How to Etch Glass: Step-by-step process

Hey everyone, here is a step-by-step tutorial with pictures on how to etch a glass and make it look really good!

First there are some items that you will need to have. (Not pictured scotch tape and the font I used.)

Only one x-acto knife is needed, I just showed more than one.

 

You will need a clean glass, masking tape, scotch tape, x-acto knife, old brush or sponge brush, armour etch cream (you can find at most hobby stores, Walmart has it online too) and an image or font style that you would like to use.



STEP 1. Choose a font style and size that you would like on your glass. Make sure it's big enough to look nice on the size glass you chose. Also if it's more of a delicate font you might consider BOLDing it. For my glasses I make the words about 3 inches long. Too much bigger and it gets distorted around the glass (then you need to mess with the curve of the font so it looks straight on your glass). Too small and you will want to pull your hair out when cutting out the letters! Once I like the font I chose for a project and the size is right I print it out and cut it to size. (I used Microsoft Word font style Vivaldi size 72 BOLD for this project.)




I cut the extra paper off leaving just what I needed for this project.

 

 

STEP 2. On a clean glass, tape 2 layers of masking tape (I use painters tape) where you want the image or font to be located. You may want to tape the whole glass or a larger area than I did when you're first starting. (The etching cream can be runny and it will etch the glass where it touches, so be careful. More on that part in a bit.)

 

Place the masking tape where you want the image to be.
Make sure your glass is clean!!!

 

 

 

 STEP 3. Using clear tape, tape the font into place, making sure that it's straight. I usually tape the four edges on trying not to overlap the letters too much. The more tape you have on the more pressure you will need when cutting out the letters.

 

Tape the font to the masking tape, making sure it's straight.

 

 

 

STEP 4. Using your x-acto knife, begin carefully cutting out the letters. You want to remove what you want to etch. So if you want the words to be etched you must cut out the positive space and leave the negative space. (The positive space is the black and the negative space is the white.)



As you can see it looks like I'm cutting out the negative
space... don't worry I'm cutting out the letters and leaving the negative
or background space...you will see it more clearly soon.



 STEP 5. Finish cutting out your letters and removing the tape. Leave the tape of the negative/background space. You will be left with all the tape except the letters. Here are a few images I took along the way.

All letters but the "d" & "s" are removed.



The "f" is removed. I should have put a bright paper in the glass so you could see more clearly.
 

This is what it should look like before the etching cream is added.

 

IMPORTANT STEP!!!!STEP 6. Press the tape firmly on the glass. Make sure to carefully go around each letter to ensure a secure adhesion. If the tape is not secure you might end up with bleeding around your letters.

STEP 7. Using the sponge brush apply the etching cream. Apply liberally and then carefully remove the excess so it doesn't run down off the tape. Make sure it's all covered evenly. Leave it on for 5 minutes.

Apply etching cream liberally but be careful! You might
want to wear rubber gloves if you are one to get messy. Safety first!

STEP 8. Rinse your glass under warm water to remove the etching cream. Remove the tape and wash the glass with warm soapy water. Rinse and dry.


STEP 9. Enjoy your beautiful professional looking glass!

Feel free to add some extra touches with enamel paints.



365 Days To Be Creative

Recently my husband and I went out for lunch. He had some time to kill before he had to leave for work so I suggested we go next door to Barnes & Noble to look around. We both looked at each other and asked... ok, so what do you want to look for?

First thing to catch my eye were books that our oldest son would like, but my husband reminded me that he has a kindle so why buy him a book. Then, since we were still at the front of the store I suggested we look at the craft section. I wanted to find a book that had multiple craft ideas but I kept finding books that were for one medium, like knitting or origami. For a split second I thought I should write a book compiling things that I would want to find in a book... that quickly passed, as I thought, what do I know about writing a book? I mean I don't even have any followers for this blog. Finally my eyes gazed upon a book called 365 A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life! By:Noah Scalin. I picked it up and opened it.

It still never seizes to amaze me how such a small thing can get my mind thinking of numerous ideas. I thought of many ways to use this book, from using it myself, to daily sketchbook ideas, to creating a whole class around the concept of this book.

Just to give you an idea of what this book is about, it starts off suggesting you pick a subject matter or medium to use for the entire 365 days of this journey. It also suggests documenting your work, sharing your work and moving the finish line. This book really has no rules but suggest being creative and creating something everyday for a whole year, and as the title claims, it will change your life!

