Swish Swipe Holiday Ornaments
All year long I save the 'remains of the day' paint left on each palette and use it to swipe little abstracts on Christmas ornaments. Then one cold day in November, I sat down and made formal compositions using enough gold leaf to choke Scrooge McDuck. These ornaments to sell but folks keep messaging me for DIY tips. It appears the heart wants what it wants!
If you are going to make them, allow me to share some tips I wished I knew before starting. These are EASY but there are some tricks for success.
- Paint quality. These are made w Golden fluid acrylic because that is what's left from my paintings, but any good quality artists acrylic will stick to glass. However, if you use craft paint, the Martha Stewart multipurpose by Plaid line will work on glass or plastic too. Avoid the cheaperish craft paints because they will eventually split and crackle without a substrate to grip.
- Thick paint will be more prone to chipping off. So keep it thin or thin it out (pouring medium or acrylic extender or airbrush medium - be wary of water). And avoid layering too thick.
- Before you start painting, wipe the ornament with rubbing alcohol. Anything between surface and paint will tamper with adherence. Even the newest glass bulbs will have some factory dust, and plastic goods often have a sort of oily film (very slight - helps with non-sticking in the packaging process).
- Whatever ribbon or twine you use as a topper, get something that does not fray. I started these a year ago with black and white ribbon (looked super cute!) but with the passage of time the fibers relaxed and looked messy. You want these looking sharp for years to come, be selective with your topper!
- It's fun to leave gaps of exposed glass you can see stuff inside the ornament too - twinkly confetti, pompoms, sequins, etc.
- Have fun! Merry Christmas!
