What is Pebeo?

Pebeo history

The house of Pébéo, has a rich and forward-thinking history of innovation and expansion that spans over 100 years! With 5 generations of innovators, all with a shared commitment and passion for developing fine art, craft and educational products for the international and global market of artists, students and educators. With each decade from 1919 to 2019 and beyond Pebeo have been instrumental bringing new developments and discoveries in pigments, inks and paints. New products were invented to cater for the ever changing needs of artist and students of art.

In 1934 Pébéo developed the first "ready to use" colours, creating a revolution in the world of art!

1935 synthetic organic paints were born replacing mineral pigments and in the 1940s the first coloured pans were developed. 1948 brought paint pots, watercolours and gouache!

The 1950s saw liquid gouache come into favour especially for school children in education.

From 1953 onwards extra fine oil gouache was introduced followed by the fine arts varnish range. 1960 brought a revolution in fabric paints "Setacolor"!

From 1961 to 1965 saw ultra-concentrated gouache for dilution, gouache for finger painting "Tactilcolor" markers for drawing and even paints in the primary colours as inspired by Isaac Newton. These advances were then followed by refillable markers, which were loved by both artists-in the making and veterans. Glass and porcelain paints were later developed followed by drawing inks, Indian inks, and drawing-gum.

In 1977, Pébéo offered the first acrylic paints which were entirely produced in France, establishing itself as a pioneer of "Made in France".

1981 to 1983 saw the growth of Pébéo and their export market, Pébéo succeeded in building a reliable distribution network and adapting its offer to different countries. All this without compromising the quality of their products. With 40% of production marked for export. This ambition led to the creation of subsidiaries in Denmark, Italy and the United States. For Pébéo, the 1990s began when they won the Namta innovation award for their 100ml transparent plastic tube design for packaging acrylic paints.

A century spent reinventing itself and pushing limits, a century defined by the objective to inspire passion, awaken the senses and open minds to colour and the world of art. With their experience in patronage, it seemed only natural that this historic anniversary led Pébéo to organize an International competition. More than 1,500 artists registered for the event, culminating in a semi-final in Paris, a final in London and a travelling exhibition around the world.

Pébéo, has seen a century of sustainable development. Supporting the artists of today as well as those of tomorrow, the house inaugurated a 100% natural modelling clay and its first organic plant-based inks. Respectful of both younger generations and the environment, these products are based on plant-based pigments and are organic and non-GMO as well as gluten free, solvent free and 100% vegan. Pébéo remains fully committed to their objective to use their industrial know-how to inspire and provoke curiosity now and in the years to come.

Their mission has always been;

"to create and innovate in the field of colours and make artistic practice available to as many people as possible, thus promoting the development and creativity of each and every individual".

and their values;

"Quality: our high-quality products are our heritage: our collaborators' expertise and hard work over 5 generations".

In this article we start by showcasing some of the products available on our website, exciting and innovative products which will awaken creativity and curiosity, developing your love for the arts and crafts whilst developing your own individual style. Products ranging from glass paints, to oil and acrylic paints with a few surprises in-between!

PEBEO PRODUCTS

What is the difference between Pebeo Vitrail and Pebeo Vitrea 160?

Basically, Vitrail is a solvent based glass paint that needs no curing in an oven, and will need solvents to clean your brushes, while Vitrea 160 is a water based glass paint that will need curing or baking at 160 degrees to thermo-fix the paint and make them waterproof. Brushes can be washed with warm soapy water.

How do you use Pebeo Glass paints?

Pebeo Vitrea 160

The Pebeo Vitrea 160 paints are a part of a new generation of water-based, thermo-hardening, non-toxic paints. Their finishes can either be glossy, shimmer, frosted or iridescent depending what your project requires and they can look like stained glass when used in conjunction with Vitrea 160 relief outliner. When using the relief outliner wait at least an hour for it to dry before filling in your shapes with the Vitrea 160 paints. Vitrea 160 paints can be applied with brushes or sponges. To provide a more impressionistic style you can just use brushes and add small details as final touches. A thinner can be used to increase the fluidity of colours without compromising their vibrancy.

Before applying Vitrea 160, simply degrease with a rubbing alcohol or soapy water suffices. Place the decorated object in a cold oven. Once the temperature reaches 160° C, leave to cook for 40 minutes. At the end of baking, open the oven and leave the glassware to stand and cool down inside to prevent any thermal shock. After cooking, the glassware and designs are dishwasher-safe (following recommendations), and resistant to solvents and common detergents. Only surfaces that are not intended to come into contact with food should be decorated. There is no danger in drinking in a glass decorated with Vitrea 160 if the application stops more or less 1 cm from the edge. Nevertheless, migration tests carried out by an accredited laboratory have shown that accidental contact of decorated areas with food does not represent a health hazard.

