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Window Painting 101: How to Paint Festive Windows at School or Home
One of my favorite ways to spread holiday cheer throughout my school community has been to paint the windows. Painting the windows in your classroom, front office, library, wherever is such an amazing way to make a BIG impact with just a little time and paint. This is also a fun way to involve your students in a community based art project (if the imagery is simple enough!) Today I want to share all I know about window painting, share my process, as well as answer some of the questions I have received over the years when it comes to painting windows. So let's go! How to Paint Windows for the Holidays: In this blog, we'll guide you through the creative process of painting your windows, adding a personalized touch to your surroundings that captures the magic of the holidays. Gather Your Supplies: Before diving into your holiday masterpiece, gather the necessary supplies. You can honestly use many different times of paint/ markers to decorate the windows. I prefer to use tempera paint as it just washed right off! I love Crayola Premier paint. However, you can also use water based acrylic paint, paint pens, or chalk markers! Choose a color palette that perhaps compliments the surrounding area/ decor, or you can keep is classic and simple and just use all white! Sketch/ Gather Inspiration For Your Design: Start by sketching your design on paper to visualize how it will look on your windows. It would be just something real quick to help you with layout, and then you can reference other imagery while you work. You could consider more classic holiday imagery like snowflakes, ornaments, or festive landscape. You could also choose to paint some of the iconic holiday characters around this time of year- I have loved painting My favorite imagery has been painting a winter village. It's festive yet not specifically Christmas. I recently painted the windows at my local library and opted to paint a woodland creatures winter scene, as they had expressed they would like the leave the windows up throughout the winter, not just December. Here is a step by step tutorial for painting your own winter burrow scene from a recent blog post. You can find a link to my drawing guide for winter village drawing guide here, as well as my woodland creatures guide here. Prepare the Windows: If your windows are notably dirty, it would probably be a good idea to clean them before painting! You also might want to lay down a drop cloth, or just a poster board along the window ledge to catch any paint drips. Get Painting: With your design in mind and your windows prepped, it's time to bring your vision to life. If you want to begin with the end in mind- and would like to use a scraper to take the window paint off, you can add a pump or two of dishsoap to the paint for easy clean up! Now, just keep in mind, the more soap you add, the thinner/ more diluted your tempera paint will be. If you would like paint that is more opaque, then just use the tempera paint as it is. Gather a mixture of brushes to vary line thickness. I like having a few brushes of each size/ shape. I mostly end up using flat brushes to paint windows. I use large + medium flat brushes for painting in larger areas, and medium + smaller round brushes for smaller details. Once you get painting you will discover what brushes work best for you! * A few other things to note about the painting process: * If you are planning on making your windows visible from both sides of the window, you need to consider your process. If you use only one color (like the white for the winter village) you will be fine! Everything will be drawn in a monoline and perfect from all sides of the window. However, if you are painting a character or scene with more colors and wish to have a black outline, you will need to start with the black outline of your scene first. Typically when we paint, we block in shapes first and then add the black details on top so they are visible- but if you would like your windows to be viewed on both sides, you will need to: 1. Paint the black outline first. 2. Paint in the colors of the shapes as if you are working on a coloring book page. Meaning- do not paint over the black outlines, as this will move/ smudge the black paint and mix it into your colors. Only paint in the negative spaces in and around the black outline.Then, once evetything is painted in, you can add a bit more black on top to clean up/ darken your black outlines. Just be sure to wait for the paint to dry so it doesn't move/ you don't pick the paint back up. If you are going to blend colors, you will need to blend as you paint, and while the paint is wet! Once you let tempera paint dry on the window, if you try to paint over it, it will be darker, look splotchy and not look as clean as if it were all painted in one layer. Try to avoid layering as much as possible on windows, unless you are using acrylic paint and don't plan on making your windows viewable from both sides. Here is an artist, Lindsey Morales who paints windows for the season on business's windows. She uses interior acrylic house paint and paints a base layer of white first and then builds up her painting like she would on a canvas or mural- but note: her paintings aren't viewable from the inside of the building, as all you would see is the white base layer. 5. Share the Joy: Your painted windows are sure to bring smiles to those passing by. Share the joy with your community by taking photos and sharing them through your newsletter or social media. You can consider organizing a window-painting event with your students to make it a shared experience. There is no better feeling than knowing you are spreading joy for other's to enjoy- what a special feeling you can share with your students. 6. Clean-Up and Removal: When the holiday season comes to an end, remove the window paint using a damp cloth or window cleaner. Washable window paint is designed to come off easily, leaving your windows clean and ready for the next creative endeavor. If you used soap in your tempera paint you can use a large paint scraper to scrape the paint off the windows. You can also use a paint scraper to take to acrylic paint off, you just have to spray the paint with water first to loosen the paint. Here is the window scraper I recommend! Painting your windows for the holidays is a wonderful way to express your creativity, spread festive cheer, and bring a touch of magic to your surroundings. Whether you're creating a winter wonderland or a scene straight from your imagination, let your holiday spirit shine through your painted windows to spread joy and love to others! Happy Creating!
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Doggy Disguises: How to Draw Dogs in Halloween Costumes!
Learn how to draw super cute dogs dressed up in different halloween costumes everyday throughout the month of October! These super simple, 5 minute drawing tutorials are the perfect daily art activity to draw for students of all ages!
