Art on glass

This weekend has concluded another successful glass painting workshop for Banna Creations. We regularly organise crafty workshops to give ordinary people the chance to experience a variety of hand skills. For us, promoting the handmade tradition is very important because sadly it is a declining trade. It is never too late to get involved, and we strive to give you that opportunity. With these classes, participants can pick up valuable skills, experience guidance from a professional teacher and make something personal and truly unique.

We run the glass painting workshops with Mr Pratap Ruthnaswamy - the class teacher - who has over 20 years of glasswork experience. He is the owner of the Bangalore based company ‘Bottle Tree’ that sells a variety of glass products. His business initially began by making and selling stained glass but now produces painted glass as well. ‘Stained glass’ is often mistaken for ‘painted glass’, when in actual fact the two are different. Traditional stained glass is what we would associate with large windows in old buildings. This involves intricate work; soldering together small bits of coloured. The time and expense required for such art is the main reason people have turned to glass painting. Glass painting simply is painting straight onto a piece of glass. This is now very popular, with over 200 glass painting companies in Bangalore alone. There are certainly many products available to buy, but we feel it is much nicer to make your own.

At the workshop the class is taught a variety of techniques by Pratap and his colleagues. He strongly believes in teaching his students everything he knows himself about glass painting, there is no secret skill to glass painting. What makes painted glass unique is the artist’s own design rather than the technique applied. He also uses local materials from Bangalore so participants can visualise their potential as everything but the sandblasting can easily be done at home.

As everyone settles into the first day of our 4 day programme, first on the agenda is glass cutting. Pratap begins by demonstrating how to cut glass. Using a glass cutter he scores the glass with the diamond point, and then snaps it along the line. After having a go themselves, the group then moved onto glass etching. With a pre-cut glass bottle (turned into a pen holder) and a small square of clear glass (intended as a coaster) the ladies created their own design for them using two different methods. On the pen holder, resist film was stuck onto the glass and before shapes are cut out, transferring the design. For the coaster, a white liquid called fevicol was used to draw on the pattern. Up next came the mirror project, which also used resist film. The film was again stuck onto the mirror and then the pattern cut out. Pratap encouraged the group to come up with their own designs this time, which was a challenge for some, but they all looked fantastic. All items then had to wait for sandblasting in order to complete the look.

To finish off the weekend the ladies had their first taste of painting glass, with another coaster sized piece to experiment with. Before the painting part begins, the glass had to be thoroughly cleaned. Then the design outline is drawn on with opaque black leading (which looks sort of like mandey). This is the tricky part, as the leading should be dragged over the glass rather than sketched on, to make it a clean and solid line. It helps to have a stencil underneath the glass to follow, and luckily if a mistake is made it can be wiped off. Once the leading is dried, the gaps are filled in with coloured paint. Using a paintbrush, the paint is blobbed onto the glass to make a thick and even coating. There shouldn’t be any air bubbles in the leading or paint, as they will look like white specs once it dries. The results are beautifully bright coasters - excellent first attempt.

During the week the bottles, squares and mirrors were sandblasted with a machine that shoots sand onto the glass at high speed. This leaves an etched effect on the exposed areas of glass, where the film and fevicol is not covering. On taking off the film, the finished design is revealed.
 The group met up again the following weekend and began painting their mirrors, in a piece combining their etching and painting skills. With the same paints, the gaps left from the acrylic film were coloured in. Using the same techniques but on a larger scale, the ladies then made a glass painted picture, most choosing a bird or flower design. The leading outline was applied first and then the paint. The colour, texture and thickness of the paint were important here, as the results would show more clearly. With more confidence, some began experimenting. They discovered that the thicker the coat of paint, the stronger the colour would be. Some mixed sparkly paint with regular plain colours. One lady realised that a double layer of yellow paint actually changed the colour to amber. On the final Sunday the class made an impressive glass lamp. With developed skills, the leading and painting now seemed straightforward. The gold decoration on top was still a little tricky, the intricate work making hands shaky with concentration.


 
To finish up the workshop, Pratap demonstrated traditional stained glass work. He cut up the coloured glass and then welded it together with molten copper strips to make a coaster. To witness this was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

On completing the 4 day programme, without a doubt the class was pleased with their efforts and had greatly enjoyed their experience. Everyone joined for different reasons but they all got what they came to achieve. One girl had just finished her Engineering degree and wanted to do something fun before starting a career. A different woman said she just needed a break from her office work routine and felt like trying something totally new. One lady wanted to decorate her home with personal glass items she made herself. Another had wanted to go to Art College as a teenager but instead had to find a job after her mum passed away. Now she is able to follow her passion for art and even wants to work in the glass painting industry.

The great thing about this class is everyone works together. No-one knew each other before joining, but now having spent two full weekends in each other’s company they have become friends. The ladies can work at their own pace with no pressure. Everyone supports each other and the teachers are always on hand to answer questions and help out. The workshops are flexible, giving participants the opportunity to experiment and try out their own ideas. Whether for fun, learning or relaxation – everyone has left with warm memories of this workshop.