Shell collection, a single shell centered in every paneSand, pink, white, gray. Each shell on a pale sand oval; a small pencil-thin label under it. Round brush.
Sponged frost on the back around a clear center ovalWhite. Tape a paper oval to the back; sponge thinned white around it; lift the oval when dry. Sponge.
Wisteria draped from the top rail down two side panesLilac, purple, green, brown. A vine across the top of the glass; trails drop down the outer panes only. Brush tip dabs.
Apple tree, trunk on the center bar, crown in four panesBrown, greens, red. The bare middle upright is the trunk; branches spread into the panes on either side. Round brush.
Barn and pasture seen as if the window were still in a wallRed, white, greens, sky blue. Barn in one middle pane, fence line crossing the bottom row. Flat and liner brush.
Birch wood crossing every pane, trunks behind the barsWhite, black, gray, pale green. Trunks run rail to rail and pass behind each bar. Flat brush, card edge for bark.
Hot air balloons placed so no balloon crosses a barSky blue, five brights. One balloon inside each of five panes at different heights; clouds cross the bars.
Lake with a rowboat drifting between two lower panesBlue-green, white, brown, gray. Far shore level with the middle bar; the boat straddles one upright bar. Flat brush.
Lavender rows converging across the bottom panesPurple, lilac, sage, pale yellow. Rows narrow toward one point behind the middle bar; sky above. Round brush.
Mountain range whose peaks break into the top panesSlate blue, white, dark green. Foothills in the bottom row, snow caps poking into the top row. Flat brush.
Night sky over all panes, the moon alone in a corner paneNavy, white, pale yellow. Thin navy wash everywhere; the moon sits whole inside one top corner pane. Sponge.
Shoreline with the horizon resting on the middle crossbarBlues, sand, white. Sky in the upper panes, sea and beach below; the horizon hides behind the bar. Flat brush.
Sunflower field, stalks in the low panes, heads up topYellow, brown, green, blue. Stalks climb the bottom row; each flower head opens in an upper pane. Round brush.
Tall lighthouse rising through one column of panesWhite, red, navy, yellow. Tower up one side column; surf across the whole bottom row. Flat brush, liner for the rail.
Wisteria draped from the top rail down two side panesLilac, purple, green, brown. A vine across the top of the glass; trails drop down the outer panes only. Brush tip dabs.
A picture a pane 12
A different butterfly centered in every paneBlack, orange, blue, yellow, white. One butterfly fills the middle of each pane, wings open. Liner brush.
A wildflower in each pane, stems from the lower edgeGreens, six flower colors. Each stem starts at the lower edge of its pane; no two flowers match. Round brush.
Barnyard faces looking out, one animal per paneWhite, brown, pink, black, yellow. Cow, pig, hen and sheep from the shoulders up, noses near the glass.
Family initials, one large letter centered in each paneOne dark color, white. A capital in each pane, all at one height; a thin white inner border. Flat brush, tape guides.
Garden vegetables, each pane laid out like a seed packetCream, red, orange, green, brown. A cream panel in every pane, one vegetable and its name inside. Flat brush, paint pen.
Moon phases stepping across a single row of panesNavy, white, pale gray. New moon at the left pane, full in the middle, back to new at the right. Round stencil, sponge.
One kind of weather per pane above a shared strip of hillYellow, white, gray, blue. Sun, cloud, rain and snow, one per pane; one strip of hill runs under all four.
One tree four times: blossom, leaf, color and snow panesGreens, pink, orange, white, brown. Blossom, full leaf, turning leaf, then bare with snow, left to right.
Shell collection, a single shell centered in every paneSand, pink, white, gray. Each shell on a pale sand oval; a small pencil-thin label under it. Round brush.
Six kitchen herbs, one named sprig per paneGreens, white. A sprig centered in each pane with its name lettered beneath in white. Liner brush, paint pen.
Songbird a pane, each perched on its own twigBrowns, red, blue, yellow, black. One bird per pane, all facing the middle bar; twigs enter from the frame. Liner brush.
Tree leaf a pane, a different tree each, veins in goldGreens, red, gold. One large leaf drawn tip-up in each pane; veins added with a gold paint pen when dry.
One pane painted, the rest clear 12
Bee and honeycomb filling one corner paneAmber, black, white, gray. Hexagons grow from the corner; one bee crosses toward the clear panes. Liner brush.
Cat sitting on the bottom bar of one lower paneBlack or ginger, white, pink. The cat sits on the bar as on a sill, tail hanging into the pane below. Round brush.
