Glass etching is a great hobby to have but if you’re thinking that it’s a difficult hobby to master, then let me show you how easy and rewarding glass etching is.

First you need to find a pattern to follow for your glass etching.

It could be just letters or an image or both.  I actually found these online somewhere and cut the stencil from their outline.

What I did was put two different patterns together with a computer software and then included my name for a personal touch.  Also, you can etch glass from the front side or the backside. I chose to etch it from the back side so I needed to make the stencil backwards.

etching stencil

• Second, I cut the pattern out on a piece of vinyl and placed the stencil down on the glass.  You can use a lot of different materials such as contact paper.
• Always make sure you clean the glass with alcohol or windex to remove dirt and oils. This will ensure the stencil is intact.
• Once in place, mask the outside of the stencil to make sure areas that you don’t want etched, not to be exposed.

sandblast etching

• Then etch the glass with either etching cream or using the sandblasting technique.
• I chose to sandblast it because there are a lot of advantages to using it.

after etching glass

• When the exposed areas seem to be evenly etched,  you can then start to remove the masking tape and stencil.
• Pry and pick off smaller stencil pieces with a hobby knife. It makes it much easier.

completed etching

• The final step is to just clean up the glass, removing any abrasive or etching cream.
• All you need to do is wash the glass with water and clean with a rag.

And that is about all it takes to etch glass, easy isn’t it!

It’s fairly easy, quick, and allows you to personalize any type of glass.

There are lots of possibilities and here are just a few that come to mind: you can etch glass ornaments for Christmas, shower door glass, glass mirrors, glass mugs, your car glass, and your glass food cabinets.

glass etching equipment

Yes of course you can spend a small fortune on expensive glass etching equipment, but you don’t have to!

My new book Glass Etching Secrets, second edition has just been released and it’s full of equipment cost saving tips and other glass etching secrets, hence the title.

NOTE: If you’ve recently bought the 1st edition, be sure to ask me for the new and updated version of Glass Etching Secrets. Its updated with more information and pictures to help you follow along to help you get started with your new hobby.

If you fancy a glass based hobby you can find Eric and lots of other useful glass techniques, etching stencils and lots more over at his website Glass Etching Secrets, where else!

I hope this hobby tutorial has helped spark some creativity and feel free to leave a comment below.

Find Photos of Other Arts and Crafts

Is Computer Generate Digital Art Really Art?

Mike was asking this very question.

Is computer generated art thought of as an acceptable art form, or is it considered to be ‘cheating’?

One of Mike’s hobbies has been 3d computer animating & modelling, as well as having a passion for producing alien landscapes like the ones featured above, which are indeed computer generated digital images, or ART!

We have a sneaky feeling that Mike was anticipating a less than positive response to his question from other artists. However, Mike received some positive responses to his digital art question.

Personally, we love Mike’s digital art alien landscapes and we certainly do see them as art. They may not have been painted with artists paints, but the time, effort and artistic creativity that he’s put into his work is clear to see in these very eye pleasing images.

What about you?

Do you think computer generated digital art is really art?

Tell us your views on this topic,
leave your comment in the box below:

copyright images : Mike Spencer

Increase Your Earning Potential With An eCommerce Online Craft Store

If you’re an art or craft maker and seller then you understand the fact that the more products you have to promote, the better income you’re going to achieve at the end of every week or month.

If you’re not used to promoting other people’s products as well as your own, or instead of, it’s time for you to explore a new option which will allow you to increase your profits more than you ever thought possible.

The world of internet commerce has created more opportunities for art and crafts people to become affiliate marketers than any other program ever has – the opportunity to have an entire ecommerce online craft store front, full of products that you can earn commissions through, all based in whatever niche you choose!

Building Your Own eCommerce Online Craft Store

Having your own ecommerce online craft store is actually much simpler than most people think. A way to build an affiliate ecommerce store is by using data feeds. Data feeds make it possible to display products from one or more craft merchants, or related merchants, in the same web site.

Data feeds are similar to the RSS feeds used by blogs – an ecommerce store set up by a traditional offline business will place descriptions, pictures, and prices of their products into these feeds, and then affiliate marketers can incorporate these feeds into their own ecommerce store and make a commission through each product sold.

You can either build your own online craft store, or you can utilise the services of an ecommerce solutions company like Data feedr who will walk you through all the steps and support you as you get your online presence built.

We recommend using the services of an ecommerce solutions company when building your ecommerce online store, simply because they already have all of the store software in place to set up your data feeds.

Data feeds are the lifeblood of any ecommerce online store, as they are the ecommerce software that adds new products for you to promote to the site. Adding products manually to your ecommerce online craft store is certainly possible, but it really is a very time consuming process.

