Finding the Perfect Subject for Your Reverse Painting on Glass

By Sally Willson

Finding the perfect subject for your reverse painting on glass is not really as difficult as I was afraid it might be when I started painting glass 8 years ago. I really toiled when I tried to think about it. That is why it was toil. I thought too much! Therein lies the trick. Do not think! Just look around you, and really open your eyes!

I decided a few years ago, that when I took pictures with my camera, very few of them came out very well. I was lucky at the time to get a half dozen good pictures from a roll of 36. Bummer. The bigger decision was to improve the odds. So I read just a little, and focused more on really looking at what was in the view finder. It's a small adjustment. For those of us who do not have a zoom lens built into their eyes, we only need mental blinders to block out some or all of the background. One of the real beauties of a reverse glass painting is that you can completely block out the background if you want to! An example of this would be in a 15 year old painting of your parents, dancing at a wedding reception. Your parents may have looked wonderful! But what about all of those other people who confused the background? Just ignore them when you do the painting.

The best painting you will ever do is the painting of someone or something that you really love! If you really love horses, or old barns, that is where your best work will shine through! If you really loved it, and worked to many times in the same subject matter, it will get old, and you may wear it out. Best to leave it alone for a while, and return to it at a later date. There are so many beautiful things in this world, I am sure that you can find something else to work on for a while.

I need a picture to work from, whether it be a photograph, or something I cut from a magazine. It's a basic for painting, just as a map is for driving. So if you want to get started, and do not yet have a picture in mind, you will need to find one, or go out with the camera first. What better time of the year, than in autumn to take a good photo anyway? I got some beauties when I went out in a canoe last summer! And then another time just taking a walk through the woods! Many photographs of children playing would make lovely reverse glass paintings! Just really look around, and see if you can spot one!

After you have the picture or photograph, it will need to be enlarged to the size you would like your painting to be. If you happen to have an all in one center with your computer, this can be done by going to the multiple page poster option. otherwise, you can use one of the mail order photo shops for enlarging. It's really a must for a beginner, though, even if only to see one way that it can be done.

The enlargement will need to be taped to the back side of the glass, so that it can be viewed through the side of the glass that you are going to paint on. Begin the painting by painting in the last thing that came into the picture, first. You will need to use very small brushes to begin with. As your painting progresses, so will the size of your brush. That part will be much easier to understand after you have done a painting! Your painting will be done in several steps so that the paint has time to dry. Any type of paint will work on a very clean surface. The clean surface may be the most important thing I can tell you! Even a thumb print can make a mess, so keep a soft cotton rag handy while working. You can use it to wipe off mistakes that might be made, too, if they are still wet when you see them.

In any event, get your photograph, and be ready to begin a very fulfilling art form! Happy painting!

copyright 2007 Sally Willson

I have been painting reverse paintings on glass for about 9 years now. Some of them have sold, and more have not. Some have been done for clients who wanted to personalize paintings. They brought me their own photos to work from. Only part of my painting is doe in the above read manner. Some of my work is done straight from the imagination. I also paint in water colors on rice paper, and do oils on canvass.

To see these types of my work, go to http://www.reversepaintinglady.com/
Look for the other types of work by same artist. There are also other types of work that 'anyone' could do with instructions. I would love to see you visit, and once again, happy painting!
sallywillson@yahoo.com
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