Black tree with lantern pumpkins hung from its bare branchesBlack, orange, yellow. Trunk on one side, branches across the top; five small lanterns at different heights.
Harbor with three fishing boats at their moorings, masts against bare meshRed, white, blue, gray. Hulls in a row at mid-height; each mast one line into the unpainted sky. Liner brush.
Lemonade stand under a striped awning on a summer lawnYellow, white, red, green. Stand central; the awning stripes follow the upright wires; a pitcher on the counter.
Clothesline of white sheets between two posts in a backyardWhite, blue, green. The sheets are the largest pale shapes, hung across the middle; grass below.
Covered bridge over a creek, the road coming in from one side of the frameBarn red, gray, blue, green. The bridge is one red block at mid-height; the creek a plain blue band below.
Garden shed with a wheelbarrow of flower pots parked at its doorGreen, brown, terracotta, white. Shed fills one side from the bottom rail up; the barrow low on the other.
Picket fence along the bottom of the screen, its gate standing openWhite, green, pink. Fence bars follow the upright wires, roses dotted behind. The sky stays bare mesh.
Red-roofed cottage by a pond, a path winding up from the bottom railRed, white, greens, blue. The path starts at the frame's bottom edge; the roof is the brightest shape. Flat brush.
Rose arch following the top and sides of the frame, a bench at its footWhite, green, rose pink. The arch hugs three edges of the screen; the middle stays open mesh. Round brush.
Stone well with a bucket under one round-topped treeGray, brown, two greens. Well low and central; the tree's crown is one flat shape, no leaves drawn. Flat brush.
Street of row houses with white front steps, each door a different colorBrick red, white, three brights. House fronts as flat blocks side by side; the steps sit on the bottom rail.
Thatched cottage whose chimney smoke curls into bare meshTan, white, brown, gray. Paint stops at the roofline; the smoke is the only mark in the unpainted sky.
Three white beehives under an orchard tree in blossomWhite, pink, green, brown. Hives in a row along the bottom; blossom as loose pink dabs above. Round brush.
Vegetable rows fanning out from the bottom rail toward a potting shedGreens, brown, red. Five rows widen toward the viewer; the shed sits small near the top. Flat brush.
Windmill on a low hill, its four sails crossing bare meshWhite, brown, green. Hill across the bottom third; the sails are four plain bars on unpainted sky.
Water, boats and lighthouses 12
Duck leading five ducklings across a pond, a V of ripples behind eachBrown, yellow, white, blue. Birds in a slanting line at mid-height; each ripple is two white strokes.
Harbor with three fishing boats at their moorings, masts against bare meshRed, white, blue, gray. Hulls in a row at mid-height; each mast one line into the unpainted sky. Liner brush.
Lighthouse up one side of a door screen, its beam left as bare meshWhite, red, gray, blue. Two thin painted lines mark the beam's edges; nothing is painted between them.
Pair of swans on a pond, reeds up both sides of the frameWhite, orange, green, blue. Swans face each other at the center; reeds climb the two side edges.
Pier reaching toward the top of the screen, lamp posts shrinking as they goBrown, black, yellow, blue. The pier starts wide at the bottom rail; five lamps, each smaller than the last.
Riverboat with a paddle wheel at the stern and two tall stacksWhite, red, black, blue. Decks as three white bands; the wheel a red circle at the back. Flat brush.
Sailboat with one white sail, the sky around it unpaintedWhite, navy, blue. The sail is the biggest flat shape; the water is a band across the bottom third.
Stone mill with a water wheel beside a mill pondGray, brown, blue, green. The wheel, a ring with eight spokes, is the largest shape; pond across the bottom.
Striped beach umbrella and two chairs facing a flat seaTwo brights, white, sand, blue. Umbrella stripes fan from its tip; sea and sand are two plain bands.
Tugboat with a striped funnel pushing a white bow waveRed, black, white, blue. Boat side-on and large; the bow wave is one white curl. Sky left as bare mesh.
Waterfall dropping most of the height of a door screen into a poolWhite, gray, greens, blue. One white column down the middle, rock either side; the pool meets the bottom rail.
Wooden dock running from the bottom rail out to a tied canoeBrown, red, blue. Planks start full width at the bottom edge and narrow; the canoe lies across the end.
Flowers and birds 12
Bluebird pair on a dogwood branch reaching in from one sideBlue, rust, white, brown. The branch enters at mid-height with white blooms; the rest stays bare mesh.
Goldfinches on thistle heads, yellow against bare meshYellow, black, purple, green. Three thistles of different heights, a bird on two of them. Round brush.
Hen with five chicks pecking along the bottom railRust, yellow, red, green. The hen large at one end; chicks as yellow ovals in a line across the bottom.
