Lace pattern sponged through a lace stripDark base, white. Wrap a strip of lace around the belly, sponge white through it, lift straight off. Sponge.
Gingerbread door and windows under white shoulder scallopsBrown, white, red. Door and windows on the belly; white icing scallops drop from the shoulder line. Paint pen.
Bright triangles crowding the base, a few at the shoulderWhite base, four brights. Small triangles thick around the base, thinning to a few at the shoulder. Flat brush corner.
City towers around the lower half, windows scratched clearBlack. Towers of different heights around the lower half; windows scratched out with a toothpick while wet. Flat brush.
Fireflies glowing through a dark green washDark green, thinned yellow. Green wash all over; fingertip dabs wiped clear, then touched with yellow. Fingertip.
Frosted from base to lip around one bare starWhite. Sponge thinned white from base to lip; a star sticker on the belly peels off to leave the window. Sponge.
Full moon left bare on a midnight bottleMidnight blue, black. A jar lid traced on the belly stays unpainted; black twigs cross its edge. Round brush.
Honeycomb with six cells left bareThinned amber, brown. Hexagons in brown from base to shoulder; amber wash in all but six cells. Liner brush.
Lantern panes with black glazing barsBlack, thinned yellow. Four tall panes of yellow wash around the belly; black bars and a shoulder cap. Liner brush.
Leaded diamonds filled with thin colorBlack, thinned red, blue, green, amber. Black lattice from base to shoulder; one wash in each diamond. Liner brush.
Night sky with star dots left bare for the lightsNavy, black. Round stickers scattered on the belly, painted over in navy, then lifted off. Wide flat brush.
Paper-lantern slits between red stripesRed, gold. Tape tall strips down the belly, paint red between, peel; gold bands at shoulder and base. Flat brush.
Porthole with a brass ring and rivetsNavy, brass yellow, gray. One circle on the belly left bare inside a brass ring; rivets with a brush handle.
Row of cottages with lit windows around the bellyCharcoal, thinned amber. Rooftops in charcoal from the base; each window is one stroke of amber wash. Flat brush.
Snow globe with a clear dome on the bellyWhite, pale blue. Lower third and neck sponged white; the belly stays bare above a line of snowy hills. Sponge.
Christmas and winter 12
Elf tunic, red zigzag shoulder collar tipped with gold dotsGreen, red, gold. Green belly, red zigzag collar on the shoulder, a gold dot on each point. Round brush.
Gingerbread door and windows under white shoulder scallopsBrown, white, red. Door and windows on the belly; white icing scallops drop from the shoulder line. Paint pen.
Holly ring around the shoulder, berries in threesBare glass or white, dark green, red. Spiny leaves circle the shoulder; berries with a brush handle. Round brush.
Knitted sweater bands from base to shoulderRed, white. Rows of zigzags, dots and small snowflakes stacked up the belly. Paint pen over a dry red coat.
One red stripe winding from shoulder to lip on whiteWhite, red. White coat all over; one red band winds up the neck. Turn the bottle as you pull. Flat brush.
Penguin with a scarf knotted at the shoulderBlack, white, orange, one scarf color. White front panel on the belly; the scarf wraps the shoulder turn. Flat brush.
Pines rising from the base, snow dots thinning aboveWhite, dark green, pale blue. Pines from the base to mid-belly; cotton-swab snow thins toward the shoulder. Fan brush.
Poinsettia wrapped around the shoulderRed, dark green, yellow. Pointed red bracts fan down from the shoulder; yellow dots cluster at the center. Round brush.
Reindeer low on the belly, antlers forking up the neckBrown, tan, red, black. Face low on the belly with a red nose; antlers fork from the shoulder up the neck. Liner brush.
Santa coat with the shoulder as a fur collarRed, white, black, gold. Red belly, white sponged collar on the shoulder, a black belt with a gold buckle. Sponge.