Half sun rising from the bottom bar of one paneYellow, orange. A half circle above the bar; long and short rays alternate up to the edges of that pane. Flat brush.
Hanging fern basket painted in a top corner paneGreens, brown. Chains drop from the top rail; fronds spill toward the bar below but stop short of it. Liner brush.
House number in one pane beside clear glassWhite or black. Tall numerals fill one middle pane, drawn inside tape guides top and bottom. Flat brush.
Jam jar of wildflowers standing in one lower panePale blue, white, greens, three flower colors. Jar on the bottom edge of the pane; stems lean both ways. Round brush.
Monogram inside a laurel ring in the middle paneGold or white, sage. Two leafy sprays curve up around one capital; all other panes stay clear. Liner brush.
One wreath in a top pane, every other pane left clearDark green, red, white. Wreath fills a single top pane; the rest of the glass stays clean. Brush-handle berries.
Single cardinal on a branch in the lower left paneRed, black, brown, white. Branch enters from the frame edge; the bird faces into the empty panes. Liner brush.
Snowflake wiped clear out of a single sponged paneWhite. Sponge one pane with thinned white; wipe a six-armed flake clear with a damp cotton swab. Sponge.
Twig nest and blue eggs on a forked branch, low in one paneBrowns, pale blue, green. Twiggy nest on a forked branch near the bottom of the pane; leaves above. Liner brush.
Welcome lettered across the center pane onlyWhite, one accent color. One word in script on a pencil baseline; a small flourish under it. Paint pen.
Painted on the back of the glass 12
Dandelion clock, seeds first and sky behind themWhite, gray, pale blue. Seed parachutes and stalk first on the back; blue sky sponged over when dry.
Farm name in reverse across the back of the top rowWhite, barn red. Letters painted mirror-image on the back, then a red band painted straight over them. Flat brush.
Front outline with flat color blocked in behind itBlack, three flat colors. Outline on the front in paint pen; solid shapes on the back, a little oversized. Flat brush.
Goldfish painted back to front, highlights firstWhite, orange, red, blue. Eye glint and scale edges first, orange body next, blue water over all. Round brush.
Hummingbird with its eye and beak painted before the bodyBlack, white, green, ruby, gray. Eye and beak, then throat, then green body, then blurred gray wings.
Koi pond built fish first, lily pads next, water lastOrange, white, black, green, deep blue. Each layer dries before the next goes over it, all on the back.
Leaded-glass look, black lines on the back of each paneBlack, thinned jewel colors. Black outlines first on the back; fill each cell with a thin wash when dry. Liner brush.
Metallic gold border on the back of the outer panesGold. A band two fingers wide around the outside edge of the glass, on the back; the middle stays clear. Flat brush.
Mirror-image greeting on the back, read from the frontWhite, black. Print the word mirror-image, tape it face-in on the front, and trace it on the back. Paint pen.
Poppies whose black centers go on before the redBlack, red, green, cream. Centers and stems first on the back; red petals over them; cream ground last. Round brush.
Sponged frost on the back around a clear center ovalWhite. Tape a paper oval to the back; sponge thinned white around it; lift the oval when dry. Sponge.
Winter cabin, lit windows painted before the wallsYellow, brown, white, navy. Window squares first, cabin walls over them, snow and night sky last. Flat brush.
How it works
An old wooden window taken out of the wall is a ready-made frame whose bars split the glass into panes. These 48 scenes are sorted by how they use the panes.
Read the full guide
Three ways to use the panes
One scene across every pane treats the bars as something you look past: Birch wood crossing every pane, trunks behind the bars. A picture a pane makes a matched set: One tree four times: blossom, leaf, color and snow panes. One pane painted, the rest clear leaves most of the glass empty.
Painted on the back of the glass
Twelve designs put paint on the back, seen through the glass, and where layers stack the order flips: details first, background last. Goldfish painted back to front, highlights first starts with the glint in the eye. Lettering goes on mirror-image.
Questions and answers
Do I have to sand or repaint the old frame?
No: each design goes on the glass only. The US EPA page Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home, read October 3, 2026, says homes built before 1978 are more likely to have lead-based paint and names windows among painted areas that wear.
What paint goes on a window pane?
A paint whose label says it is made for glass. The label says how it cures and how it wears. This list treats the window as a picture to hang, not as a window to wash.
Which painted window pane ideas fit a window with only two panes?
Start with One pane painted, the rest clear: One wreath in a top pane, every other pane left clear needs a single pane. The sets under A picture a pane want four or six.