Pottery
Balls
Materials:
* Craft
Sponges
* Fine
paintbrush
* Old
Toothbrush
* Craft
stick
* Tracing
paper and pencil
* Tape
* White or
Gray Gesso
* Acrylic
craft paints: Medium Gray, Tan, Dark Brown, and Very Dark Blue
* Desired Pattern
Notes:
1. The
best
way to dry these ornaments between steps is to use wooden shish-kabob
skewers
pushed into a block of floral foam or styrofoam. Then put the ornaments
on the
skewers using the holes.
2.
Applying
the gesso is a very important step. It helps keep the acrylics from
sliding off
the glass.
On a glass
ornament ball that
has had it's paint removed:
1) Use a
craft sponge to apply
a first coat of gesso the ball. Allow to dry then repeat to apply a
second
coat.
2) Using a
sponge, apply the
gray paint and allow to dry.
3) Apply a
light coat of tan,
allowing some of the gray to show through and mottling the colors.
Allow to
dry.
4) Use the
toothbrush and a
craft stick to finely spatter the ball with the dark brown. Allow to
dry.
5) Trace
the desired pattern
onto tracing paper with a pencil. Make the lines very dark by retracing
heavily. When the ball is completely dry, gently tape the traced motif
to the
ball, pencil side down. Use the pencil or a craft stick to rub the
pattern onto
the ball. The four coats of paint make the ball surprisingly strong,
however,
be gentle because it can still break if too much pressure is applied.
6) Use a
fine brush to trace
and paint the motif with the blue paint.
7) Use a
brush-on high gloss
acrylic varnish to finish. DO NOT use spray varnish. It runs, streaks,
and
pools, wrecking the look of the ornament.