Pebeo Vitrail

The Pébéo Vitrail Paint can be applied with a brush or sponge to a degreased transparent surfaces such as glass, acetate, polyester and plexiglass. Pébéo Vitrail paint can be used in conjunction with VITRAIL CERNE RELIEF OUTLINER, (the relief outliners will provide a raised coloured line and can be made to look like Stained glass windows) and Pébéo Vitrail Matt Medium (Mixed with the colours to obtain a matt finish, and can provide a frosted effect). When using the Vitrail Cerne Relief outliner wait at least an hour for it to dry before filling in your shapes with Pebeo Vitrail glass paint.

Unlike the Vitrea 160 this product is solvent based. However it still has many benefits, colours can be mixed together, it has a good level of lightfastness and is touch dry in 2 hours. You will need to wait at least 10 hours for it to be completely dry. Once dry, your designs on a glass surface will take a light cleaning but cannot be placed in a dishwasher. Objects decorated with Vitrail Colours should not be considered for practical usage, but only indented for decorative purposes. The colours provide a vivid and transparent quality just like stained glass, especially vibrant with a glowing candle shining through at night.

What supplies do I need to paint on glass?

Before you embark on your creative journey make sure you have a good selection of wine glasses, glass bottles, vases, votive candle glass jars, wine bottles, decanters, jam jars and any glass surfaces, that can be painted. Make sure you buy the right glass paint as some glass can't be put in the oven to bake, so ensuring you choose the right glass paint for your project is crucial!

Soft brushes, like Pro Arte Sablene Brushes - Round - Series 110- Individuals synthetic round brushes will provide a good brush to create fine detail and maybe some ARTdiscount Pro Watercolour/Gouache Flat Brush Set of 6to use for larger areas that need filling.
Soft sponges for creating textured marks, Jakar Artists Natural Sea Sponges - Pack of 10
Mineral spirits for cleaning glass prior to painting, cleaning brushes or wiping off mistakes.
Rags or kitchen towel to wipe brushes.
Pebeo Mediums - 45ml bottles for the Solvent based glass paint.
Pebeo Lightening Medium - 45ml Used to create lighter tones without reducing the quality of the colour nor making it more fluid.
Water to dilute or clean brushes for the water based glass paint.
Masking tape to create stencils or create straight lines.

Before you paint and to ensure a professional quality result, it is important to know the following!

Health and safety, ensure your studio environment is dust free and has enough ventilation without the wind blowing debris into your space.
Make sure you surfaces are covered with a protective cloth and are dust free.
Clean the glass. You need to clean the glass before painting, as any dust or grease will compromise the quality and look. It will help if you wear gloves to stop oils from your hand getting on the glass.
Use a soft synthetic fibre brush. The softer the brush the less brush marks you will make, you can also use a dropper if you have hard outlined shapes or a sponge can be used for large textured areas and backgrounds. When using Pébéo Vitrea 160 water based paints brushes can be washed in soapy water, however when using Vitrail solvent based paints they need to be washed with a solvent cleaner.
Don't shake your paints, use a stick to lightly agitate the pigments and binder if they have separated. Try not to create too many bubbles in your paint.
Do not add too much water to the Vitrea 160 paints. Use only 10% amount of water or the paint will be compromised. If you want to spread your paint more there is the Pébéo 160 paint thinner.
Work in layers to add deeper shades to your artwork. Make sure each layer is completely dry before applying the next.
Mistakes can be easily wiped off. Use a cotton bud or your finger tip to wipe off little mistakes. If the water based Vitrea 160 paints have dried use some water. You could also try scraping it off? The colours are not permanent before they are baked. Try using a alcohol wipe to erase mistakes when using Vitrail solvent paints.
Don't use the Pebeo Vitrea 160 glass paint with the Pebeo Vitrea 150 glass paint. They heat set at different temperatures. They also have a different consistency and don't mix well.
Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours before baking.
Ensure your oven is clean and the surface of the tray is clean, solid and strong.
Baking. Place your artwork in a cold oven and allow it to warm up to 160 degrees Centigrade or 325 degrees Fahrenheit, then bake for 40-45 minutes at this temperature. No higher on the temp or colours will darken or burn.
There is no noxious odour or toxic emissions during baking.
You can add more paint and re-bake. Review your glass and if you decide you need to add more to your artwork you can paint over anything and bake it again as many as 3-4 times without the colour changing.
Cleaning. You can clean the painted surface with soapy water and soft rag. It is not recommend scrubbing the surface or putting it in the dishwasher or scratching will occur.

We hope you have found this article useful and informative, and we hope it will inspire you to try our very exciting Pébéo products on offer. We also hope it will help provide lots of insight of the products before you purchase. We have lots of availability and stock to choose from at affordable prices!

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What is Pebeo?