Young artists' window dressings

Sunset, Wntr, 1992

An irresistible prospect for any child with a penchant for scrawling on the walls, window painting channels the talents of young muralists--and puts their personal stamp on your holiday decorations.

You begin with large-scale line drawings on paper; these guide the painting. Tape them to the outside of a window, then apply colors from indoors. After the holidays, simply clean the glass with soapy water (don't paint on acrylic panes, since the scrubbing necessary in post-holiday cleanup can scratch them).

For the preliminary drawings, you will need felt-tip pens and large pieces of paper (try shelf paper, brown wrap, or computer paper).

For coloring, buy paintbrushes, tempera paints, and paper bowls or cups for the paints. Masking tape secures the paper to the glass and protects the window frames inside during painting. Also have on hand some newspaper to cover the floor.

Start with images on paper

First, seat the young artists on the floor with sheets of paper cut slightly smaller than the window pane (if necessary, tape several pieces together). Next, have children draw outlines for window-size holiday scenes.

Tape the paper panel, with drawing facing in, to the outside of the window. Shield the inside window frame and the floor with newspaper and tape.

Paint on the inside of the glass

Following the felt-pen lines of the drawings, fill in with paint on the inside of the glass. Remember that the paintings will be viewed from outside as well as inside. By painting details first and filling in background around them, they'll be visible from both sides.

Let the paint dry between colors so they don't bleed; also keep the temperas thick to prevent dripping.

When painting is finished, remove the paper drawing, newspapers, and tape. The project goes quickly: the triptych and Santa's village panel pictured in the large photograph above left were completed in one afternoon.