Before printers spewed out photos on paper, photos were printed on glass!

Sure, that sounds like the kind of thing your Uncle Buck would make up, but we’re telling you, it’s totally true.

Just to prove it, here’s a tutorial on how to put your own photos on glass with etching!

It’s a different technique than 19th century photographers used and is as easy as old school iron-on transfers.

The results? They’ll put you on par with the most bad ass of our photo fore-fathers.

Etch Any Photo Onto Glass

Why it’s clearly cool:

Using this technique, you can personalize every glass surface you can think of.

Flat pieces of glass are easy to find and cheap to buy–think craft stores or old frames. If you’re in the mood to get fancy, you can etch on glass jars and the like.

All you need is your favorite photographs and just a little bit of elbow grease (or etching cream!).

What You’ll Need:

• Resist paper (we used PNP Blue, available in hobby shops and online)
• Glass etching cream
• Rubber gloves
• Safety goggles
• Scissors
• A strip of cardboard or a popsicle stick
• Masking tape
• Clear nailpolish
• A scouring pad
• Glass
• A laser printer or photocopier (inkjet won’t work on resist paper!)

Step 1 – Ditch The Colour

Once you have your photo picked out, desaturate it to black & white. This will make it easier to work with and give you a better idea of how the final etch will turn out.

Step 2 – Stamp it Out!

The stamp filter in Photoshop does an amazing job of preparing a photo for etching. Since small details won’t show up in the final etching, it’s best to remove them now to make it easier to etch.

You can find it under Filter > Sketch > Stamp. Play with the sliders until you get a high contrast between the whites and the blacks. We used a Light/Dark Balance setting of 4 with a Smoothness setting of 5.

Step 3 – Invert!

When you go to etch your glass, the white parts of the image are the parts that will etch, while the black parts will stay clear. In most cases, you’ll want to invert the image to make a negative for the etching process.

You can find the invert function under Image >Adjustments > Invert.

Step 4 – Print it & Cut it Out

Print the image on resist paper like PNP Blue using a laser printer or a photocopy machine. The resist paper will only work with toner. Inkjet printers won’t work.

PNP Blue is a type of resist paper normally used for homebrew circuitboard printing. It makes it easy to transfer toner to other materials like metal or glass to protect those areas from chemical etching creams. You’ll be able to find it in hobby stores and online.

Cut out the image and get ready. Things are about to get hot.

Step 5 – Strike While the Iron is Hot

Your iron needs to be pretty hot, so turn it up over Acrylic – make sure you leave the steam off, though!

While the iron is heating up, position the resist paper on clean glass – any dust or gunk will make a messy looking etch.

Using steady pressure, iron on the paper. It will adhere to the glass while it’s hot. Work out all the bubbles, moving from the centre to the edge and then let the iron sit on the paper for a minute or two. This will transfer the toner from the paper to the glass.

Step 6 – Peel

Once your glass has cooled – and it might take awhile, glass is really good at conducting heat! – carefully peel back the paper.

Step 7 – Touch it Up

Everywhere the toner transferred is going to be protected from the etching cream. If there were any bubbles or areas that didn’t turn black, protect it by taping it up with masking tape.

For smaller, more detailed areas, clear nailpolish works just wonderfully to protect the glass.

Step 8 – Lay it on Thick

Pop on your rubber gloves and safety goggles! Then, in a well-ventilated area (ah, the great outdoors!), apply a thick later of etching cream over the glass.

Follow the directions on the package, but most creams will take between 6 to 7 minutes to work.

Step 9 – Rinse!

Once the cream has been on for a good amount of time, slip the glass under the tap and rinse it squeaky clean!

Step 10 – Scrub!

Once all the cream has been rinsed off, remove the masking tape and clean the toner off the glass with a fabric scouring pad. Stay away from the steel wool type of scouring pad as it will scratch the glass.

Step 11 – Admire It!

Your finished piece is a work of art! To really make it shine, try to find a nice, brightly lit spot for your new artwork.

Think windows and in front of lightfixtures!

