Hand Painted Glass Bottles and Jars: So Many Ways to Paint

Okay, so an image that I posted last week on my Facebook page created quite a stir! I asked people to guess what this was. From kaliedoscope to bangle to telescope to candle holder  to shot glass – people let their imagination run riot….. Some said it’s a painted glass bottle. Yes, that is the right answer. (sorry, my FB friends – I took so long to share, even though I said I’d share soon)

And, I have quite a few for you to see – both painted glass bottles as well as jars. I’ve been hoarding these for couple of years now. And, last week – in a whimsical moment, I thought – okay enough is enough, I’ve got to bring those dusty bottles out; wash, scrub (soak them overnight in soapy water) and transform – just in time for August 15 – India’s Independence Day.

Pari and I combined painted around 10 bottles and jars. There are many more to go. And, I want to paint them using many more techniques. This time, we used these paints:

• Acrylic colour – standard shades as well as ‘pearl colours’
• Glass colour and liner
• Puffy paint
• Ceramic colours

Pari painted along side me as well as with a friend of hers.

Acrylic colours are hard to clean, hence I always line the table with newspapers or a transparent, plastic table mat.

Here’s Pari’s creation:

I wasn’t able to click her friend’s bottle painting as she was much eager to take it home as soon as done! I can so understand….

We had a packet of Camlin glass colours that we really wanted to try out. So, both of us decorated these jars.

Piping out the black colour from the sqeeze-tube was not easy for Pari. Her fingers were sore by the end of it. But, she tried. She wanted to try the rose pattern that I’d made.

And this is how it turned out. Perfect holders for our colourful gel pens….

I went on to paint a bunch of glass bottles and jars.

First four that I painted were in the theme of India’s flag – our tricolour and the national symbols – the Tiger (National animal) and Lotus (National Flower) and Peacock (national bird). I have to tell you – more than how the art turned out, the satisfaction of doing it in the spirit of the Independence Day was precious to me.

The black designs are done using ceramic colour. The rest  (orange, white) are acrylic colours. I’ve noticed that ceramic colours lend an amazing smoothness and gloss – much more than acrylic colours.

As you may have understood, I first painted the orange stripes and then dripped the white over it by pressing the brush onto the rim.

I got this shade of orange by mixing pearl orange and a pinch of standard orange. The black is again – ceramic paint.

Lotus. Used pearl pink and pearl yellow of the Fevycryl Acrylic Colours.

And this one – inspired by the colours of the peacock’s feathers….

I really enjoyed doing this one. It’s more of an abstract art or a collage. Even a graffiti you may say. To do this, I first applied a base coat of white. Then, black acrylic over it. And brown over the black leaving some patches of black in between for a bold, quirky look.  Finally, I applied some brush strokes of yellow, orange, red. Made some abstract designs combined with text. Not sure if you like it, but I love playing with paint this way….!

Here’s another side of this same jar:

One more view: ‘H is for Home’

Guess what, these bottles are serving as more than just decor items in our home. Yesterday, Pari and I turned these into a fairy garden. And, we went on to play for couple of hours! Avie joined in for a bit, too! I can’t wait to show you the pictures from our fairy garden pretend play and share some stories that emerged from this play…..

BTW, from among the ones I painted, which one do you like best? Just asking…for some fun Friday chat!

Have a great weekend!

Got bottles? Repurpose them!

Here are some more ideas to decorate and repurpose old glass jars and bottles. Even plastic ones.

Decoupage Glass Jars into Votives for Holding Candles

Upcycle plastic bottles into musical maracas

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Tagged as: hand painted glass bottles, India independence day art and craft, upcycle