The Process - Part 1
Small glass frame ready to paint
How I paint
Today I thought I’d share information about my painting process.
For my small glass pieces, I usually like to complete them in one sitting. There’s nothing I find more fulfilling than seeing a finished piece at the end of the day.
First off, I clean the glass with hot water from the kettle. I pour a tiny amount onto the glass and rub it with a clean cloth to get any dust and smudges out.
Once that’s done, I select the paints I want to use.
I usually have a three colour rule, I like to let the subject/composition speak for itself and not have too many colours fighting for attention. So I stick to three colours or tones, of course I sometimes break that rule if I want to go particularly colourful as with Raspberry Picking.
I then start to paint - I use a sketch I’ve previously drawn and/or pictures as reference. I find that if I spend too long on one painting, it will become “frozen”. I like to keep the marks loose and flowing, to give life and movement the painting. There is always that moment when I know I need to stop or I will add one mark to many and cross the line into “too much”. It’s hard to stop sometimes as I get caught up in adding more and more paint and have to step back to see if that line is about to get crossed.
So, I like loose, flowing paint marks; when I paint a subject, I don’t fill it in, rather I paint the main elements and the contour and leave a black background. This has great effect on the glass. The animal lives alone, preserved in the space. There is no background to distract from the main subject which is typically an animal, plant or mythical being.
Once I’ve finished the painting, I sign it and let it dry - I use acrylic paint which dries really quickly. I then closed the glass case, admire it and take pictures to add to my website. Then it’s time carefully wrap it and move on to the next piece!
Voila! :)
The small glass frame opens and I paint on the inside. I close and seal the glass when the paint is dry.