Tropical Fish Vase

A friend gave me this cute vase that she found at her favorite thrift store, which is a great place to find unique glass pieces to etch and paint.

I used Etchall® dip ‘n etch which is a re-usable liquid, the consistency of water.  When you submerge your jar into the liquid, it will etch the entire outside of the jar as far up as you want it to.    

SUPPLIES NEEDED to etch: Etchall® dip ‘n etch, a glass item to etch, plastic container (I used a soda bottle), water, marker, marbles or glass rounds to hold down the jar in the liquid. Paper towels or cloth.  

A 2 liter plastic soda bottle with the top cut off works great as a dipping container. Save the top to use as a funnel for returning your dip ‘n etch to the jar!  This stuff is reusable!

I

 filled the glass vase with glass rounds to weigh it down, put the vase into the empty plastic soda bottle, and filled the container with water to the level that I wanted it etched. Then I removed the vase from the container and marked the water level with a marker.  Pour out the water and thoroughly dry both the plastic container and the glass vase. You do not want to get water in your dip ‘n etch! 

Painting the Design:   I just love painting oceans and tropical fish scenes. This one is quite easy, even if you aren’t a painter, because I have given you the directions to paint the fish, but you can put as many or as few of them as you want on the vase.   You will need these supplies:

* DecoArt Glass Paint in Sky Blue, Yellow, Orange, Mint Green, Green, White, Black

* A ¼” & ½” Flat and a small liner paint brush  

I poured out a small puddle of Sky Blue paint, and added some water to it to make it very translucent. With the ½” flat brush, I slapped the watered down paint on the entire etched area. Then I let it dry. When dry, I dipped my brush in White and pounced it on the bottom of the vase (all around the vase) so it looks like sand on the ocean floor. Be careful not to put your fingers in the wet paint. Let it dry.

Now, I decided how many of the fish I wanted on my vase. Not too many, as I wanted to be able to see through the vase. I decided on about 6 fish. 2 of each kind. I started by painting the outline of 2 of the first fish, then filling them in with White. 

Then, I turned the vase about a third of the way around, and painted the outline of 2 of the second fish, filling them in with Orange.

Turn another third of the way around the vase and paint the outline of the third fish and fill it with Orange.  Let the outlines of the fish dry.

Now, paying attention to the Worksheet, add the other colors as shown with your liner brush. Yellow, Black and White, letting the colors dry between layers.

The coral at the bottom of the vase is made by dipping your liner brush in the different greens and just wiggling it upwards to make a bush like coral plant. When somewhat dry, you can highlight the coral with a lighter color, like mint green or yellow. 

If you want to make bubbles near the fish, just use your liner and paint a “U” shape with a dot of color on the top. (The Worksheet shows them in yellow, just so you can see them).

When done, let the paint dry fully for about an hour. DecoArt Glass Paint will fully cure in about 4 days. 

You now have a beautiful vase to give as a gift or to keep for yourself.

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I will earn a small commission from every sale. Thanks. And if you have any ideas for an etching product, please let me know. I will make it come to fruition for you.