Glass paint is one of my favourite paints! There are a number of brands around but the one I prefer is a water-based paint by Plaid called Gallery Glass. You should be able to get it from any of the craft places in the States like Michaels, the Craft Warehouse or other similar outlets. In Australia it is available from places like Spotlight & Lincraft as well as other smaller craft stores.

Glass paint is a transparent medium ideal for colouring black and white photocopies or prints as it allows the shading to show through. It is also suitable for changing the colour of prints, which may not be the colour you want, as the transparent nature of the paint means only the hue of the print is changed and you don't lose any of the definition.

Plaid also have a glass paint called Gallery Glass Window Color, which is specially formulated to apply to vertical surfaces like windows. This makes it ideal to apply to the curvature of the egg shell as the paint doesn't "run off" like the thinner transparent glass paint does. One thing you have to keep in mind when using the Window Color - it appears to be a creamy colour but it dries much darker than it appears in the bottle. Test the finished colour on a piece of scrap shell first.

There is only one pearl colour in the range (White Frost 16021) but by adding some of the darker colours to the white you can achieve some beautiful pearly pastel colours. I have used pale blue in the scrolls around the paper tole flowers example. I mix up a batch in a spare bottle using about 1 1/2" - 2" of the White Frost and then add a couple of drops of the desired colour until I get the required shade. If you are doing a large design you will need to mix sufficient for the entire desire as it is almost impossible to match a previously made colour.  Keep in mind it will dry much darker - you can always add a couple more drops if you want it a bit darker.

Creating a Stained Glass Window

Creating a stained glass window to go in the back of a diorama is a very simple procedure using transparent glass paint to decorate some of the fancy gold filigree findings available from egg suppliers. When viewed through the front opening of an egg you get the light shining through the glass paint like a stained glass window in a church.

Here's how you do it!

Cover the back of the finding with Micropore (a non-stick plaster available from the chemist) or other similar flexible tape. This will hold the paint in place until it's dry.

Turn the finding over and fill the areas in a colour pattern of your choice. Allow to dry thoroughly and then remove the tape from the back of the finding.

Your stained glass window is now ready for installation into your egg design. Cut an oval in the shell where you want your window to be and use 5-minute epoxy to secure the finding (with the right side facing out) in place. If necessary, use cord or braid around the the edge of the finding to disguise any gaps.

OTHER EXAMPLES

Glass paint can be used to colour plain metallic findings with excellent results. The transparency of the paint allows any details in the finding to show through.

If you enjoy creating your own stands from findings for miniature eggs, consider colouring the base and other components to match your design.

You'll find an entire chapter on glass paint, what you can do with it and how to do it in my Bright Ideas & Facets of Egg Artistry e-book #1. If you have any queries on this technique email me.