Snowman whose black hat is the neck, brim at the shoulderWhite, black, orange. White belly and shoulder; the neck is black with a brim line where the shoulder ends. Flat brush.
Three small poinsettias climbing to the neckCream base, red, green, yellow. One bloom low on the belly, one mid, one at the shoulder, on a single stem. Round brush.
Fall and Halloween 12
Bats rising up the neck from a low moonPurple, black, pale yellow. Moon low on the belly; bats shrink as they climb the shoulder and neck. Liner brush.
Black neck and shoulder as a witch hat, purple band belowBlack, purple, gold. The neck and shoulder are the hat; a purple band and a gold buckle sit under it. Flat brush.
Candy corn bottle, yellow base, orange middle, white neckYellow, orange, white. Yellow from the base to mid-belly, orange up to the shoulder, white above. Wide flat brush.
Ghost with the mouth and eyes left clearWhite. Sponge the whole bottle white around two oval stickers and a mouth sticker; peel when dry. Sponge.
Jack-o'-lantern with the eyes left bare for lightsOrange, black, green. Orange belly with rib lines; triangle eyes stay unpainted; the neck is the green stem. Flat brush.
Maple leaves tumbling from shoulder to baseCream base, red, orange, gold. Leaves large at the shoulder, small at the base, every one at a new tilt. Round brush.
Rows of corn kernels up the belly, husks at the shoulderYellow, gold, pale green. Cotton-swab kernels in rows up the belly; husk leaves fold down from the shoulder.
Scarecrow with a straw ruff at the shoulderTan, brown, orange, yellow. Stitched smile on the belly; yellow straw strokes flick out at the shoulder. Liner brush.
Seated black cat, tail wrapped once around the bottle baseBlack, yellow, pink. Cat sits on the belly; the tail wraps once around the base. Yellow eyes, pink nose. Round brush.
Slanting mummy bands around the belly, eyes in one dark gapWhite, gray, black, yellow. Overlapping white bands slant around the belly; eyes look out of one dark gap. Flat brush.
Sunflower petals on the base rim, the dimple as its centerYellow, brown, green. Bottle shown on its side; the dimple is the seed head, petals on the base rim. Round brush.
Turkey on the belly, feather fan spread over the shoulderBrown, red, orange, yellow. Body on the belly; feathers spread up and over the shoulder like a fan. Flat brush.
Figures from the shape 12
Chef in double buttons, white shoulder and neck for a hatWhite, black, red. White neck and shoulder; a double row of black buttons and a red neckerchief on the belly. Paint pen.
Circus clown with a ruffled collarWhite, red, yellow, blue. Ruffle scallops in three colors circle the shoulder; pompom buttons below. Round brush.
Farmer in a blue bib, the tan neck a straw hat with a brimBlue, red, tan. Blue bib and straps on the belly over a red check shirt; a tan neck with a brim line. Round brush.
Firefighter in a yellow coat with a red helmet neckYellow, red, silver, black. Yellow coat with silver bands; the red shoulder and neck make the helmet. Flat brush.
Gnome with a belly-wide beard, red from the shoulder upRed, blue, white, peach. Red from the shoulder up; a white beard fills the belly under a peach nose. Round brush.
Heron whose long neck runs up the glass neck to the lipBlue-gray, white, yellow, green. Body on the belly, the long neck up the glass neck, the beak at the lip. Liner brush.
King with an ermine collar and a crown at the lipRoyal red, white, gold, black. White collar flecked black on the shoulder; gold crown points at the lip. Liner brush.
Lighthouse keeper in a yellow raincoat, rain hat for a neckYellow, navy, white. Yellow coat with toggles; the shoulder flares as the hat brim; a white beard below. Round brush.
Sailor with a square striped collarWhite, navy, red. Navy collar with white stripes laid over the shoulder; a red knot at the front. Flat brush.
