Create your own distinctive holiday ornaments by using enamel paint
pens to decorate clear glass spheres. Available at art-supply or
crafts stores, paint pens are sold in a full range of colors and a
variety of point sizes. With them, you can draw decorative patterns
on glass that will dry in an hour or two. Look for other crafts
products, such as liquid paints and translucent marker pens, that
will open the door to a world of imaginative effects. You'll find
clear glass Christmas ornaments at imports stores and other places
that sell holiday decorations.
You can design any sort of pattern and fill it in with color, but
it's easiest to begin by repeating one shape. Draw diamonds or
scallops, or just make squiggly lines over the surface of the entire
ornament. Add a child's name or initials, or inscribe numerals to
commemorate the year. Try making zigzags, waves, or checks. Any
basic geometric shape works well.
Display your colorful collection in a glistening bowl, or hang the
ornaments on the tree. Add a fanciful twist of ribbon to
the top for a perfect little Christmas remembrance.
Materials
clear glass ornaments
enamel paint pens in colors such as red, green, gold, and copper
Step 1
Draw a shape, such as a star or circle, at the top of the ornament.
(Gold and copper work well for outlining designs, but you can use
any color.) Draw lines from the original shape down the sphere to
the base of the ornament. Make the lines curved, straight, or
diagonal, depending on the effect you wish to achieve. For greater
visual interest, include a few smaller shapes at the top or bottom
or on some other selected area.
Step 2
Add color by filling in some of the shapes you have drawn on the
balls. Rather than completely covering the surface, keep the
ornament slightly transparent by letting portions of clear glass
shine through the paint. When you've filled in the outlined areas,
emphasize some of the original lines by redrawing them in a
contrasting hue.
"Color Glass Ornaments" is from the December 2000 issue of Southern Living.
