Things You'll Need
Colored fabric paints (fine-tipped paints work best)
Clear page protectors
Desired picture or pattern
Toothpicks
Cotton swabs
Paper Towels
Everyone's familiar with holiday window clings. But these lovely artworks are not just for holidays anymore. You can decorate your windows with anything you like by making your very own clings. Express yourself with animals, flowers, butterflies, cartoon characters, or whatever strikes your fancy. Not only are clings great for dressing up windows, don't forget about glass furniture covers, mirrors, glass shower doors, or whatever glass surface you'd like to decorate. Use fabric paints that have a gel-like consistency and become a little rubbery when dry. The paint should have a milky or translucent appearance. The easiest paints to use for this project are packaged in fine-tipped squeeze tubes.
Step 1
Create a pattern or drawing that you want to make a window cling from. It's best to use a simple line drawing with as little fine detailing as possible. Coloring books are a great source for these.
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Step 2
Place your drawing or pattern inside a clear sheet protector, which will protect the artwork from the paint. Place it face-up on a flat working surface. Tape it into place, if you wish.
Step 3
Choose a paint for the outline of your pattern. Shake the bottle upside down very well. With the paint still upside down, tap it up and down on a tabletop several times to remove any air bubbles.
Step 4
Hold the paint vertically. Trace the outline of your pattern with the paint, directly onto the surface of the sheet protector. Squeeze the paint container only if you need heavier coverage in order to put down a nice, thick layer of paint. If you see any bubbles, then you are putting the paint on too thickly. If you make a mistake, you can clean it off using a cotton swab. When you've completed the outline, let the paint dry for a couple of hours, or according to the packaging instructions.
Step 5
Use the other colors to fill in the unpainted areas of the cling. It's easiest to work in one small section at a time. Lay the first line of colored paint thickly and smoothly right inside the outline. Continue placing thick lines of colored paint next to each other until you've filled the area with paint.
Step 6
Blend side-by-side colors using a toothpick to make circular and zigzag strokes, combing the two colors into each other so that they begin to meld together where they adjoin. Blend the two colors until the lines that originally defined them become blurred. If the toothpick gets too full of paint, just wipe it clean with a paper towel.
Step 7
Let your window cling dry undisturbed overnight, or at least eight to 12 hours. This amount of time is necessary because the coating you applied is so thick and heavy.
Step 8
Peel the cling from the plastic page protector once the paint has dried thoroughly. You can stick it to any window, mirror or other glass surface, and reposition it anytime you like.
Tip
If you're concerned about young children working with paints, substitute white craft glue tinted with food colorings for them.
Warning
Don't stick window clings on furniture, plastics, or paper, as they cannot be removed.
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