Painting the Illusion of Glass

How do you paint something that is solid yet seems almost invisible? It's an exciting challenge to the artist and it's easier than you might think.

Transparent Glass

Painting glass is mostly about painting what is around it and seen through it. There is no single color or paint that could be labeled 'transparent glass'. While it may be tempting, you wouldn’t ever want to outline the glass and fill it in with gray paint.  The color of a glass is influenced by what's in the background, what can be seen through it, what the glass is reflecting and the shadows around the glass. The most difficult part about painting glass is to get the drawing accurate. 

Observation is key. Look for the highlights and color reflections. The next step is to mix a light medium and dark value. Remember that the tone will depend on the color of what is behind the glass. Paint each little shape or bit of color and value individually and, magically, the pieces of paint will come together to form glass. Don’t worry about accurately recreating every single highlight and reflection. Squint, so that you only see the most important lights and then simplify those lights that you do see. Finish with just a few bright white highlights.

Reflection

Lina Ferrara  12 x 16  oil on canvas

Available

Colored glass

Colored glass is easier to paint than clear glass because it is less influenced by the colors in the background and appears more solid. Using a transparent color will simplify creating the look of colored glass.

Silver Cachepot

Lina Ferrara   11x 14   oil on canvas

Available

Glass with liquid inside

Paint the color of the liquid first, paying attention to the values. Then the transparent portion of the glass can painted.

Dopo Pranzo

Lina Ferrara   12 x 16   oil on canvas

Available

Etched Glass

Paint the glass and then add the design with variations of gray. Observation always takes precedence over what you logically think it should look like.

Cut Crystal

The many facets each have value changes, so paying attention to that is key

Cafe Con Sucro

Lina Ferrara 16 x 20 oil on canvas

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Distortions

Remember: objects seen through a glass are distorted. There can be large The distortions may be slight or quite exaggerated, depending mostly on the thickness of the glass. Observe closely, and look for the edges of the object before and after it passes through the glass.

I hope this explanation makes you want to try painting glass for yourself.