Data feeds take all of the guesswork out of adding new products to your ecommerce online store or website, making it easier for you to make better profits with a wider selection to offer your visitors.

What Are You Waiting For?

There’s never been a better time to build your own ecommerce online craft store, full of products that you could be making generous commissions from for every sale.

The folks at Data feedr have millions of different products that you can choose from for your ecommerce online store; and are ready to help you get your website up and running in no time!

Watch the video:

and see how easy it is to set up your own affiliate data feed stores.

The beautiful cold porcelain flowers shown above were handmade by cold porcelain expert Katy Buck.

Katy’s specialism is in making cold porcelain flowers, and she has a particular passion for creating cold porcelain orchids, although you’ll also find Katy’s hand painted orchids adorning all sorts of items from tee-shirts to bedding, she’s that passionate about orchids.

As a craft idea, you’ll discover making cold porcelain flowers is really easy to get to grips with as a new craft or hobby.

It does take a bit of practice before you can accomplish the same quality finish as Katy, she’s been making cold porcelain flowers for quite a few years now. As they say, practice makes perfect, we are still practicing and improving!

We were personally inspired to try our hand at making cold porcelain flowers as a hobby by Katy herself. Her creations are so inspiring, they look like the real thing, without the wilting and dying that you get with real flowers, we were so impressed, we just had to give cold porcelain a try.

Of course we went straight to the expert herself for some hints and tips.

Katy had actually already written an eBook which contains her personal cold porcelain recipe with hints and tips on making cold porcelain flowers and as an added bonus she includes another eBook about making Wedding Cake Toppers, now that’s another craft ideas tip you might want to look into, especially as you get both eBooks for under $10! Click : to view

We love using Katy’s personal recipe and as we said above, we improve with practice.

Another Cold Porcelain Craft Idea from Katy: Making Cold Porcelain Characters is a very popular craft. You can make characters just for fun or when you gain confidence perhaps as a craft business, making birthday cake toppers or celebration cake toppers.

If making Cold Porcelain Flowers is one of those craft ideas that appeals to you, we don’t hesitate in recommending you start with Katy’s Cold Porcelain Flowers eBooks

Do you want to create something special for a Mother’s Day gift?

How about alternative Easter gifts for the younger ones in the family?

Or are you considering selling your craft creations at local craft fairs?

Late spring and summer is when people start thinking about improving their skin and you’ll find them looking for quality aromatherapy products or they’re looking for unique spa products or gifts, handmade and creatively different to what is on offer in the high street.

Even if you just want to learn how to make aromatherapy products for yourself and your family, it can be one of the more rewarding craft ideas to get started with. You’ll know exactly what is going in to your spa products, as you’ll be making them yourself.

Will you be using organic ingredients only?

We came across these fabulous craft ideas for aromatherapy and spa products:

• Handcrafted Soaps – from classic recipes to deliciously different versions that you, your family and friends will adore!
• Bath Teas, Additives & Soaks – sink into a hot, fragrant bath and soak away all your cares with these original ’secret’ recipes.
• Spa Treatments – professional-quality treatments that you create yourself for pennies on the dollar.
• Bubble Baths & Bath Bombs – if bubbles are your thing, you’ll adore these new variations.
• Butters, Balms, Lotions & Creams – to add deep moisture to your skin and luxury to your life!
• Scrubs, Polishes, Salts & Masques – still more variations to add variety and build your line (and make your skin glow!)
• Home Fragrance Products – beautiful fragrance ideas you can adapt to suit your tastes and mood.
• Potpourri and Sachets – including a comprehensive ingredient list that you can simply “mix and match” to create a virtually unlimited number of flavors
• Aromatherapy Blends – soothing… relaxing… invigorating… revitalizing… you decide – with your own range of professional aromatherapy blends

We’ve actually made most of these items ourselves, the kids really enjoyed making the bath bombs and they had even more fun using the ones they made themselves! We still make out own homemade blend of salt scrub, a great exfoliation recipe and skin moisturizer.

Fancy your hand at learning how to make spa products at home?

Yes?

Then we can recommend this, affordable pack at only $27 (check out the bonuses too)
CLICK HERE: Aromatherapy Products Recipe and Resources Book.

For maximum benefit arts and crafts creators should make better use of the arts and crafts network opportunities.

Artists and crafts people join networks, like our very own Arts and Crafts Network, where you have the opportunity to create your own artists profile, add links back to your own website or craft store and feature your art or craft work.

