Vase made of glass painted with acrylic

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DIY Paint Drip & Milk Glass Vase

Paint drip & milk glass vases can make any space unique and artisan. In just a few quick steps, and with easy craft store materials like acrylic paint, you can make a gorgeous painted milk vase in no time.

Today, we walk you through the process of creating one. Scroll through to learn how.

How To Paint Glass Vases

This paint drip art project will create a wonderful decoration that you can display in any part of your home, whether that’s the living room, kitchen, or bedroom.

Painting DIY Level: Beginner

Paint Dripping Art Materials Needed:

To create a drip paint effect, you will need the following materials.

• Clear glass vase (any size)
• Gold acrylic/craft paint (used: Martha Stewart metallic gold acrylic paint; almost entire 2 oz. bottle used for this larger-sized vase)
• White latex paint
• Toothpicks/foam brush (optional)

Step 1: Apply drip paint to the inside rim of the glass vase.

To achieve the look of milk glass, all paint should be applied to the inside of the glass.

This means you have to work backward, in a way, starting with whatever color you want as your drip paint effect.

Note: In this image, the paint drips are metallic gold (Martha Stewart).

You can go for a bold or metallic color for a more striking look, or add a pastel shade for a more subtle cartoon paint dripping effect.

Squeeze a generous amount of paint all around the inside of the vase rim.

The weight of the excess paint is what will form the drips.

If the rim of your vase has multiple angles, as this one does, you’ll need to apply paint to the “top” of all sections.

Step 2: Spread excess drip paint over entire opening.

Use a foam brush to spread the areas of excess paint toward the areas not yet covered with paint. Cover the opening of the vase.

Be aware that on this initial paint layer, the important part is what is seen from the outside of the vase, not necessarily what is seen looking in.

Step 3: Allow the paint drips to take shape

At this stage, let the dripping paint technique to run its course, and fall organically.

How to fix paint drips? Don’t worry if paint drips down to the bottom of the vase. The paint drips will be easily scraped off before your next paint application when all is dry. Just leave them alone and let them dry at this point.

Step 4: Wipe the rim.

Wipe off the rim of your glass vase.

Note: Don’t worry too much about what the inside of the vase looks like. The inside will be covered with your other paint coat.

Step 5: Let the acrylic paint dripping dry.

Set your vase in a safe spot, and let it dry thoroughly.

For consideration: This might take a few days, depending on the thickness of your paint. Don’t rush this step as you risk messing up your work so far, and it will be more challenging to remove the unwanted paint drips.

Step 6: Remove unwanted paint drips

Now that the acrylic paint dripping is dry, the excess drips are ready to be removed.

Pro Tip: Thick globs of paint are easier to scrape off glass than thin streaks, leave the thin ones be.

Simply scrape off the unwanted drips. You can use your fingertip to do this.

Step 7: Add the white paint.

Pour enough white paint into the bottom of the vase to cover the bottom, about 1/4″.

Note: The amount you pour is dependent upon the size of your vase – you want just enough to cover the clear glass.

Swirl the paint around the vase, covering all sides and clear spaces.

Turn the vase on its side, and slowly work the paint from the bottom of your vase up toward the top.

Wipe away significant excess; remember, the paint need only be as thick as to appear opaque through the glass.

Step 8: Let the paint dry (again)

When the entire inner vase is covered in paint, let it dry.

Step 9: Enjoy your beautiful drip paintings vase

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HOW TO MAKEOVER A GLASS VASE WITH ACRYLICS AND PAINTED FLOWERS

WHAT KIND OF PAINT CAN YOU USE ON GLASS?

I use Apple Barrel Matte, FolkArt Matte and FolkArt Multi-Surface acrylic craft paint to create my designs on glass. You can also use FolkArt Enamel acrylic paint, however, I haven’t tried the enamel yet to give an opinion on how well it works.

TIP : Apple Barrel Matte works the best when coating the inside of glass vases or jars since it has a thinner consistency.

As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• small thrift vases
• acrylic craft paint
• round artist brush
• liner artist brush
• small stiff paint brush
• Isoprepyl alcohol
• Q-tips
• paper towels
• cotton face pads
• wax paper
• white vinegar (if needed)

PREPARE THE GLASS VASES FOR PAINTING

CLEAN : Since my glass vases were from a thrift store, they had multiple white rings on the inside which were from long-term use of water with fresh flowers. Both needed a heavy duty cleaning.

TIP : For stubborn white rings, pour 100% white vinegar inside the vase. Let it soak for several hours. Use an old toothbrush for scrubbing. It’s amazing how that vinegar works so well. My vases turned out crystal clear!