Mix it Up With More Ideas:

• Etch your photograph in layers: foreground, mid-ground and background. Etch each part on a separate piece of glass and stack them together for a cool 3D effect.
• Make a window ornament with your fave photo. The sunlight will make it easy to see!
• Make a sweet party chalice by etching a photo onto a mason jar.
• Use the resist paper on what it was really meant for – metal! Just be sure to use etching cream made for metal. The steps are the same otherwise, but you might need a little more elbow grease for Step 10 (and maybe some steel wool).
• Give your framed photos a ghostly halo by etching the print onto the glass and framing it. See our example above!

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Superheroes were never paid for their humanitarian efforts. Come to think of it, they kinda just did all their do-goodin’ for free!

Maybe it’s because there’s something intrinsically awesome about helping others. It just makes you feel good.

On December 10th, you can take part in Help Portrait by giving a portrait to someone in need!

With the forthcoming Christmas tree installations and mall traffic, give a portrait to restore dignity, bring smiles and even remind people, many of whom have forgotten, how beautiful they are.

How to Give a Portrait to Someone in Need

Photo: Dallas, TX Help Portrait

Why Help?

Giving portraits, not just taking them. That’s the mantra behind a project like this.

The holidays can be a tough time for a lot people, especially those who don’t have family or are having financial hardship.

Giving someone a portrait reminds them that they matter, too!

The Help Portrait movement had its official beginning on December 12, 2009 when more than 3,400 photographers in 543 locations across 42 countries gave over 42,000 beautiful portraits to beautiful people… talk about a Justice League.

Step 1: Find Someone in Need

Reach out to the lonely, the sick, the troubled. Visit a nursing home, a hospital, boys and girls club, or a community center.

If you shoot on location, you’ll want to get permission and coordinate the event with the director or person who runs the facility.

(Don’t assume you can wander into the local nursing home with your lights and cameras.)

For a bigger event, set up shop at a local church, community center or warehouse. Hang up flyers and call around to local non-profits, mentoring programs or groups that serve the less fortunate and let them know what’s happening.

In the past, photographers have even rallied make-up artists and stylists!

Step 2: Take Their Portrait

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been shooting for a month or 20 years, you can use your camera to bring people together for fun and even some inner healing.

Here are some tips if this is your first time shooting portraits!

1. Smile… if you do, they’re likely too as well.
2. Start fresh… Don’t shoot with the settings you were using last week. Find the optimum ISO, aperture and shutter speed for today.
3. You can use any lens, but a good fast lens (f1.8 – f2.8) opened up will make for some beautiful bokeh (blurry backgroud).
4. Try shooting with a lens that has a focal length of 50mm or up for portraits. Wide angle lenses can distort people’s faces if you get too close!
5. Light! Make sure you have enough of it. If you are shooting indoors, you’ll probably want to have some kind of diffused, off-camera flash or set up near a window for pretty side light.

If you’re not ready to be the main shooter, Help Portrait can pair you with a photographer who is.

You’ll learn a whole bunch about lighting, exposure and composition and be able focus on the needs of your subjects.

Step 3: Print Their Portrait

You have two options for printing:

1. Think about having on-site printers and photo paper so you can grant your portrait subjects instant photo happiness!

Borrow the family photo printer for the day, or you might also have some luck getting a local business to donate or loan a printer.

2. The other option is to collect contact information from those having portraits made and to print the photos at a local lab after the event.

Step 4: Give The Portrait

Be sure to relish the moment when you hand over the portrait to your new friend.

Remind them of how amazing they look and what a privilege it was to shoot them. That personal connection is the best part of the whole experience!

We’ve heard tales of masked photographers in brightly colored spandex suits going as far as giving a CD of the images or even framing the photos!!

More Inspiration

• Check out the main Help Portrait page for organizing your own event and see their Community page for getting in touch with fellow photographers.
• Get inspired with this video all about the heart of Help Portrait. It doesn’t have to happen one day a year but can be ongoing!

David Braud is a photographer in Franklin, TN. He’s heading up Franklin’s Help-Portrait event this year.

Photos: David Braud & Help Portrait

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