Introduction: How to Get a Painted Crackle Effect in Glass

By Unique Creations By Anita
About: I enjoy repurposing and restoring old furniture and making woodwork projects that are not seen every day. I make most of my projects using wood that is either, recycled,reclaimed and love to repurpose and rest…

This technique can make the most boring glass look like it has been painted by a professional. But this technique is so simple even a child can do it with no experience needed.

Step 1: Requirements for This Project

  • Glass bowl you want to paint
  • Metallic gold spray paint
  • Unicorn Spit stain and glaze
  • Clear spray polyurethane or acrylic spray
  • Spray bottle with water
  • Paper towel
  • Compressor air (not necessary)

Step 2: Prepare Your Surface

After the passing of Bruce Lee, we decided we would have no more fish so his home will become my new planter. I removed the decals and washed it in the dishwasher to make sure all the grease and grime was removed. Hand washing is fine.

Step 3: Add Your Unicorn Spit Stain and Glaze

I only used 2 colours for this project but you can add as many as you wish. I find you get a better look with only a couple of colours. Shake your unicorn spit well and randomly dribble the spit around the bowl. If your spit does not run down you can dilute it with water as per diluting instructions. For those that do not know this product. It is a coloured wood stain that can be used on many surfaces. My personal choice is to make decorative glass vases.

Step 4: Cover Your Surface With Unicorn Spit

This is the boring part, you now have to wait for the spit to cover all the sides of the bowl in Unicorn Spit. I did my colours one at a time because I always get better results. Unicorn spit dries very fast and has a powder like finish when it is dry. Just keep turning the bowl until all the sides are covered. You can use a heat gun or hair dryer to speed up the drying process. It is at this step you can use short bursts of compressed air to spread the Spit, but you could get a face full of stain if you do it too hard. (Non-Toxic)

Step 5: Add Sprays of Water

Once you are happy with the coverage it is time to add 3 sprays of water using a spray bottle set to a fine mist. Put down some paper towel or newspaper and turn your bowl upside down so the water and excess spit can run out.

Step 6: Add Metallic Gold Spray Paint to Inside

I believe it is the water that causes the cracks to appear. Once all the excess is out. Let you bowl dry completely until all the spit is dull. To get the beautiful effect of the gold veins I used metallic gold spray paint. Spray the inside of the bowl until the whole surface is covered. 2 Coats works great. One important thing to remember about unicorn spit is that it is water based and will reactivate when it gets wet. So far as I know there is no 100% way to waterproof a unicorn spit bowl. This is why they are sold as decorative. To make mine more durable I added 2 more coats of clear polyurethane. To see more info on this project https://uniquecreationsbyanita.com/how-to-make-a-unicorn-spit-glass-planter/ more ideas on the website just search Unicorn Spit