Toy soldier with epaulettes on the shoulderRed, navy, gold, black. Red jacket belly with gold buttons; gold fringe on the shoulder; black neck as the cap.
Wizard in a starry robe with a hat for a neckPurple, gold, gray. Purple robe with gold stars; a gray beard on the belly; the neck is the hat. Paint pen for stars.
Yellow pencil bottle, tan shoulder for wood, black lip leadYellow, pink, silver, tan, black. Yellow belly, tan shoulder as the cut wood, black lip as the lead. Flat brush.
Patterns and easy finishes 12
Base dipped to a slanted lineOne color. Tape a slanted line around the lower belly; paint below it and into the dimple; peel while soft.
Bright triangles crowding the base, a few at the shoulderWhite base, four brights. Small triangles thick around the base, thinning to a few at the shoulder. Flat brush corner.
Brown and gold speckles flicked over a dry cream coatCream base, brown, gold. Dry cream coat; flick thinned brown, then gold, turning the bottle on paper. Old toothbrush.
Cotton-swab dots thinning toward the neckWhite, two colors. Dots crowd the base, spread out on the belly and stop at the shoulder. Cotton swab.
Label panel painted back on for a nameBlack, white. One rectangle where the label was; a name or a table word lettered inside. Flat brush, then paint pen.
Lace pattern sponged through a lace stripDark base, white. Wrap a strip of lace around the belly, sponge white through it, lift straight off. Sponge.
One color fading out at the shoulderOne color, a little water. Full strength at the base, sponged thinner as it climbs, gone by the shoulder. Sponge.
Raised dots in rows like hobnail glassWhite on white. A dry white coat, then rows of thick dots offset row by row from base to shoulder. Brush handle.
Shoulder band and nothing elseOne metallic. A single band the width of the brush where the shoulder turns; the rest is bare glass. Flat brush.
Thick paint left to run from the shoulder in long dripsTwo colors. Thick paint loaded along the shoulder and left to run; the bottle stands on a jar lid to dry. Round brush.
Two colors meeting at the shoulderTwo colors. One on the belly, one on the shoulder and neck; a pencil line around the turn keeps the join level.
Wide and narrow tape bands with a bare neckWhite, one bold color. Wide and narrow tape bands alternate; paint the gaps; the neck stays bare. Tape and flat brush.
How it works
An empty wine bottle has a belly, a sloping shoulder, a narrow neck and, on most, a dimple in the base. These 60 designs are for one washed bottle with its label soaked off, kept afterwards as a display piece.
Read the full guide
Use the shoulder and the neck
Figures from the shape turns the shoulder into a collar and the neck into a hat: Gnome with a belly-wide beard, red from the shoulder up, Chef in double buttons, white shoulder and neck for a hat. Christmas and winter holds two poinsettias, one wrapped around the shoulder and one climbing to the neck.
Bottle painting ideas with lights
Lit from inside is 12 designs for a string of battery LED lights fed in through the neck. The paint is sponged thin or left off in windows so the lights show: Frosted from base to lip around one bare star, Porthole with a brass ring and rivets.
Questions and answers
What paint do I use on a wine bottle?
Choose a paint whose label says it is made for glass. The label says how to cure it and whether it can be washed. A bottle painted from this list is a display piece and is not filled again.
What goes inside a lit bottle?
A string of battery LED lights. No design on the list uses a flame, and none asks for a hole in the glass: the string goes in through the neck and its battery pack stays outside.
Are there wine bottle art ideas for fall and Halloween?
Yes, 12 of them. Jack-o'-lantern with the eyes left bare for lights and Ghost with the mouth and eyes left clear both glow with a light string inside; the candy corn bottle is three bands of flat color.
Which designs need no drawing?
The 12 under Patterns and easy finishes. Base dipped to a slanted line is one color and a strip of tape; Cotton-swab dots thinning toward the neck is dots alone; Shoulder band and nothing else is a single stroke around the bottle.