So, while I do plan on using this book in the many ways I thought of when first opening it in the bookstore, I decided to think about either a subject or a medium to use on my journey. While choosing a subject matter could lead to many more creative project outcomes, I've decided to choose a medium. I want to use clay and become a master both hand building and on the potters wheel. (It also gives me an excuse to use the wheel I bought years back and used only a handful of times.)

*My mind is going crazy again... what if I get bored with the clay... maybe a subject matter would be a better choice... I love my kids, maybe they should be my subject matter? I need to make up my mind ... matter or medium??? Err I hate the self-doubt I give myself. End Tangent. ;)

No matter what I decide if I change my mind it's ok. I think I'll try to remember to focus my daily projects around teaching art to whoever wants to learn. So go out and grab the book and let us take this journey together!

Day 1: The first step is the hardest, so start small today and make something that fits in the palm of your hand using only materials in your immediate environment.

I've always wanted to make a clay whistle so that's going to be my DAY 1 project. Good luck with yours!

Inspiration is everywhere!

Inspiration can come when you least expect it, so expect it. I had the most creative day yesterday, the ideas just kept coming. Everywhere I looked I saw a potential project. I saw an object and thought of a creative use for it. My one mistake... I didn't write them down as I thought of them. (Maybe I should keep a voice recorder with me.) I thought they were such good ideas they would stick in my memory without a problem... I was wrong. While I can still recall a couple ideas, I can't remember all of them.

My advise, get it down, get it out do whatever it takes so that you can recall the ideas once you have time to get back to them. Be prepared!

I'm going to try to remember to carry my camera everywhere I go too. When I see something that inspires me I can take a picture, jot down a few notes and hopefully recall my creativity when re-inspired by the photo image.

 

Some of my creativity yesterday came from these two items. My cousin asked me to make the clock with a zebra print... the possibilities are endless. I thought of using paint and fabric, old newspapers anything really. The numbers could be taped on with some fun patterned duct tape. I could use a piece of glass and etch the words and numbers, or use frosted glass and the words and numbers could be in other mediums.

Another beautiful point of inspiration came when I was driving to my Emergency Medical Responder class. The sunset was breathtaking. Pinks, purples, oranges so vibrant, so crisp that the image is still in my head. What a beautiful painting it would make. Wish I had my camera though. I'm not good at putting things down from my head, I start to lose details. Another reason to expect the unexpected!

Art With Mr. E: smarthistory

I like exploring Art With Mr. E. He has a great blog. ;)

Art With Mr. E: smarthistory: http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/ My student teacher just told me about this site....I'm so excited to explore it!!!!!  There is s...

A Glass of Art & More

Time to upload some more pictures from my home business. Hope you all enjoy looking at them. I paint with enamels, bake them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then they are dishwasher safe. Although the images I'm going to upload probably won't end up in your dishwasher. ;)

 

Check out my Facebook Page: A Glass of Art & More

https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Glass-of-Art-More/194994627232729

Happy Presidents' Day

I was going to search google for images and craft ideas to post today for presidents' day but I realized they all kinda stink. Why is it that we only see Lincoln and Washington? We've had a lot more presidents than 2. I know they were good ones but wow can't people come up with different things to create for presidents day?

So my thought process started to go into over drive... what about...

• Silhouettes of the presidents and playing a game of name that president
• Pop art: Andy Warhol style, with presidents instead of Marilyn Monroe
• Monochromatic coloring pages... have some red, some white and some blue... arrange them in the shape of the US flag. Use all the presidents more than once.
• Clay sculptures or bobble head characters of each of the presidents.
• Create coins for each president... look at current coins and make new images for all the presidents. Use whatever medium you like. Hang them all together to create a mural or mosaic.

Be creative, think of other projects you have wanted to try or maybe had success with and make it about Presidents' Day. Lets get some new ideas out there for others to see. I'd love to teach in a classroom again where I could take pictures of my kiddos works and share them with you, but you either get images from the Internet that I think are similar to the outcome I would want or me creating each project. I'd be happy to do either if that will help you visualize the project.

Here are some images I searched on google image... it gives the general idea of what I was thinking without having a classroom full of kids to have those images it's the best I can do for now.