WIPE : Rub Isopropyl alcohol on the glass right before painting to remove any soap residue and oils from your hands.

HOW TO PAINT THE INSIDE OF A GLASS VASE OR JAR USING ACRYLICS

STEP 1 :

Pour a generous amount of acrylic paint in each vase. Depending on the size of the opening, you can squeeze some paint on the sides, also.

Begin rolling, tilting and turning the vase constantly to spread the paint around. The paint should look like it’s flowing and dripping down the sides and towards the opening.

This step takes time and patience until the inside is fully coated.

STEP 2 :

Once the inside is completely coated, turn the vase upside down onto a piece of wax paper. Allow the remaining paint to drain out for about 30 minutes.

Turn the vase upright. Clean the tip-top lip of the vase by squirting a cotton face pad with Isoprepyl alcolol and carefully wipe the excess paint off. Work on wiping the paint off evenly around the tip-top.

Let the vase dry during the day and overnight before beginning to paint the flowers

NOTE : The total time for the inside paint to cure is about a week, so wait before you start sticking faux flowers in the vase as they will scrape the paint. I’m still careful after that time, too.

HOW TO PAINT GLASS WITH ACRYLIC PAINTS

Before you begin painting on the glass vase, practice, practice, practice the petal strokes until you get somewhat comfortable making the sunflower petals. No perfection needed.

Squirt one light and one dark shade of gold onto your paint palette leaving about a one-inch empty space in between the two.

Use a round artist brush to pull the two shades together haphazardly, but do not totally mix them together. This is going to be kind of like cheating at shading. (The gold and cream paint dots seen below are for later.)

Load your paint brush generously with the mixture of two gold colors by dabbing/rolling from one color to the other with your brush.

Paint the petal by placing your brush down….slide the brush across….and lift up. Practice painting the petals like this.

LET’S START PAINTING ON THE GLASS VASE

First stipple a faint brown flower center as seen in the photo below. Let dry completely. Doing this first will ensure your petals will end up fitting within a somewhat round shape.

The first petals are going to be the background layer of the sunflower. You’ll be using the two shades of gold acrylic paint to paint the petals.

Begin painting your petals. Remember to load your brush generously.

TIP : Holding the vase steady using my thighs as I painted worked out really well for me.

Keep turning the glass vase slightly which makes it easier to paint the next petals as you go around. The photo below shows the first layer of petals completed.

VERY IMPORTANT : The first row of petals must dry completely before painting the rest of the petals. I used a hair dryer to speed up the drying process and then let the glass cool off before painting again.

Remember the light gold and cream paint dots seen on the paint palette? It’s time to mix those two together. That mixture becomes one individual color.

You’ll be haphazardly dabbing/rolling the paint brush back and forth between the two colors just like you did with the two gold colors that made the first layer of petals.

This layer of petals will be lighter in color and a little bit shorter than the background petals. Paint the new petals in between each background petal as you can see in the photo below.

Now, your last layer of sunflower petals are completed and you need to speed dry them with the hairdryer.

Complete your sunflower by stippling the rest of the brown flower center. Use both light and dark brown shades. Refer to completed photo for how this ends up looking.

TIP : The Isopropyl alcohol will easily remove any unwanted acrylic paint. Use Q-tips, cotton face pads or paper towels where needed.

LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES

MISTAKE 1 :

Don’t try to paint the top layer of petals before the paint is completely dry on the previous petals. I had to remove a couple of petals and paint them again.

MISTAKE 2 :

Don’t paint too many petals. You know the saying, “less is more.”

Having made these two big mistakes, I decided to start completely over. As seen in the photo column above, you can see how the alcohol is starting to remove all of the acrylic paint.

HOW TO PAINT FLOWERS ON CLEAR GLASS

Use the sunflower painting instructions to make the echinacea flowers. Once you have finished your sunflowers, you’ll find that these echinaceas are quick and easy to paint!

I tried 3 times to paint some green stems and leaves and they were looking like a hot mess until the third one.

The last was a winner… a very simple “suggestion” of a stem. Use a liner brush to start the stem at the bottom, slide the brush upwards, and lift up near the petals.

Once your vases have cured inside, you can dress them up with faux greenery and include them in your home decor.

The flower choices to paint are endless! What flowers would you’d like to paint on glass vases? Let me know in the comment section down below.

I’ve joined a group of creative designers this month to share our upcycles and makeovers with all of our readers. We take something old and/or unused and ‘do it over’ into something new. Our items can be found in closets, barns, garages, yard sales, thrift stores, you name it! This month our theme is “glass.” Be sure to click their project links at the end of my post to see what they’re sharing. Don’t miss out!

BELOW, FIND OUT WHAT YOUR “DO IT OVER” DESIGNERS HAVE CREATED!

