Glass Painting!

I will be teaching a few glass painting classes at the Michael's Store on Capital Blvd in Raleigh NC in Feb (January slipped by before I knew it!) and I started looking at their line of Martha Stewart glass paints. I have a huge assortment of paints in my studio. Along with my professional paints (as a portrait artist I have the requisite oils, acrylics and watercolors!) I have everything from spray paint, to craft paint to glass paint. But my glass paints are  a different brand and they require "baking" in the oven to set the paint. A bummer! I also have my share of the Martha Stewart paints by Plaid for a variety of purposes. SO I was happy to discover this blog review dated August of 2011 showing that the then "new" paints bu MS could be used on any surface.

 Although there are new glass paints by the company, it appears that ones I already have will work fine! They will also be perfect for my students who can use their multipurpose paints for a variety of art projects!

SO I have printed the review in its entirety,with thanks to the author, along with the photos, so that you too can see how these versatile paints may apply to your artsy journey! -Theresa

Craft Product Review: Overview of Martha Stewart Paints by Plaid

August 22, 2011

Craft Product Reviews, Paints, Inks & Dyes

29

One of the biggest hush-hush buzzes this year at CHA was the debut of Martha Stewart Paints by Plaid. (Remember my foray into the secret locked room to get a sneak peek?) Now, however, the secret is out, the products are on the shelves- and in the hands of yours truly!
Now, there are SO many products in this line that I’m going to have to break them down into a whole series! Today, though, I thought I’d give you the 101 on the line of paints, which promise to work on multiple surfaces without special preparation. Here’s how they are described on the website:

Transform everything from curtains to glassware to flower pots with the first multi-surface craft paint available! Martha Stewart Craftsâ„¢ premium acrylic paints provide superior coverage for all fabric, wood, glass, ceramic, plastic, and metal craft projects.
Offered in a range of beautiful colors and five high-quality finishes—satin, high gloss, metallic, pearl, and glitter, inspired by her original glitter colors—Martha’s craft paints resist fading and wear, are ideal for indoor or outdoor use, and even safe for dishwashers.

This paint comes in a staggering 160 colors in the aforementioned five finishes. (And they are certified non-toxic, too.)
Now, I did get to see  a swatch of the finishes at CHA- and they looked amazing- but nothing beats a good old SWATCH TEST! (I am nothing if not consistent.) I used a piece of cardboard box to see just how well the paints covered with one, two, and three coats:

Another view of the swatch so you can really see the difference between High-Gloss and Satin finishes.

As you can see, all but the Glitter covered well in just two coats. Since the Glitter paint is the odd man out, let’s first talk about the Satin, High Gloss, Metallic, and Pearl paints. All of these have a creamy, smooth texture and are the consistency of hot fudge. There is almost no odor, too.
The Glitter Paint is, of course, a “gritty” texture suspended in a transparent base. My favorite was “sugar cube”- swoon- which featured a lightly tinted lilac base with super-duper iridescent glitter! The glitter is actually a fine grit- and comes in both “bright” and “iridescent” versions.  Did you notice that the Glitter Paint I used on the swatch test is green, but looks purple in the second view?
Yeah. It’s awesome like that.

The base is lightly tinted and transparent- perfect for letting the glitter shine through!

I can best show you, though, on these snowflake samples.

The top snowflake is unprimed/unsealed, and has one coat of Glitter paint. You can barely see any color in the paint itself- which allows the maximum sparkle to come through! The second one is base coated with Satin paint on one half, with some of the same Glitter paint layered on top. I love that they complement each other, and the glitter base is light enough to let you layer the paints for a really customizable look!
Now, I wanted to play with the satin and gloss paints a bit, so I base coated this birdhouse. The blue is satin finish, the red is high-gloss. (By the way, I LOVE this red- it’s the best hue of red I’ve ever used. Seriously.)

You also can really see the difference in sheen after just 2 coats. I’m also happy to report that the High Gloss paint isn’t tacky to the touch after it’s dry- although it’s hard to tell by looking at it when it IS dry! I decided to embellish the little birdhouse with all of the finishes of paint- gold metallic trim, high-gloss black stripes, glitter to accent the roof, and pearl green stems & grass.

I used the fine tip to draw the leaf accents.

Now, we expect acrylic paint to work well on porous surfaces like paper mache, cardboard, and wood. But the Martha Stewart Paints are also listed as a great paint for non-porous surfaces. Time to put that to the test with a little bit of stenciling on a glass ornament.

I used the adhesive “Holiday” stencils.

I used the Gold Metallic paint on the “Merry Christmas” stencil- I literally used a craft stick to spread the paint on. I let each coat dry in between, using glitter paints for the snow flake and pine trees. I finished it off with “Sparkle Texture Effect” to act as snow (more on that product later this week!) Here’s my finished ornament:

Super cute, right? But what is more impressive is that I tried to flake off the paint with my thumbnail- you know, just to see if it would lift up. And it didn’t! Furthermore, I read on the package that if you let it cure (air-dry) for 21 days, it will even be dishwasher safe in the top rack. Wowza!
I also used a number of tools- sponge brushes, paint brushes, and stencil brushes- and they all cleaned up easily with just a drop of hand soap and tepid water. I love that the paint covers well but still has easy clean-up. Score!
So let’ talk nitty-gritty. Right now the paints & accessories- even some cool starter sets- are available at HSN.com. They are also rolling out the displays in Michael’s stores- my local one has the products, but not all are set up yet. The prices are really varying right now (especially at HSN, where you can find some great introductory specials) but on the average it’s under $1.99-$2.99  per 2 ounce bottle.
Considering that it works on so many surfaces, and has SO many gorgeous colors and finishes, it’s really a good paint. And when I tell you about the different mediums you can use it with (coming in a few days) it’ll really blow your mind!
Feel free to leave me questions in the comments section & I’ll do my best to answer them for you!