How to Make a Faux Stained Glass Painting

Is It Easy to Create Faux Stained Glass Art?

Have you ever tried to make a stained glass masterpiece? I also haven't, but I have stumbled upon the wide world of faux stained glass painting—I love it! It's a very uncomplicated form of painting that is removable and reusable on glass surfaces. If you have children or students, it can be a fun and safe craft for them because the materials are water-based!

• You can place your works of art on glass surfaces such as windows.
• Since they're reusable, they can be removed and replaced.

Even adults can release some stress by creating works of art for glass vases or dressing up a window that may face toward a not so spectacular view. However you choose to display them, they are sure to be a hit with family and friends. It doesn't matter if you're an artist or not. Here are some steps and ideas to a successful faux stained glass look!

What You'll Need

• Gallery Glass paints
• Glass
• Liquid leading
• Nutpick
• Paper towels
• Pencil
• Sheet protectors
• Straight Pin (optional)
• Tape
• Toothpick

Tracing Paper

1. Find an Image

Find what you want to paint or create your own drawing. I suggest starting with something that has simple lines. If you can't draw, don't worry. Find something that catches your fancy, and print it out.

• If what you are printing is too small, use a copier to increase the size of the picture. That way, you can trace it to create your faux stained painting.
• If you cannot find an image with simple lines, take the detailed piece and place a sheet of tracing paper over it. This way, you can choose the main lines and make a simplified drawing of it. This is what drew me to this form of art: its simplicity.

2. Place the Drawing on Tracing Paper

If you haven’t already, trace your drawing on a sheet of tracing paper with a pencil. Even if I create my own image, I still trace it on tracing paper. Place your picture inside a sheet protector. If the tracing paper is too large, fold the excess down over the top and tape it down. It helps keep the image in place. You may have to fold the other sides to fit the tracing paper inside.

Note: There are also aids called leading blanks that allow you to place your image on them to apply your outline and fill in your color. However, you get a limited supply, and they cost more than sheet protectors. The sheet protectors are a cheaper way of doing the same thing. I have not used the leading blanks, so I really don't know if there are other benefits to them.

3. Apply the Outline

With the liquid leading, trace the lines of the design. To get the liquid leading started, take a pair of scissors and cut the tip maybe 1/8 of an inch. You may have to use the tip of one scissor blade to poke it deeper into the hole if you have issues squeezing the leading out. You want it big enough to allow the leading to come out with ease.

1. When first starting, slowly squeeze until liquid leading begins to peek out.
2. Place the leading on the sheet protector to avoid the leading from curling up on the tip of the bottle.
3. Elongate the line of leading before following the outline of your drawing. This allows the leading to stay in a straighter line once you begin tracing with it. If you stay too close to the page when pulling away to make a line, you risk breaking the line of leading.
4. Do small sections at a time. In time, you will be able to make longer and neater lines.
5. Once you complete a section of outlining, dip down the tip of the leading bottle to the paper protector and pull up until the line disconnects.
6. If you find a line you’ve made to be a little crooked, take a toothpick and nudge the leading to where you need it to be before it begins to set. Don’t use the tip of the toothpick to do this. Just kind of sideswipe it.

4. Wait for It to Dry

Wait. It will take the liquid leading about eight to 10 hours to dry. In the meantime, choose the colors you want to use for your picture!

5. Add Color

Once the leading has dried, you’re ready to fill the color!

1. Take the tip of the color bottle and place it up against the leading line.
2. Trace along the line, making somewhat of an outline within an outline.
3. Then, fill in color moving from left to right.
4. Use a toothpick or nutpick to smoothen the color from left to right. This evens out the level of color and helps eliminate bubbles.
5. Rake over each color, section by section, as you go along. If you're working with an outlined object with multiple compartments, trying to fill in every section first and then raking over the colors will likely not end well. Sections may already start drying, making it hard for you to eliminate the bubbles and potentially causing you to pull up a section you worked so hard on.

At times, you may not want one color and want to blend a bit. Placing colors in the same space and dragging one color into the other can give a blended or highlighted appearance if mixed with white or a lighter color.

Note: In the video, you might see the outline of the flower's leading move. This is because I constantly picked it up and reused it to test. If I apply pressure to it, it will still stick to a window.

6. Wait Once More

Wait. Depending on the size of your painting, it can take from 10 to 24 hours for the colors to completely dry. After about eight hours, you might be able to look at it to see if everything is dry.

7. Peel the Painting

Peel away what you have painted from the sheet protector and stick to a window or mirrored surface. Awesome, right?