 

Creative Patch Job

I hate to throw things away that are still in pretty decent shape. So when my daughter showed me her pants had a hole in the knee I knew I could patch it very easily but the cute patches at the store are more like iron-on decals and less like patches.

I saw that she was wearing the jeans again tonight so I took them off and got out the denim patch that I had in my sewing kit. I cut it into the shape of a heart and ironed it onto her jeans. I then got out some of my acrylic paints and painted the same design that was already on her jeans. She asked me to add a hot pink heart in the middle and  here's how it looks.

I'm thinking of adding a jewel to the center heart to add a little sparkle as well. She's thinks all the kids at school will want me to do this to their jeans too... she might be right. So there you have it, an easy way to be creative with a plain old patch.

Questions that make you think!

When teaching art we need to engage the students and encourage them to think about something more than what to create. It's our job as educators to create the creative thinkers of the world. Here are some questions that will get the kids talking.

What makes something art?
Does it have to be pretty?
Does it need to make a statement?
Can artwork have emotions?
Can a painting cry?
Can a sculpture laugh?
Can art talk to you?
What is fine art?
What is artisan?
Who are artists?
Should you have a plan or let the medium inspire you?
Once you know the basic elements and principals of design, can you throw them out the window?
...

Get past the obvious and stretch your thinking. Encourage kids to play devil's advocate. Have them take a side against what they may think or believe. Let the kids create questions of their own and see what they come up with while having this debate.

After a project is completed ask the students to have this type of discussion. There are no right or wrong answers, but try to steer the students to positive feedback when discussing each others art work. Make them expand their vocabulary and not just all say the same thing. (* oooh knew project idea just popped into my head using dictionaries and thesauruses... more later on that.)

 

Thinking in different ways will help you in all areas of your life and careers. Be creative, think outside of the box, try to see what someone else's point of view is before disregarding it. I believe it will make a better person out of anyone; and we can all use more good people in this world.

Home Made Paper Mache Paste

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papier-m%C3%A2ch%C3%A9

What you need:
1 cup non-self rising wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup cold water
4 cups boiling water
1 Tbs powdered alum
1/2 tsp oil of cinnamon (optional)

How to make:

• Combine flour & sugar in a large pot. Slowly stir in cold water to form a paste.
• Slowly add to boiling water, stirring vigorously to break up lumps.
• Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly until thick and clear.
• Remove from heat & add alum. Stir until well mixed
• Add oil of cinnamon if paste will not be used immediately

Yields about 1 & 1/2 quarts

Paper mache can be used for many different projects. I have used it to make pinatas, card boxes, rattles and other 3D sculptures. One of my favorite assignments to make with my students is LARGER than LIFE objects. We take everyday items such as, toothbrushes, candy bars or pencils and make them HUGE. I have done this as group projects as well as individual. Either way works out great!

First, decide what to make; roll, fold or bunch up newspapers into the shape you need. You can also use cardboard boxes, paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, balloons or any material to make your basic shape. Then tape the items together so you have a stable structure. Finally, tare strips of newspapers, dip them into the glue (using your fingers squeegee off the excess glue) and wrap your structure in at least 3 layers. When the layers have all dried and you are happy with the look of your design, you may finish it off with paint to add the finishing details.

Here are some images for you from google image...

The picture above shows you structures and how to apply the layers. See how the students uses his/her fingers to squeegee off the excess glue?

 

These are maracas made with small water balloons and rolled paper. You leave a hole around the knot of the balloon so as the paper mache dries you can pop the balloon and remove it. Then add dried beans, rice or popcorn (to name a few choices) into the hole and finish paper mache-ing a handle to the rattle. When all dry, paint however you like.

Here are the LARGER than LIFE items like I mentioned. The kids can get really creative here and they really enjoy this project. The process is the same, you just make it HUGE.

Camouflage Drawing

Look through old magazines, newspapers or even online for an interesting image. Don't worry about the subject matter, instead find an image with interesting lines, textures or colors.

What you need:

• magazines, newspapers, other sources with interesting images
• scissors
• 12"x18" heavy paper
• pencils, chalk, pastels, oil pastels, colored pencils, charcoal, paint
• glue

What to do:

• Cut out a shape, no larger than 4"x 6", with no identifiable images.
• Paste it onto a 12"x 18" piece of drawing paper.
• Create a new design, camouflaging the piece glued to the paper. Use whatever medium will best hide the image.

