the glass with your finger or a small piece of paper towel. This will remove any dirt or film of oils on the glass.
Testing the amount of gum arabic
Allow your painted lines to completely dry. You will notice the dry paint has a chalky, opaque quality. Test your paint lines by rubbing a finger across a line. If it easily rubs off like powder, you need a bit more gum arabic. If you can't budge it and it seems hard and crusty, you have much too much gum in the mixture. Adjust the mixtures accordingly.
Inspecting the fired glass
When the glass is fired in the kiln, the paint (which is made of ground glass and various ground pigments) fuses with the glass. Too much gum in the mix, and the paint may bubble, sit on the surface, or do a few other ugly and unprofessional tricks to embarrass you. You have no choice but to start over with a new piece of glass. Getting the amount of gum arable right is crucial to the process.
If the lines are not consistent in colour depth, you can trace over them and fire again. This will darken the lines to a consistent level of colour.
Practice
Practice your tracing. This part of the art is like calligraphy - half the battle is learning to use your tool, the tracing brush, in one or two confident strokes. The quality of your trace line tells the world whether you are an amateur or an accomplished artist! You might even decide this is the only glass painting technique you will ever use. And you would be in good company. A good deal of Gothic stained glass relied solely on tracery for its embellishment and to good effect.
Using your smaller brush, load the paint into it, and practice applying black lines on a clear piece of scrap glass. If the paint seems too thick, add a very small amount of water.
Paint that does not stick
If the paint seems to bubble up or not adhere to portions of the glass, it is likely the glass is not clean. You can wash the glass, or simply add a little more water to the paint already on the glass and rub the paint over the glass with your finger or a small piece of paper towel. This will remove any dirt or film of oils on the glass.
Testing the amount of gum arabic
Allow your painted lines to completely dry. You will notice the dry paint has a chalky, opaque quality. Test your paint lines by rubbing a finger across a line. If it easily rubs off like powder, you need a bit more gum arabic. If you can't budge it and it seems hard and crusty, you have much too much gum in the mixture. Adjust the mixtures accordingly.
Inspecting the fired glass
When the glass is fired in the kiln, the paint (which is made of ground glass and various ground pigments) fuses with the glass. Too much gum in the mix, and the paint may bubble, sit on the surface, or do a few other ugly and unprofessional tricks to embarrass you. You have no choice but to start over with a new piece of glass. Getting the amount of gum arable right is crucial to the process.
If the lines are not consistent in colour depth, you can trace over them and fire again. This will darken the lines to a consistent level of colour.
Practice
Practice your tracing. This part of the art is like calligraphy - half the battle is learning to use your tool, the tracing brush, in one or two confident strokes. The quality of your trace line tells the world whether you are an amateur or an accomplished artist! You might even decide this is the only glass painting technique you will ever use. And you would be in good company. A good deal of Gothic stained glass relied solely on tracery for its embellishment and to good effect.
Wednesday 1 October 2008
Paints and Stains
Vitreous paint - glass paint which contains finely ground lead or copper filings, ground glass, gum arabic and a medium such as water, oil, wine, vinegar or urine. These are either high-fire blacks and browns or low-fire transparent colours.
Silver stains - silver nitrate and gamboge gum that chemically stain the glass to varying intensities from pale yellow to orange.
Gamboge is a rather transparent dark mustard yellow pigment. Gamboge is most often extracted by tapping from the Garcinia hanburyi tree. The resin is extracted by making spiral incisions in the bark, and by breaking off leaves and shoots and letting the milky yellow resinous gum drip out. The resulting latex is collected in hollow bamboo. After the latex is congealed, the bamboo is broken away and large rods of raw gamboge remain.
Silver stains - silver nitrate and gamboge gum that chemically stain the glass to varying intensities from pale yellow to orange.
Gamboge is a rather transparent dark mustard yellow pigment. Gamboge is most often extracted by tapping from the Garcinia hanburyi tree. The resin is extracted by making spiral incisions in the bark, and by breaking off leaves and shoots and letting the milky yellow resinous gum drip out. The resulting latex is collected in hollow bamboo. After the latex is congealed, the bamboo is broken away and large rods of raw gamboge remain.
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