Safari Object Art

Safari Object Art

My home is in the California Southwest. That would be the desert to be exact. I don't remain loyal to just one decorating theme but I do have some outback, native and rustic influence in my home. I collect masks, especially when I travel, some of the other accents in my home are wrought iron, green, yellow black & white, you get the idea. When I start an art piece these day's I will do something that compliments my home even though I will sell some of my work someday, I am sure of it. Today's entry is all about painted glass. I have seen painted wine glasses in many gift shops in my travels and they tend to be quite expensive per glass. Here is the finished work, a set of 4 wine glasses.

I researched this project online before starting because I wanted the glassware to be safe for wine drinking. There are special finishes available at the craft store for that and the glasses must be hand washed in mild warm soapy water . I am very pleased with the end result.

Here are the supplies required to make the glasses.

• Wine Glass (4)
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Aerosol Can of finish, for glass
• cotton balls, paper towels (to blot/dry brushes), paint brushes, water, scotch tape & newspaper (for your work station)
• Acrylic Paint, Black Permanent Sharpie Marking Pen
• Pattern Inspiration ie: tissue paper, wrapping paper fabric, or internet downloads in print

I prefer the large globe wineglasses but for this project I settled for these, they were only .99 cents each at the local .99 Cent Store, I just love that place.

Acrylic Paint can get expensive, I try to use the coupons the craft store gives me before they expire and then I but what is on sale. I love the metallic paints and I will always buy them when they're on sale regardless whether my current project requires them. You see a combination of papers here, some gift wrap tissue and the others were downloaded and just printed off the computer printer.

Method

1. Use rubbing alcohol and cotton ball to clean the glass and allow to dry for several hours. This is an important step to insure the paint adhere's to the glass.

2. Roll your printed paper so that it stands inside the bowl of the wine glass and then just tape it down flush to the inside of the bowl.  This becomes your stencil for your design. The designs I used were , bengal, cheetah, giraffe & zebra.

3. Paint the bowls and then turn upside down on your workstation to paint the bottom of the base. It's better to paint the bottom of the base so the glass does not get scratched and possibly removing some of the design. I did not paint the stems but it's your choice whether you want to.

4. Paint must be dry before you apply a spray protective finish. Hold the aerosol can at least 12 inches from the glass and be in a ventilated area as it is highly caustic. Let dry between each application ( 4 hours) and re-apply the next coat. I applied 3 coats of finish.

I enjoyed making my safari wine glasses and I already have some plates I purchased from the 99cent store to paint to match so I can serve cheese and crackers.

You are welcome to leave your comments and questions, would love to hear from you.

Happy Holidays !   and  \Cheers  !