Glass Fish Bowl Gets Under the Sea View With Unicorn SPiT Gel Stain

Brenda C. Jones
by Brenda C. Jones
5 Materials
$25.00
Easy
I picked up this typical fish bowl at Value Village but felt my future fishy should have a view of his homeland rather than mine. I'm an avid Unicorn SPiT Gel Stain user and knew it would be the ideal medium to use to create an under the sea view. To see my other creations please Like https://www.facebook.com/39thAvenueDesigns/
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Before
I started this project with a glass fish bowl cleaned with rubbing alcohol. Along with premixed and diluted Unicorn SPiT Gel Stain.
Unicorn SPiT Gel Stain used for this project.
I love Unicorn SPiT because the 11 colours I have can easily be mixed into an infinite number of shades. For this project I used Zia Teal, Blue Thunder and Navajo Jewel. I also used my mixed brown and sand. The recipe for brown is 3 parts Midnight Blackness, 2 parts Molly Red Pepper, 1 part Lemon Kiss and drops of White Ning to taste. Sand was made with a few drops of Brown added to White Ning. The SPiT was diluted by 50% with water. I used the small 2 once bottles to mix my colours and dilute my SPiT. Available at www.unicornspit.ca
Uncicorn SPiT can be applied by paint brush.
I initially brushed on a sandy bottom of my bowl with the sand coloured SPiT and a piece of sea coral. I then coated this with brown to give it a multi dimensional look.
Sandy bottom and coral-done.
I kept in mind that the final project will be on the back of the fish bowl so objects and colours I want to appear need to be laid down first. So the lighter colour fo the coral will show through with darker colour coming through from the back.
Now for the water. First up Zia Teal.
I squirt the Zia Teal Unicorn SPiT directly onto the glass.
Unicorn SPiT can be applied by brush.
Then spread with a artist's paint brush. The flat ones from any dollar store seem to work best.
Navajo Jewel is down now it's Blue Thunder.
With Zia Teal and Navajo Jewel applied and spread now for the last ocean colour Blue Thunder. My thought is ocean water changes colour as you go deeper so my hope is to blend and layer these colours to look like the ocean.
The first layer of water is complete.
The first layer of colours to make the water is complete. This is a thin layer of colour with lots of light still shining through.
View from the front of the bowl.
Here's what I've got looking from the front of the bowl. This is what will be seen once the bowl is set up. I think more layers of colours are in order and some blending.
More SPiT is added.
I wanted to blend out my colours to give a water flow illusion and this is accomplished when using Unicorn SPiT by spritzing with water in a water spray bottle. I also added more SPiT and played with it. Although I liked the results, I over sprayed and reactivated the SPiT on my coral causing it to blend into the Blue Thunder. But with the help of a moistened cotton swab I removed it and laid down a new coral. Next time I will seal the SPiT over to coral before proceeding.
New coral.
Here is my new coral. I applied a layer of darker brown over this coral. It's not as good as the first one but I think it works.
Drips easily wiped up.
I don't worry about drips with Unicorn SPiT because it's water based and a quick wipe with a moistened paper towel before it's sealed takes care of it.
Time to seal the Unicorn SPiT
Now it's time to seal and see what I've got. I like to use Rustoleum Painter's Touch Clear Gloss Ultra Cover 2 X for SPiT because it's non-yellowing. It should be used outside.
It happened, finger painting again.
Once sealed I could tell I wanted more coverage so I gave the project a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper and added more SPiT this time I used my finger to spread it. I just can't resist using my fingers in SPiT and eventually all my projects get my fingerprint. To get the colour variation I wanted in the end I added Blue Thunder over the Zia Teal and Navajo Jewel; and Navajo Jewel over the Blue Thunder. Then once dry, hit it with a coat of Dishwasher Safe Mod Podge. You need to be careful using any Mod Podge formula over SPiT because both products are water based and the Mod Podge can reactivate your SPiT. I use a very light touch when spreading the MP over the SPiT.
This is NOT a real fish.
Here it is all set up complete with my little fishy. After reading up on keeping fish in bowls on the interweb, I decided I should put my Robo Fish in this bowl because apparently a bowl is not a humane way to keep a fish. I have a 5 gallon tank and will be taking the things I learned from this project; applying them to create an even better under the sea view before filling it with my future fish.
Suggested materials:
  • Unicorn SPiT Gel Stain   (www.unicornspit.ca)
  • Fish bowl and blue fish gravel   (Value Village)
  • Robo Fish   (www.brendaj.shopregal.ca)
See all materials
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  2 questions
  • LindaC LindaC on May 31, 2016
    Where did you get your curtains?
  • Aunty B Aunty B on May 31, 2016
    Will the clear gloo work on acrylic paint on glass as well ? Thank you !
Comments
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2 of 24 comments
  • Shirley Shirley on Jul 02, 2016
    Lovely! Be careful where you set your fish bowl, though. I had a betta fish in a bowl on my bathroom vanity. One morning I noticed that the fish was GONE! I searched every nook and cranny for that fish but he had simply vanished. The only thing I can assume is that he jumped out of his bowl and into the toilet bowl! Burial and sea. RIP little friend.
  • Dee B Dee B on Jul 28, 2016
    She said it is a robo ( not real) fish. I was fooled too.
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