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How to Paint the Glass – How to Make a Vase Glassy

By Mark Horton Last Updated: February 2, 2023

I would like to offer to your attention a short and informative art lesson which will help you draw and paint the objects made of glass in the future. Today we are going to understand what special things we should know when painting a glass or a glass vase, for example. We will learn how to fill this vase with water and then how to add the flower stems.

You will learn the simplest rules explaining how to paint the glass from this article and the short free art lesson video. Perhaps, after watching this video you will be able to paint a vase with your favorite flowers with the help of paints, pastel, or pencils.

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So let`s start our free art lesson online:

The Color of Glass

Naturally, the glass can be of various colors and shades, but we are going, to begin with, the transparent and colorless glass in order not to get into a muddle.

The glass is transparent and thus it gains on the color of the environment.

If a glass stands on the blue background, the base will also be blue with any technique used (oil, acryl, pencil, or gouache). And if to be more precise, it will be a bit darker than the background – than the color of the environment.

Examples Color of Glass

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How to Make a Nontransparent Vessel Glass

If to speak a simple language without delving into physics and discussions about high art, several simple things should be understood and used:

 You Need to Determine the Source of Light

If we know where the light comes from, we can determine where the peck should be painted. Draw a deemed beam from the source of light. The brightest speck should be drawn in the place where the beam touches the glass.

If the vessel has a convex or curved shape, the speck can repeat its shape or split into several bright dots or bars.

The speck is on the dark side of an object since here the light has touched the object but has not managed to dissipate yet.

Examples Source of Light

overtone, how to draw a glass
How to paint the glass? Glare

The Glare From the Speck

Now we are coming to the second stage of our drawing and painting lesson – the glare from the speck. Since the glass is transparent, the light will pass through, dissipate a little and strike the opposite side of the glass object. If we extend this beam further and stop on the other side of a vessel, the glare will be formed exactly there. Unlike the speck, the glare will be a big light spot of diffused light.

The glare by any means should not overshadow the speck. The glare is much less intensive than the speck and is much bigger in its size.

The Glare Examples

overtone, glass, how to draw
How to draw a glass, glare

The Glare From the External Environment

If there are several colored objects around our glass, they should be reflected in it to a greater or lesser extent. You can decide for yourself how bright the reflection will be drawn.

If there are the flowers with green stems in the vase, certainly these green stems will be somehow reflected in the thickness of the glass.

The Glare Examples

how to draw a glass, art lesson
Yellow, orange, greenish reflexes on the glass surface

Thickness and Shape

This means that both specks and glares will repeat this shape. Also they will linger a bit in this thickness.
It should be noted that the bottom and curves of glass object are usually thicker.

And this means that the shadow and light will be more intensive or denser in these places. If the glass is colored, the intensity of its color will be higher on the curves and the bottom.

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How to draw a glass, art lesson
The thickness of the glass — the darker bar. The speck repeats the shape of the vase

It should be noted that it is better to paint the glass from nature because the photos usually feature too many specks or too laboratory conditions that rarely happen in nature.

I wish you happiness, love, harmony, and success!

Contents

  • 1 The Color of Glass
    • 1.1 Examples Color of Glass
  • 2 How to Make a Nontransparent Vessel Glass
    • 2.1  You Need to Determine the Source of Light
    • 2.2 Examples Source of Light
    • 2.3 The Glare From the Speck
    • 2.4 The Glare Examples
    • 2.5 The Glare From the External Environment
    • 2.6 The Glare Examples
  • 3 Thickness and Shape

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About Mark Horton

I'm Mark, an artist. I love to create pieces that make people feel something, whether it's happiness, sadness, or anger. I want my artwork to evoke a reaction in people and get them thinking about the world around them.

I grew up in a small town in Texas and always loved art. I would spend hours doodling in my notebooks during class and experimenting with different mediums. After high school, I decided to pursue art as a career and never looked back.

I've had several solo exhibitions throughout the United States, and my work has been featured in several magazines and online publications. I'm currently working on a series of paintings that explore the refugee crisis.

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