Heron standing in reeds, as tall as the screen allowsGray, white, yellow, green. One bird, side-on, legs down to the bottom rail; reeds on one side only.
Hollyhocks standing the full height of a door screenPinks, red, green. Three stalks from the bottom rail to the top, blooms as flat circles up each one.
Iris clump rising from the bottom rail, three blooms at different heightsPurple, yellow, green. Sword leaves as straight strokes; each bloom three petals up, three drooping.
Magnolia branch crossing the screen corner to corner, five open bloomsWhite, pink, brown, green. One diagonal branch, blooms as large pale cups. Everything else is bare mesh.
Morning glories climbing painted strings up both sides of the frameBlue, white, green. Two vines up the side edges, trumpets facing outward; the middle stays open mesh.
Peacock with its train falling down a tall screenBlue, green, gold. Bird near the top on a painted rail; the train hangs to the bottom, its eyes as gold dots.
Rooster on a fence post, tail feathers in three flat colorsRed, black, gold, white. The post rises from the bottom rail; the tail arcs toward a top corner.
Vase of tulips standing on the bottom rail of a narrow screenRed, yellow, green, blue. Vase centered on the bottom edge; stems fan toward the two top corners.
Window box of red geraniums along the bottom rail, as if the sill were plantedRed, green, white. The box runs the full width of the screen; flower heads as red clusters above it.
Seasons and holidays 12
Black tree with lantern pumpkins hung from its bare branchesBlack, orange, yellow. Trunk on one side, branches across the top; five small lanterns at different heights.
Corn shocks standing in a cut field under a pale sunGold, tan, brown, pale yellow. Three shocks, the largest in front; the sun a plain disc on bare mesh.
Flag on a pole filling a door screen, its stripes running with the wiresRed, white, blue. Pole up one side edge; use the level wires as the guide for each stripe. Flat brush.
Kite high in the bare mesh, its tail curling down toward a spring hillRed, yellow, green. Hill across the bottom; one diamond kite near a top corner, a thin line between them.
Lambs on a spring hill behind a rail fence, each lamb one white shapeWhite, black, greens, brown. Fence along the bottom; five lambs scattered up the slope. Flat brush.
Lemonade stand under a striped awning on a summer lawnYellow, white, red, green. Stand central; the awning stripes follow the upright wires; a pitcher on the counter.
Picnic blanket in red check, its squares counted off on the meshRed, white, tan, green. Blanket on the grass with a basket on one corner; the wires guide the checks.
Pumpkin wagon parked beside a split-rail fenceOrange, green, brown, tan. Wagon side-on with a heap of round pumpkins; two rails cross behind it.
Red hearts strung on a line across the top third of the screenRed, pink, white. Seven hearts, larger toward the middle; the string sags between the two top corners.
Red sled leaning against a snow-topped garden gateRed, white, brown, gray. Gate posts rise from the bottom rail; the sled slants across them. Sky stays bare mesh.
Snow-roofed row house with a candle in every windowBrick red, white, yellow, green. One house front fills the screen; each candle is a single yellow stroke.
Sugar shack in late snow, steam rising, a bucket hung on each maple trunkBrown, white, gray, red. Shack low and central; three trunks, a bucket on each; steam drifts into bare mesh.
How it works
Paint on the wire mesh of a window screen shows as a picture from the street, while the room still looks out through it. These 48 scenes are drawn for that: flat shapes, few colors, often bare mesh for sky.
Read the full guide
A folk art from Baltimore row houses
Screen painting began early in the 20th century in Baltimore, Maryland, and painted screens once lined its row houses, typically with country scenes and still lifes. Red-roofed cottage by a pond, a path winding up from the bottom rail is that kind of scene; Street of row houses with white front steps, each door a different color paints the houses themselves.
Let the wires rule the lines
Mesh is a grid of level and upright wires, so it draws straight lines for you: Flag on a pole filling a door screen, its stripes running with the wires, or Picnic blanket in red check, its squares counted off on the mesh. Keep shapes large and flat. The paint sits on wire, not on a solid surface.
Questions and answers
What paint do you use on a window screen?
One whose label names what your mesh is made of: a screen is usually metal, fiberglass or plastic. We do not test paints, so check the label too for whether it suits a screen that stays outdoors.
Does a painted screen still let air through?
It is meant to. The Baltimore painters removed excess paint from the holes so the screen kept ventilating. Many scenes here also leave the sky or the middle of the screen as bare mesh, which carries no paint at all.
What do you paint on a screen door?
One tall subject. Hollyhocks standing the full height of a door screen and Waterfall dropping most of the height of a door screen into a pool both use the height of the frame, down to the bottom rail.