021 Glass Etching ages 11+
Supplies:
glass jars, glass cleaner and cloths or paper towels or rubbing alcohol and cotton balls, cheap paint brushes, disposable gloves, glass etching cream, masking tape, sharpie, letter stickers, hearts, stars, etc. stickers, optional: reusable glass etching stencils or rub-on stencils, ribbon or rafia, glow stick, real or battery operated tea light candles
Set-up:
Place everything out on the tables except the disposable gloves so the kids won’t play with them, and the etching cream in small containers for 2 or 3 kids to share. If you are using candles, go ahead and place them in the jars.
In printmaking 101 we touched brieflly on the design elements of positive and negative space. The object in a work of art is the positive space and everything around the object is negative space. Learning to draw well is all about seeing. When you learn to see the object and the background as shapes, that’s when the magic happens. Seeing shapes that relate to each other is how you draw accurately and also a way to double check your drawing for mistakes.
Optical illusions are a fun way to teach positive and negative space to kids. They are fun for adults, too. The artist best known for mind-blowing illusions is most definitely M.C. Escher. I included a link to a few of his best-known works.
A dutch graphic artist, Escher’s work impossible drawings defy the eyes and brain His simple wood cut print, ‘Sky & Water’, is a picture of a black bird in the sky.
Beneath the bird are two more and below them three more and so it goes... until you notice that the white air or space between the black birds slowly morph into white fish and the black birds become the black water or space between the fish. The positive space has transformed into the negative space and vice versa.
M.C. Escher is also known for his mathematical art. The link to the circular piece is a tessellation, where the positive and negative shapes are identical and fit perfectly into one another. The image is based on Hyperbolic Geometry which creates the designs getting smaller as they seem to spiral into a vortex.
Now that your students have learned about positive and negative space, it will be easier to understand the lesson of etching glass.
I included a link of examples of the steps for masking a design for etching glass. Like print-making, you must decide what gets etched and what stays clear. Start by showing the class the examples When you place adhesive lettering on the glass, the letters will mask the glass so they remain clear. Have your students plan what to mask off around the lettering that will be etched.
There are reusable and rub-on stencils available in letters, numbers and different designs. They are fun and easy and allow the letters to be etched instead of remaining clear. The reusable stencils are difficult to keep track of since they get rinsed off in the sink. I like them but stopped buying them since hey are a little expensive for my large classes and I end up losing a few every time. I linked pictures of before and after using letter stickers and a before and after using a rub-on template.
Begin by asking your students to choose their glass jar and clean it well with glass cleaner or rubbing alcohol. The glass etching cream doesn’t work well with oily fingerprints on the glass. Handle the clean glass jar by the inside with your fingers.
For this project you can use mason jars, recycled food jars, votive candle holders, or any glass container you can get your hands on. If you decide on food jars, soak them in soapy hot water to remove the labels. I save spaghetti sauce, salsa and jelly jars through the year for this project.
Have the kids either write their names on the bottom of their glass jars with sharpie or on tape to stick to the bottom of the jar. Sharpie can be removed from glass later with rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover.
If you have examples of etched glass place them on the tables for inspiration. Hand out the adhesive letters, stickers with hearts, stars, or any shapes you can find. If you have parents who scrapbook, ask them to donate adhesive lettering. Also supply the students with masking tape.
When applying the stickers or tape be sure to press them to the glass well, all around the edges, with a piece of paper or paper towel to keep the glass clean.
This project can be done with older kids using adhesive contact paper and an exacto knife. You can cut any design you want out of the contact paper.
When you’ve checked a student’s work and they are ready for etching cream, THEN give them a pair of disposable gloves and a container of the etching cream. The etching cream contains sulfuric acid which eats into the glass. If the etching cream gets onto skin simply wash it off with soap and water. This is a precaution I usually don’t take. I think the amount of acid is so small that I’ve never had a reaction to it. But I take precautions with the kids.
The acid etching cream sometimes goes bad by the time I need it the next year. It gets a bad smell to it. Try to buy what you think you will use at one time. A 10 oz jar of armour etch usually works well for 40 or 50 jars or more and it costs around $20. As long as you are masking an area to etch and not etching the entire jar. I keep away from etching the entire jar because the frosted glass looks blotchy and uneven in large areas.
Use the paint brushes to apply the cream heavy.. The thicker the better. Have your students check the clock after the cream is applied and wait three or four minutes for the etching to work.
Sometimes it takes my students so long to create their design that I end up rinsing everyone’s work after class and they pick it up the next week. When time is up, keep the gloves on and rinse the glass in the sink under running water. Make sure there is a sink strainer basket to keep the tape and stickers from clogging the drain. You can also have a sink filled with water and have the kids submerge their jars to rinse, so you can be sure the tape and stickers don’t go down the drain. When the kids are done rinsing the etching cream have them go back to their seat to remove the remaining tape and stickers, and dry the glass with paper towels. The etching becomes visible after it is dry.
Place candles in the jars and tie a ribbon or raffia around the top for a finishing touch. This project can look really sophisticated and the parents are impressed. Use this project to light up an evening event.