There are of course many added benefits to joining an, our, arts and crafts network. You benefit from the networks own art marketing efforts, so you don’t have to do as much yourself, as you’d have to if you weren’t a member.

By becoming an ‘active’ member, rather than a passive member, of the network, your profile and your work are seen prominently by our regular visitors. As a growing network, this brings your arts and crafts into the view of thousands of visitors each month and every month the numbers are growing.

Do you know how long it might take you to generate the same number of website or store visitors by doing your art marketing yourself, alone?

Art marketing takes time and effort, yet if you want to make serious progress online, you really need to learn how to use the community art and craft network properly.

Make sure you don’t waste your art marketing efforts!

Join our Arts and Crafts Network

• complete your artist profile
• add your website or store link
• showcase your arts and crafts works
• become an active member
• write informative articles about your arts and crafts topic
• get noticed

Most of all enjoy being a part of a diverse creative network where you can share your ideas, teach others how to achieve more or inspire them to start a new art hobby or craft.

If you found this article helpful, please leave your comments below:

Featured Artist and Illustrator

Katy Dynes is our featured artist and illustrator simply because…

… we fell in love with her gorgeous range of illustrations and designs.

We thought you’d like to find out a little more about Katy
and her beautiful art and illustrations.

Her illustrations are filled with colourful quirky characters
which are loved by kids and their parents alike.

We also have the pleasure of owning one of her lovingly handmade, original, soft toys, which are certainly worth watching out for in the future, although they are not yet suitable for babies, you never know, they might be soon! One to watch!

About Katy Dynes

Katy Dynes lives in Bedfordshire, England.

After graduating with an HND in 2D Animation, Katy has been working as a Freelance Illustrator since 2007. Her work covers a huge range of subjects including greetings/handmade cards, book illustration, cartoons, pet portraits, soft toy designing/making and teaching Art workshops to Primary School children.

To view Katy’s art illustration and range of designs you can visit her website, below,
or contact her at:

Kitty Dinners Art Illustration

Art Hobby Craft : Artist Profile

Artist, Edward McNaught-Davis.

Painting the Welsh Landscape must surely be easier when you live amid the beauty of the Welsh hills!

Nestled in the Welsh Landscape, Artist, Edward McNaught-Davis, is creatively inspired throughout the seasons. Imagine waking to those wonderful views every morning. Edward transfers many of those beautifully captured moments, throughout the year, onto canvas.

Dedicated to honing his art techniques, old and new, expanding and applying his talents to his original paintings, from which he reproduces his very popular fine art prints, you’ll see that the Welsh Landscape certainly does feature in his Farming Paintings Wales series, and other Welsh art works on his website.

Taking His Painting to New Heights!

Edward may be nestled into the Welsh landscape, however, that doesn’t keep him from taking to the skies to gather new perspectives.

Edward says: “This aerial view of Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire, Wales, was achieved by flying over it in a light aircraft. Fortunately, I was not the pilot!”

Lucky thing being able to do a fly-over in the name of art!

For more information about Edward and his Welsh paintings visit : Artists Page

They’ve both been developing their art projects on the music theme over the school term, having first researched and explored their music based ideas, before expanding those ideas into their preliminary pieces.

Those consisted of drawings in mixed media, which then further developed into 3D compositions to represent the music elements they had chosen, using mixed media including cardboard, to help with the 3D effects.

Once they were happy with their 3D compositions, layout and presentation, they went on to prepare their blank canvases for laying down their acrylic paintings.

Although they are twins, you’ll note from the photos of their individual paintings, that they actually have very different styles.

One chose to work with a neutral color pallet, whilst the other went for a much more vibrant color theme in purple tones.

Obviously, being their mum, I love both of their acrylic paintings. And, as a part time artist myself, it was brilliant fun watching them go through the whole creative process, from start to finish.

What I enjoy about the creative process is that it can help kids think differently, not just about their art or what they are producing, but all elements of their lives. I’m certain that this can only benefit them in later life, whether they go on to become artists or in whatever else they may decide to do.

When they are working on their art projects, it is very temptingto step in with my paint brush! However, with that temptation resisted, I’m always pleased to be on hand with a few tips and willing to answer questions if and when asked!

The downside, if there really has to be one, with having two additional artists in the house, is that they ‘borrow’ my acrylic paints and brushes!

Yes, they’ve had lessons in cleaning and drying my brushes properly!

We are updating our art hobby website as not very much has changed for quite some time, leaving the old version of the website design looking rather jaded and it was not very useful for you, the user.

The new logo design is simple, yet fits neatly alongside our arts and crafts creative network website.

We will be re-adding our free ebooks and reports here on art hobby in due course.  So please do revisit for updates.

Thanks