Penny Channer: Glittered Ornaments

Life size ornaments:
I use satin finish ornaments, the best I can find as they have the most tensile strength and are not likely to break when working on them. Also satin finish pieces are easier to see as they do not glare back at you :)

For free hand designs like the turquoise ornament below:
I first draw lines down from the very top that divided the ornament into quarters. Think of cutting an apple in quarters. That makes it easier to keep a free hand pattern a little more organized.

Then draw a pattern of loops with a white artists pencil. (you can use a kneaded eraser to correct mistakes, but be very gentle with it, more tapping it on mistake than rubbing). Decided which colors will go where and mark each individual area with an initial for the color of glitter to use. Hopefully this way you don't have too many repeat colors next to each other. For fun and effect you can leave a couple of them blank, i.e. no glitter, just the finish of the ornament showing through.

Paint the outlines with what ever is your basic dark or contrasting color (for me it was gold). Let dry. I use acrylic paint. Then using slightly diluted Art Glitter Designer Glue (dries clear) outline each loop with glue using a paint brush . Do one at a time and then immediately glitter outline. I prefer using Art Glitter MICRO-FINE whenever possible, other wise use the ultra fine. I also prefer the opaque colors UNLESS I am high lighting a painted area that I don't want to have a solid look and so that the paint underneath can show through. After outlining has thoroughly dried you can then "paint" in each loop with glue, one loop at a time and sprinkle glitter over the glue making sure you have a good solid even covering. I do this over a glass bowl so I can recover left over glitter and re use. Turn ornament on an angle and tap off extra glitter. I often set my ornaments in a drinking glass or small jar while working on it as to keep it from rolling a round and making it easier to handle.

Hint, I find it easier to work with the glitter when I put it in tall glass jars about the diameter of test tubes. Makes it easier to pick it up and tap out the amount you want. Glass tubes have more stability than plastic ones. As it is I still knock them over on occasion. Putting glitter back in tube or jar is done by making a paper funnel and pouring glitter from glass bowl into funnel and back into the jar. Plastic does NOT work as the glitter clings to it.

Other ornaments I paint the scene or figure on it and then accent with glitter. Plan things out first on paper. I have also used transfer paper to occasionally "trace" design on ornament. Tricky as your trying to transfer a one dimensional drawing onto a curved surface, but this is where you can do some correcting with kneaded eraser. Remember when doing outlines, glue tends to follow a painted line. Much harder to get it to stay where you want it without paint underneath to guide the glue.

Take a look at these spectacular miniatures by Penny...

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