How you can use glycol to shade effortlessly and leisurely and still do all your glass painting (front and back) in a single firing
Why glycol is wonderful to paint with
Most books on stained glass painting don’t tell you this, but glycol has many benefits you must know about. For one thing, it’s far easier to shade with oil than water. Yes, because glycol dries so slowly, you’re never rushed, and you therefore have the time to do it exactly as you want.
So, if you’re already familiar with glass paint mixed with gum and water, now’s maybe a good time to discover the advantages you’ll get by mixing paint with glycol.
OK, so here’s the basic process
First of all, you work your glass as usual, using glass paint mixed with gum and water. Trace and shade until you’re done. Now this is when you’d usually fire it in the kiln. Usually. But not with glycol. No, with glycol you carry on. Instead of firing, you now trace and shade some more. It’s wonderful. Here’s why …
With oil it’s incredible, because you have the time to shade …
With glycol, as I said. there’s never any rush.
Glycol dries slowly, so you can shade it at your own pace. You have time to experiment and push the shadows around (unlike when you work with water).
What happens is: you paint your glycol lines and shadows, then you take your blender and … move them exactly where you want them.
This is so unlike using glass paint mixed with water, it’s maybe difficult to imagine. But it’s true: yes, since glycol dries slowly, you actually have time to move the shadows. You can actually push them from one side of the glass to another. You can soften them or strengthen them. You can even remove them altogether and start again.
And when you’re happy, you fire your glass. Just once.
No waste
With glycol, there’s no waste. You make a batch, and it lasts for ages
Another thing with glycol: there’s no waste.
So, when you first start, you make more than you need, because it keeps for ages.
It doesn’t harden or go stale. It doesn’t have a “Use Before” date. You make a thick paste – so thick you couldn’t actually paint with it, but like this it’s always ready for you to thin it to whatever consistency and strength you need, a little at a time.
After that, it’s so easy to adjust and get it right. Too light, too thin? Easy, just add a bit more paste. Too dark or won’t flow? Just add a bit more thinner – I’ll tell you what to use.
Glycol is also clean
Clean-up is also quick and easy, and this saves you lots of time. Since the glycol doesn’t dry on your palette, you just scrape it up and put it in a sealed jar for next time. Like I said, no waste. And it’s ready to go when you are (unlike glass paint mixed with water).
It’s also better for your health. No dust. Dust is messy. Dust is also harmful. Glycol doesn’t dry, so there isn’t any dust, so none gets in your lungs. Even if you work with lead-free glass paint mixed with water, it’s still the dust you should avoid but can’t. With glycol, there’s no problem. There’s never any dust.
What you see is what you get
No guessing: when you work with glycol, your glass will come it looking exactly as you expect it to.
Now here’s another benefit of using glycol: what you see is what you get.
Yes, when you just work with glass paint and water, you’ll find your paint will always lighten in the kiln. It’s a fact: you lose 10 – 15% because the fire burns off this much pigment before it fuses to your glass. So it’s lost – gone forever. Wasted.
And this is a problem because it means you have to learn to compensate. This means you must learn to paint far darker than you want it to be, which is difficult.
But with glycol, you don’t lose any paint. Glycol actually protects the lines and shadows which you’ve done beneath with water.
Wondering how it does this?
It’s because the glycol is like a layer of varnish which seals your paint before you even fire it. So goodbye to guess-work. Goodbye to second firings. That’s another thing you’ll learn about here.
How to mix a batch of glycol-based glass paint and how to shade and trace with it: we explain everything in this course here.
Your guarantee
You have 60 days to read and watch. If you decide it’s not for you, you can have your money back at once, no questions asked.
Best,
P.S. Glycol is not for everyone. So just be sure of this: if you’re fed up with dust and waste and paint-loss in the kiln, and if you want to learn how to shade beautifully and at your own pace, this course will give you what you’re looking for.
