Basics of the Stained Glass Painting Process

By Peter Boucher

I paint primarily with glass stainers paint from Reusche Company. C.E. Oster supplies me with all my yellow silver stains. There is another company locally called standard ceramic that I use when I am in a pinch too.

There are two types of paint, high firing glass stainers paint and lower firing enamels. The enamel paints don't last as long but come in more of a variety of colors. Glass stainers paints are fired at 1200 f. and enamels at 1050 f. Paints are made of silica and various types of metals. When fired they essentially melt into the glass.

I use four types of brushes in painting. The first three are made of natural animal hairs. The first is called a tracing brush and it comes to a fine point for detailed lines. This brush is made of a softer hair is a round brush. The second is a flat brush called an applicator brush and is also a softer hair. The applicator brush is used for spreading paint over the whole surface of the glass in order to apply grey tones. This brush looks and works a lot like a water color brush. The third is a blender brush that is larger than the last with thicker hair, often badger hair. It feels like an old fashioned men's shaving brush. The blender smoothes out the paint to give it a silky look. I think of velvet elvis paintings from the 70's when I think of the smoothness it creates. The forth type of brush is for removal of dry painting. They can come in a variety of types but often they are tough brushes, short and stocky.

The process works like this. First I paint trace lines. Then I fire the glass. Then I add my greys and browns, firing the glass again. The last type of paint to be applied if necessary are the enamels and the silver stains, since they fire at a lower temperature.

Most people think that the painter adds all the color to the glass but really we mostly use blacks and browns. Flesh painting and other smaller detailed pieces are the exception to that. I usually describe the first step of creating a painted window as being like a mosaic, mixing pure color. Then the detailed line work and tones are added to this.