Painting wine glasses is a great DIY project that gives your artistic abilities free rein. You can amaze your guests with unique wine glasses or create personalized gifts for your friends and family, all without having to spend a fortune. Glass painting is a fun and safe activity that even kids can try.
Acrylic enamel paints can be used to add unique designs to wine glasses. Make sure your glass is clean and dry before you begin to paint, and use nail polish remover to adjust any mistakes as you go. Let your glass air dry or heat set the paint in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degree Fahrenheit.
There are various methods and designs with which you can decorate your wine glasses. Let’s look at the supplies you’ll need to paint your wine glasses, how you should prep your glasses, and the best paints for glass painting.
Can You Paint Wine Glasses?
Painting wine glasses is a simple and fun way to flex your creative muscles. You can easily do this enjoyable activity at home by using various techniques and designs.
Most of the glass paints available are non-toxic, which makes them safe to use.
What’s the Best Type of Paint to Use?
Before starting a painting project, you’ll need to choose the right paint for the job. It’s best to use acrylic enamel paints for painting your wine glasses. Glass is a non-porous material, and these paints are specially formulated for use on glass surfaces.
Once cured, you can wash painted glasses without any worries on your dishwasher’s top shelf; however, you should avoid putting them in the microwave.
You can also use craft acrylic paint to paint your wine glasses. You’ll just need to add an enamel medium or apply a sealant to ensure that the paint adheres completely to the glass surface.
For the best results, use acrylic paint specially designed for use on glass. Glass paints typically come in two forms — paints that air dry or paints that need heat to cure. You can select from a wide range of options, including:
- Opaque paints offer more solid color and can be used free-hand or with a stencil.
- Transparent paints are perfect for creating a stained-glass look.
- Frosted paints are great for a more unique look, as they provide a glitter or frosted finish.
You can also invest in paint pens or markers since they help in creating a more detailed effect and can be heat cured. If you want to create a three-dimensional raised finish, then you can use stimulated glass liquid leading or fine tips and thicker paint.
Here are some of our recommendations:
FOLKART Acrylic Enamel Craft Set
The FOLKART paint set (on Amazon) contains 16 gorgeous colors that are water based, safe to use, and rich in pigment. These beautiful colors offer stunning opaque coverage with a glossy finish that’s scratch-resistant and long-lasting.
You can easily wash the painted pieces in a dishwasher once you’ve oven-baked them.
Perfect for both novices and experienced artists, this acrylic enamel paint set is fast drying and allows you to create glass projects that are elegant and charming. Safe to use on mugs, vases, frames, and more, these exceptional colors will give your home decor a totally fresh look.
Acrylic Paint Pens
These acrylic paint pens from Artistro (on Amazon) contain pigmented acrylic ink that dries quickly, while the nylon nibs prevent jamming, flooding, and messes. Versatile and durable, these pens provide an opaque, high gloss finish on almost any surface.
The Artistro acrylic paints are available in a set of 12 bright colors. They’re ideal for both filling in large areas and fine detailing. These pens are odorless and non-toxic.
The transparent anti-roll barrel of these acrylic markers also makes it easier to see how much paint is left in them.
Supplies You’ll Need
The following glass painting tools will help you achieve stunning results without much hassle:
- Wine glasses
- Painter’s tape
- Stencils
- Old newspapers, paper towels, and rags to clean up any messes
- Brushes and sponges, depending on the design you choose
- Rubbing alcohol
- Cotton buds and toothpicks to add an effect or remove paint added by mistake
How to Prep Your Glasses
Prepping your glasses before painting is crucial as it ensure an even application of paint. Here’s how you can go about it:
- Wash your glass with warm and soapy water. Allow it to dry.
- Once completely dry, dip a paper towel in rubbing alcohol and use it to remove grease marks and traces of soap from the glass surface. You can also use white vinegar if you don’t have rubbing alcohol.
- Before painting, make sure that the glass is completely dry. Remember to put tape on the rim of the glass to prevent paint from getting onto it.
How to Paint Wine Glasses
Once you’ve prepped your wine glasses, you can start painting them with the help of the following steps:
1. Select a Design
Choose a design and sketch it first on a piece of paper or tissue paper. Then, place the paper inside the glass, secure it, and use it to transfer the design onto the glass surface. If you’re looking for a more trendy look, then you can go with abstract or geometrical patterns.
You can also find self-adhering stencils at local craft supply stores. These stencils are typically in sticker form, which makes them very convenient to use. Use tape to create a pattern on your glass surface. This can be easily removed once you’ve finished painting.
2. Choose Your Paints
The wide range of glass paints can make you feel overwhelmed. You should choose your paints according to your taste and style, as we described above. Enamels are safe to use and produce brilliant results, while acrylics have a quick drying time, are long-lasting, and work great on glass.
3. Prep the Area
Cleaning paint off your table or washing the stains off your favorite sweater can be a hassle. Change your clothes and spread several layers of wax paper or newspaper on your work surface. Also, make sure to open the windows to get rid of any paint fumes.
4. Start Coloring
Glass painting can be done in a number of ways, and the method you choose depends entirely on your preferences. If you’re looking for inspiration, the following are some ideas that you can try:
- Marbleized glass: Create a marble effect on your glass by pouring paint over it. Rotate the glass continuously while pouring a thin, even layer. Alternate colors as desired.
- Stripes: Put tape on your glass to make stripes. Take off the tape immediately while the paint is still wet. If you take off the tape after the paint dries, then you might risk chipping the paint. Use your craft knife to correct any crooked lines.
- Polka dots: Dip a pencil’s eraser or your paintbrush’s blunt end in paint to make polka dots on your glass. For a stunning result, go in straight and lift the pencil straight back up.
- Mix colors: Add colors one after the other for highlighting and shading.
- Sponges: Create layered designs by adding a dab of paint using a sponge brush or a dish sponge.
Use a nail polish remover if you need to make corrections. Resin-based paints are temporary unless baked and can be easily removed with warm water. If you need to remove the paint, be quick about it.
5. Setting the Paint
Leave the glasses out to dry for at least a day before moving on to the next step. Place them upside down on a flat, soft surface and allow them to dry. It’s best to keep your painted glasses away from the bathroom or the kitchen, as the moisture in these places can affect the drying process.
To cure the glasses, you can air dry them or use heat to set the paint:
Air Drying
Let the glasses sit for three weeks without disturbing them. Make sure that you read the instructions on the paint’s label.
Heat Setting
If the paint that you’ve selected needs heat to be set, then here’s what you need to do:
- Use aluminum foil to line your cookie sheet.
- Place your painted glass on the sheet and put it inside your oven. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. There’s no need to preheat your oven. The idea is to gradually increase the heat, as placing the glass in an already hot oven may cause it to break.
- Turn off the oven after 30 minutes.
- Don’t remove the glass from the oven until it’s completely cooled down.
Once the glasses have completely cooled down, let them sit for an extra 72 hours before washing them. Avoid cutting corners and rushing the curing process, as giving the glasses ample time to dry will provide long-lasting and better results.
Some Glass Painting Tips
Regardless of your skill level, wine glass painting is a great way to relieve stress and enjoy yourself.
Here are some additional tips that can help you do an outstanding job:
- Use a blade to remove any unwanted paint.
- Avoid putting painted glasses in a microwave or soaking them.
- Don’t put paint on the rim of your glass.
- Metallic and glitter paints need to be air-dried.
- Whether you’ve oven-baked or air-dried your wine glasses, handwashing them will help them retain their look for longer.