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A few years ago, I started painting images on glass ornaments to sell alongside my watercolor paintings. For the first few years, I painted the ornaments with acrylics. I have nothing against acrylics, but my favorite medium is watercolor, so I decided to try Watercolor Ground as a base for the glass ornaments to paint with watercolor instead of acrylics. I am very pleased with the outcome of this process – I hope you’ll try it!
I paint birds like the cardinal, house finch and nuthatch because they have fun personalities and are often seen perched in trees – perfect for year-round décor. Glass ornaments can be found online or at a local craft store. I like the flattened 3″ circle shapes. They’re easier to paint on because they don’t roll away from you. I prefer glass over plastic because they give the ornament a higher quality feel.
Clean the ornament with a dry paper towel or soft cloth to make sure the watercolor ground will adhere to the surface. Using a ¾” soft, flat watercolor brush, paint 2-3 coats of Titanium White Watercolor Ground to completely cover the front of the ornament. A soft brush is important if you don’t want to see a lot of brush strokes in the image when painting. I like the soft surface the ground creates, it feels very much like painting on 100% cotton watercolor paper. Let each coat of ground dry thoroughly by following the directions on the jar. If it is not completely dry, you run the risk of it lifting off with the next layer of wet ground or paint. After the ground is completely dry, use a mechanical pencil with HB lead to draw the subject onto the ornaments.
Next, block in shapes with watercolor. Use smaller brushes ranging from a #1 to a #10 and begin by placing color around the image. I often start with the head and eye. The ground made it easy to add layers or glazes and you can also lift color off when needed. I use the wet in wet technique and get soft edges when I want them. I do not use any masking fluid on these ornaments, preferring to just paint around the whites. Painting in layers helps to build up the feeling of feathers and depth.
If desired, use some of the ground to create snowflakes on top of the watercolor. When the owl was complete, I use a semi-stiff, #0 flat brush to lift back a few of the lighter feathers. I like to sprinkle the top of the ornament with miniature glass beads adhered with craft glue. After it is dry, I use an archival, acrylic gloss sealer to spray the ornament with 3 to 4 coats. This will not only protect the painting, but also makes the surface look shiny again.
Try the other colors of Watercolor Ground – below are samples with Iridescent Gold and Transparent.
DANIEL SMITH Colors for the House Finch:
DANIEL SMITH Colors for the Cardinal:
DANIEL SMITH Colors for the Nuthatch:
DANIEL SMITH Colors for the Blue Jay:
DANIEL SMITH Colors for the Owl:
