• 70 designs

Window Painting Ideas by Season, for Homes, Classrooms and Shopfronts

Three window designs at a time, each with its colours, the corner or border it fits and whether to paint it from inside or outside. Keep one, drop the rest.

Window Painting Ideas by Season, for Homes, Classrooms and Shopfronts

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  1. Gingerbread village along the sillBrown, white, red, green. Bottom border; outside. Flat brown houses, then all the icing detail in white marker.
  2. Steaming coffee cup for a cafeWhite, brown, cream. Lower corner near the door; outside. Three curls of steam rising up the side of the pane.
  3. Beach scene with waves, a bucket and a crabBlues, sand, red, yellow. Bottom third; outside. Wave line above the sand, bucket in one corner, crab in the other.

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All 70 designs

Christmas and winter 20

  • Candy canes crossed in each corner Red, white, green. All four corners; outside. White hooks, red diagonal stripes on top, a green bow at the crossing.
  • Christmas tree filling one tall pane Greens, gold, red, white. One whole pane, star touching the top; outside. Trunk first, then tiers, then baubles.
  • Cotton-bud snow falling over the whole pane White. Whole pane, denser toward the bottom; inside. Dots in three sizes from a cotton bud and a fingertip.
  • Fern frost creeping up from the bottom corners White, ice blue. Bottom corners, feathering upward; inside, where real window frost forms. Dry brush or sponge.
  • Fingerprint fairy lights Black marker, four brights. Top border; inside. Draw the looping cable, then one fingerprint for each bulb.
  • Gingerbread village along the sill Brown, white, red, green. Bottom border; outside. Flat brown houses, then all the icing detail in white marker.
  • Holiday greeting in tall capitals with a snow cap White, red, green. A band across the centre; outside. Snow sitting on top of each letter, holly at both ends.
  • Holly and berry border along the top Dark green, red, white. Top border, corner to corner; outside. Spiny leaves, berries in threes. Flat brush.
  • Mistletoe bunch hanging in the top centre Sage green, white, red. Top centre; inside. Paired oval leaves, clusters of white berries, a red bow. Round brush.
  • Mitten pair hanging from a string Two colours, white. Top centre; inside. Two mitten shapes joined by a looping string, white cuffs beside them.
  • Paper-snowflake stencil sponged in white White. Clusters of three anywhere on the pane; inside. Tape a cut paper snowflake flat, sponge over it, peel.
  • Poinsettias in the two bottom corners Red, green, yellow. Bottom corners; outside. Pointed red bracts in a star, tiny yellow dots at the centre.
  • Reindeer peeking up over the sill Browns, cream, red, black. One bottom corner, head and antlers only; outside. Sponge the fur, brush the antlers.
  • Robin on a snow-topped branch reaching in from one side Brown, orange-red, white, black. Branch from one side to the centre; outside. Robin first, then snow along the branch.
  • Sleigh crossing a full moon Black, pale yellow. Upper half, moon off-centre; inside. Black sleigh first, then the moon over it, to face the street.
  • Snow-drift border with pine trees White, dark green, blue-grey. Bottom border, drifts rising into both corners; outside. Sponge the snow.
  • Snowflakes drifting down from the top corners White, pale blue. Top corners, thinning toward the middle; inside. Six arms on each, sizes mixed. Window marker.
  • Snowman family along the bottom border White, black, orange, red. Bottom border on a snowbank; outside. Tallest at one end, a different scarf on each.
  • String of fairy lights swagged across the top Black, red, green, yellow, blue. Top border in three loops; outside. Black cable first, a white glint on each bulb.
  • Wreath round a central greeting Greens, red, gold, white. Centre of the pane; outside so the greeting reads, or inside in mirror writing.

Fall and Halloween 19

  • Acorn and oak leaf border Browns, ochre, green. Top border, or all four sides; inside. One leaf, then a pair of acorns, repeated. Round brush.
  • Bats flying out from a full moon Pale yellow, black. Moon in a top corner, bats scattering across the pane, smaller with distance; inside.
  • Black cat with an arched back on the sill Black, yellow, white. One bottom corner, feet on the real sill line; inside. Eyes first, then the black body.
  • Falling maple leaves down one side Red, orange, yellow, brown. One side from top to bottom, a pile at the sill; inside. Flat brush, one press per lobe.
  • Ghosts peeking round the frame White, black, grey. Both sides and one bottom corner, half hidden by the frame; inside. Eyes first, bodies sponged over.
  • Give thanks lettering inside a leaf wreath Oranges, reds, brown, cream. Centre of the pane; outside so it reads, or inside in mirror writing. Flat brush.
  • Handprint autumn tree Brown, red, orange, yellow. One side of the pane; inside. Brushed trunk, one handprint for each clump of leaves.
  • Haunted house silhouette rising from the sill Black, purple, yellow, orange. Bottom border rising to one side; inside. Windows yellow first, then the black house.
  • Horn of plenty spilling across the sill Browns, orange, purple, green, red. Bottom border from one corner; outside. Pumpkins, grapes, apples and corn.
  • Jack-o'-lantern row along the sill Orange, black, green, yellow. Bottom border; outside. A different face on each, yellow inside the eyes and mouths.
  • Monster eyes peering out of the dark White, yellow, black. Pairs scattered over the pane; inside. Pupils first, whites over them. Best with the room dark.
  • Owl on a branch against a harvest moon Orange, brown, black, cream. Moon in a top corner, branch in from the side; inside. Owl first, then the moon over it.
  • Scarecrow in a corn field Straw yellow, brown, red, blue. One side at full height; outside. Corn stalks along the rest of the bottom border.
  • Skeleton waving from the side of the frame White. One side, waist up, one arm raised; inside. White bones on bare glass show best with the room dark.
  • Spider web in a top corner with one hanging spider White, black. One top corner, the thread dropping a third of the way down the pane; inside. Window marker.
  • Sponge-print pumpkins in a row Orange, green, black. Bottom border; inside. Marker faces first, a round sponge print over each, brushed stems.
  • Sunflowers and pumpkins in a harvest corner Yellow, brown, orange, green. One bottom corner, tallest flower to two-thirds of the height; outside.
  • Thanksgiving turkey with a leaf-coloured tail Browns, red, orange, yellow. Bottom centre; outside. Tail feathers as a fan of long leaf shapes. Flat brush.
  • Witch's hat, broom and cauldron Black, purple, green, orange. One bottom corner; outside. Green bubbles rising up the side of the pane.

Spring and summer 18

  • April shower with an umbrella and puddles Blues, yellow, grey. Cloud in a top corner, umbrella lower centre; inside. Every drop slanting the same way.
  • Beach scene with waves, a bucket and a crab Blues, sand, red, yellow. Bottom third; outside. Wave line above the sand, bucket in one corner, crab in the other.
  • Bees on a dotted flight path Yellow, black, white. Looping across the whole pane; inside. Dashed loop first, one bee at the end, more along it.
  • Bunting flags swagged across the top Any three colours, white. Top border in two swags; inside. Triangles hung on a thin line, colours in a fixed order.
  • Butterflies rising from a bottom corner Brights, black. From one bottom corner diagonally upward, smaller as they go; inside. Match the two wings.
  • Cherry blossom branch from a top corner Brown, pinks, white. From one top corner toward the centre; inside. Five-petal blossoms, a few petals falling.
  • Corner sun with long rays Yellow, orange. One top corner; inside. A quarter circle in the corner, rays of two lengths fanning out.
  • Cotton-bud daisies in the bottom corners White, yellow, green. Both bottom corners; inside. A yellow dot, a ring of white cotton-bud petals, a stem.
  • Daffodils standing along the sill Yellow, orange, green. Bottom border; outside. Six pointed tepals and an orange trumpet on each. Round brush.
  • Easter eggs hidden in long grass Pastels, green. Bottom border; inside. Grass blades first, then striped and dotted eggs half hidden behind them.
  • Fireworks over a rooftop skyline Black, brights, white. Skyline along the bottom, bursts in the upper half; inside. For a summer fete or New Year.
  • Ice-cream cones in a row Pastels, tan, red. Bottom border, or a band across the middle; outside. Waffle lines on the cones, one scoop dripping.
  • Rabbit ears peeking over the sill White, pink, grey. Bottom centre; inside. Only the ears and eyes show above the frame. Round brush.
  • Rainbow arching from corner to corner Six rainbow colours, white. From one bottom corner over the top to the other; inside. Sponged cloud at each foot.
  • Sunflower field with a big corner sun Yellow, orange, brown, green. Sun in a top corner, flowers along the bottom border; outside. Flat brush petals.
  • Tape-resist stained glass Four brights. One whole pane; inside. A web of masking tape, a sponged colour in each gap, tape peeled once dry.
  • Thumbprint ladybirds on grass blades Green, red, black. Bottom border; outside, at ground level. Grass strokes, red thumbprints, marker spots on top.
  • Tulip row in a repeating colour order Red, yellow, pink, purple, green. Bottom border; outside. Egg-shaped cups on straight stems, leaves crossing.

Year-round shopfront 13

  • Arched shop name in the top third Gold, black. Top third, arched; outside, or inside in mirror writing. Mark the arc with string and a marker first.
  • Bakery loaf, wheat ears and a rolling pin Browns, cream, gold. One bottom corner; outside. Wheat ears fanning up the side, slashes on the loaf in cream.
  • Barber's pole stripes up one side Red, white, blue. One side at full height; inside. Stripes at one slant between two ruled lines. Flat brush.
  • Bookshop stack with a sleeping cat Mixed spine colours, grey, white. One bottom corner; inside. Books leaning, the cat curled on the top one.
  • Florist's bucket of mixed stems Greens, pinks, yellow, grey. Bottom corner by the door, stems reaching half height; outside. Round brush.
  • Garland swag frame round the whole window Greens, one seasonal colour. All four sides; inside. Centre left clear for the display; swap the bows by season.
  • Open sign lettering with a drop shadow White, one dark colour. Door glass at eye level; outside, or inside in mirror writing. Shadow down and to the right.
  • Opening hours panel beside the door White. Lower corner on the handle side; outside. Rule guide lines first, days on the left, times on the right.
  • Paw-print trail leading to the door White. Along the bottom border toward the door; inside. One big pad and four small toes, left and right by turns.
  • Sale banner on a diagonal ribbon Red, white, yellow. Across one lower corner, or corner to corner; outside. Folded ribbon ends, capitals inside.
  • Steaming coffee cup for a cafe White, brown, cream. Lower corner near the door; outside. Three curls of steam rising up the side of the pane.
  • Striped awning painted across the top Two colours, white. Top border at full width; inside. Scalloped lower edge, stripes as wide as your flat brush.
  • Thank-you speech bubble by the exit White, one colour. Door glass, inside and facing in, so customers read it on the way out. Normal lettering.

How it works

A window is the one surface you can paint from either side, and the side decides the order of every stroke. These 70 window painting ideas for house, classroom and shop glass each give the colours, the corner or border the design fits and whether it goes on from inside or outside.

Read the full guide

Inside or outside decides the order

Paint on the outside is seen as you painted it: background first, details last. Paint on the inside is seen through the glass, back to front. That is reverse glass painting, where details go on first, so Black cat with an arched back on the sill gets its eyes before its body. Words go on in mirror writing, like the reversed AMBULANCE on the front of an ambulance; 4 lettered designs give both options. Above the ground floor, paint inside.

The groups follow the calendar

Christmas window painting ideas share a group of 20 with the rest of winter. Autumn starts with Falling maple leaves down one side and turns to Halloween by 31 October; Horn of plenty spilling across the sill lasts to Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Spring and summer share the third group.

  • Start with one colour: Cotton-bud snow falling over the whole pane is the simplest of the easy winter window painting ideas, and Sponge-print pumpkins in a row needs only three.
  • Real window frost forms on the inside of a building's glass, which is why Fern frost creeping up from the bottom corners is painted inside.
  • Keep to borders and corners: fall window painting ideas such as Handprint autumn tree fill one side of the pane, so the room keeps its daylight and the shop its display.

Questions and answers

What paint do I use on a window?

Use a paint or marker sold for glass, and check its label for how it washes off. Wikipedia describes acrylic glass paint as water-based and semi-permanent, suited to temporary displays on windows. We have not tested any product and make no promise about rain, sun or cleaning, so try a small patch in a bottom corner first.

Which designs suit a shop window?

Holiday greeting in tall capitals with a snow cap is lettered outside, so it reads from the street. Garland swag frame round the whole window leaves the display clear, and only its bows change.

Can children paint the windows?

Yes, on a ground-floor pane, with a product whose label says it suits children. Handprint autumn tree and Fingerprint fairy lights are built from hand and finger prints, and Sponge-print pumpkins in a row is the gentlest of the Halloween window painting ideas.

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