 

Bathroom Finger Paint

What you need:
1/4 cup non-abrasive household cleaner (like Bon Ami)
paper cups
water
food colors

How to make:
1. Pour cleanser into a cup
2. Add enough water to make a thick paste
3. Add food color and stir
    Repeat with other colors

How to use:
Use in the bathroom on the shower walls and bath tub. Kids have fun and help you clean at the same time! Give the kids an idea like "under the sea" and have them draw things that one would find in the ocean or let them be creative all on their own.

Caution!
Always supervise your child when there is water in the tub. If they are still at the age of putting things in their mouths they might be too young for this recipe. Remember the paint was made with a household cleaner. An alternative would to replace the cleaner with cornstarch, but then you'll have to wash up when they are finished.

New Name! New Focus!

If you scroll down or look at other posts you will see a lot of different things. My focus was split and I tried to please more than myself. I have no followers but I'm hoping to change that.

I plan on teaching to anyone that wants to learn. I don't have a classroom of students to teach so I thought I'd create my own classroom... this is an art class but art is more than just painting so don't be surprised if I post on how to create a kid's birthday cake, or make something more crafty than artsy. I have a lot of interests and I hope I can focus them in here and create a blog that will inspire others to learn.

I want to TEACH and I want you to LEARN!

I want to refocus!

I'm not sure what way is the best way to blog... I never thought I'd have a blog. So far it's been a mix of things that people have asked me about but has had no real direction. The thought of having more than 1 blog is too much for me right now.

My life has been changing without any real focus on what I want or what I want to share with others. I am being pulled into many directions... even now while I'm trying to focus and write this blog, my kids have interrupted me 3 times. How can (make that 4...) and 5... now 6 times... oh hell, why do I bother typing when I have kids? How can I focus on what I want when I'm being pulled in so many directions by my kids?

I had a plan. I was going to teach art, get a masters in art therapy, and then get my doctorate. I was going to have a house with my dogs, husband and kids. I was going to be successful and known. But somewhere along the way I was derailed. I lost my focus or priorities changed.

So here I am. A mom, a wife, a dog and home owner, but I have nothing to call all mine. I love my husband, kids, dog and even house but I have to share all of those. I want to be able to come home and tell my husband and kids about my day. Tell them how I helped someone work through something they were struggling with. I don't want to talk about what I did around the house (which is usually little to nothing). I don't want the only conversations I have with my husband to be about his work or the bills. I want something that is all mine that I can share with my family. I want good stories to look back on and smile. I want memories of my family and I laughing over the fun things we did on summer vacation. I'm afraid that all the memories we will have are the ones of not having enough money to allow my kids to go bowling with their gym class or to pay for their art fee.

I'm doing everything I can but it's not enough. I try to have fun nights with the kids, playing games or cards or watching movies. We try to eat dinner together but even that has be happening less and less as the kids schedule gets busier and busier. I want my perfect life, the one I had in my plans, the one I can still see somewhere in my future. I just don't know when I will have that life.

I never had a hard time focusing as a child or young adult, but as soon as I became a mother I had to focus on more than what I wanted. Now that my kids are older and more independent I want the change to refocus my life again. But I'm still being pulled into too many directions. I have so many likes and talents that I'm not sure what will be the best choice. Maybe if I left money out of it and thought only about what makes me happy, I could find my center again. I need to do things just because I love doing them, not because I might make some money to help support my growing family. It's a hard thing to do when there are 7 people in this household and only 1 full time income. But I think if I truly want to be happy I need to do this.

So here are some of my talents, degrees or interests...
BSE in art education
nail technician license
Emergency Medical Responder (maybe one day paramedic)
owning my own coffee shop/diner
making art (pottery, painting, drawing, print making, photography, or sculpture)
landscaping
computer animation
I like talking/listening to people and helping them with their problems
baking
I want to learn a language but don't want to do the work (wish that was possible)

I had great creative ideas when I was a kid, I feel like I've lost that and most of my memories. I think that happens when you stifle creativity and talent for too long. You become lazy and bored. I have forgotten how to be fun and creative and I want it back!

So some how I think I'm going to try to do that here. I'm going to try and focus on something I love and share it with whom ever wants to read it. I keep telling myself I want to be a teacher so I'm going to forgo the classroom and teach my readers. I'm going to forget about the money I could make or might even lose and just do what I love to do. TEACH.