Sharing my floral painted glass vases at these fabulous blogs!

Quick & Easy Painted Glass Vases

Need a quick and easy way to add some chic décor to your home on a budget? Then you’ll LOVE these painted glass vases I created for under $7… TOTAL!!

LOVE that (and the price)!

And the best part? You only need TWO supplies:

• Clear cheap glass vases ($1 each from Dollar Tree)
• Acrylic paint in various colors (.59¢ each from Michael’s)

OK, let’s get painting! Pick your desired paint colors and set them to the side so you’re ready to grab the bottles quickly once you get started.

1. Squirt your first color into the vase.Let it trickle down the side for about one minute.
2. Now get your second color and squirt the paint inside. Let the colors run together a bit so they streak into one another.
3. Continue with your various colors until you achieve your desired look.
4. Softly turn your glass vase so the paint fills in most empty holes and gaps.
5. Don’t worry about getting every little space filled. The paint will continue to settle in the vase over the next 8-10 hours.



Yep, three beautiful new painted vases to match my Living Room décor for ONLY $7!! So easy to do… even the kids could help! ENJOY!





Comments

Thanks for hosting such a fantabulous party each week, Erin! Ruby Tuesday

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks girlie
These look great! Thanks for sharing this idea…already added it to my to craft list.

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks Sally!
Beautiful vases! I definitely want to try this!

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks Kristi! Hope you’re having a wonderful week

These turned out great! I’ve done something similar with a single paint color, but it never occured to me to use several colors! LOVE this.

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks Blythe!
how neat! love that, and you could really tailor the color combo to any room or home!

• howtonestforless says at

THanks! I think different color combos would be great for holidays, too!
What an awesome, creative idea! Love how colorful they are! Absolutely love it!

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks Maria!

This is so cool – I love it! I would love if you would post and share it with my readers! Join the Community and share any of your creative project! Susan @ Oh My! Creative

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks Susan! I just signed up

I love this idea! So simple and frugal but it really gives a great unique look. I am so trying this one asap!

• howtonestforless says at

Super simple Jami!! Have fun

These are super clever. I could see different colors for different holidays too. Thanks for sharing your creativity.

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks Jodi!

I love these vases. What a simple yet extraordinary way to transform glass. I definitely have to try this!! Thanks so much for sharing. Lynn

these are beautiful! i have done christmas ornaments like this before. infact i did… so so many for our wedding for favors. never thought of the vase though. a trip to the dollar store to get some vases is in my future! thanks for sharing!
amie

• howtonestforless says at

Awesome wedding favor, Amie! That’s a fantastic idea!

What a great idea. THe vases look awesome. Love for you to share it at my Linky Party –
http://www.jaqsstudio.com/2012/03/made-by-me-22-linky-party-and-features.html

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks! Heading over there now

This is soooooo clever! I love it! I would be thrilled if you would share this over at my party going on right now and if you want become a new follower! Following you via LINKY!
http://www.pincushioncreations.com/2012/03/homemade-by-you-4.html

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks Katie! Heading over now
I love how these turned out–featuring on my blog tomorrow!

• howtonestforless says at

WOW!! Thank you so much Can’t wait to head over and see it!!
I saw your post from Katie’s blog…and I love your colors choice for this project.

• howtonestforless says at

Thanks so much!!

I tried this using just a single color of paint and the paint didn’t stick to the inside of the bottle. Some parts of the bottle are completely clear like I never swirled the paint around and other places the paint did stick. I tried again on a second bottle with the same issue and when I used a long paint brush to try and fix it the original paint that did stick peeled right off. Do you have any tips? I really want to use painted bottle to decorate my bathroom

• howtonestforless says at

Hey Bee, if you’re using a single color I would apply with a paintbrush to the inside of the vase. You might have to do 2 or 3 coats to cover everything perfectly. Also, are you using acrylic paint? It shouldn’t be chipping off. I use acrylic paint on glass all the time. Maybe try glass paint from Folk Art if you’re having trouble?

Do you think part of the issue with the paint not sticking is that my bottles once had booze in them? I washed them really well and after swirling the paint I let them dry upside down outside for sevral days. Maybe I’ll pick up some of the glass paint from Folk Art. Thanks for your help! B.

Hello
Thanks for sharing the cool idea. Could you please tell me the brand of the acrylic color you have used?

• howtonestforless says at

I used CraftSmart!

We love to conquer DIY, home improvement projects, and room makeovers. We’re not experts; we just try to design on a dime.

Follow us as we try to update our latest house one project at a time. Check out our archives for over 1,000 DIY and home-related projects. Enjoy! Read More…

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