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Summer Self Portraits: The Perfect Art Lesson to End the School Year!
Summer is a season of sunshine, warmth, and relaxation. It's also a great time to capture your own image through self-portraiture. Whether your students are in kindergarten through 5th grade, drawing a self-portrait can be a fun and rewarding way for students to express themselves and document their unique features. In this fun and easy drawing guide students will draw themselves living their best summer lives!
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Spring Chick Art Project for Preschoolers/ Pre-K
Spring has sprung, and what better way to celebrate the season of growth and renewal than by indulging in some adorable spring chick art crafts? These feathered friends are the perfect symbol of new beginnings and the fresh start that springtime represents. With their soft, fluffy feathers and sweet chirps, it's no wonder that chicks are a beloved icon of the season. So, let's grab our art supplies and get started!
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5 Amazing Winter Art Projects for Adapted Art Class
Check out this list of 5 amazing winter art projects that are perfect for your Adapted art class! Full of sensory exploration, process based goodness, and lots of opportunity for creative expression and fun!
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Scarf Selfie Winter Art Lesson!
Meet one of your new favorite art lessons for kids! Students will create a scarf selfie (or "scarfie") art project with a focus on line, shape and pattern all will using one of the most fun art techniques called scratch art. This lesson is perfect for elementary students of all ages and can be modified and adjusted with ease.
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Home For the Holidays Art Lesson
My students have been on a BIG winter homes kick per our last Winter Village lesson. So I decided to encourage them to take their imaginations a step further and give them the opportunity to create the interior of a winter home all decorated for the holidays. Now, in full disclosure, I actually came up with this lesson as a sub-plan because of some unexpected child care issues that popped up for us (eh hem- gotta love those 10 day exposure quarantines). ANYWAY- I created this lesson while I was prepping to be out, and the students did such an amazing job that I decided to keep going on when I returned to school! The lesson is super easy and incredibly engaging for students of all ages! Let me share with you how we made these adorable, cozy and interactive homes! Before starting the actual project, I recommend reading a book talking about different and diverse family traditions. I love this blog by Brightly sharing tons of different book recommendations. I also would recommend the book Windows by Julia Denos or Home by Carson Ellis. Ask your students about what holidays they celebrate in their home and what kind of traditions they have surrounding those holidays. Materials: Construction paper (11 x 17 if you’d like a bigger house or 9 x 12 for a smaller version). I used Astrobrite paper for my example shown, but my students used Tru Ray construction paper A pencil and washable markers to draw with. (Washable is important here because you do not want your marker to bleed through the paper). I used Posca paint pens to draw my example while home Construction paper crayons or high quality colored pencils (Prismacolor shows up amazing on darker paper) Winter Village Drawing Guide and Interior Spaces Reference sheet. Both are available on my website or TPT store. Step 1: paper in half horizontally. This helps to find the middle of the paper. Then fold each side into the centerline. Step 2: Cut off the corners of the folds for the roof. Step 3: Draw the outside of the house using a washable black marker. For ideas and inspiration, provide students with Winter Village Drawing Guide. Step 4: Open “doors” of the house and begin drawing the inside of the house! Students can choose to draw the inside of their home as one large room or they can divide it up into multiple rooms. Students can draw elements of their real home or create a new space of their own… their DREAM house! If this lesson is being done around the holidays encourage students to add a bit of their holiday celebrations and traditions to their homes as well. This was one of my examples in which I left for my students. This example showed what a house could look like if you chose to divide it up until many rooms. Step 5: Color in construction paper crayons or Prismacolor pencils. Higher quality colored pencils like Prismacolor show up incredibly opaque and bright on construction paper- but they are a bit pricey. So I highly recommend construction paper crayons as a cheaper alternative! This lesson is so fun and easy and the perfect project to get us through the last few days til winter break! I hope you and your students enjoy! Have fun! Happy Creating!
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Charming Winter Village Drawings
Looking for an engaging winter art project that your students will truly love? This Winter Village drawing lesson is a cozy, low-prep art project perfect for elementary art classrooms, combining storytelling, drawing skills, and creative choice. Inspired by children’s literature and designed to build confidence, this winter art lesson helps students move beyond simple house drawings to create charming, detailed villages full of personality and imagination.
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Winter Village Window Painting
Spread joy around your school by painting a simple winter village on the windows! It’s the most wonderful time of the year… window painting season! Or at least that’s what I say! This has been a little tradition I started all the way back my first year teaching in 2008 (😳). For me, painting the windows is such an easy way to spread joy to others. Not only is it incredibly relaxing to do as an artist, but be prepared to hear the “Ooos and Ahhs” as students and staff walk by admiring your window painting. I’ll never forget one of my students coming up to me at the end of the day and saying “Mrs. Edington, I was watching you paint those houses from my classroom and it was the joy of my day” 🥺❤️😭 Are you kidding me?? That right there is our way yall- to give kids the joy in their day! Let’s Get Started! Supplies: White tempera paint (I use Crayola Premier Tempera) Liquid hand soap (to be added to paint) Paintbrushes (soft bristle/ synthetic are best) Winter Village Drawing Guide (available in my TpT store) Adding soap to your paint can help with application and clean up! Add a bit of soap to your paint. This step is totally optional but when I shared these windows on my Instagram, the number one question I received was “WILL IT COME OFF??” Yessss yall- tempera paint is water-based and wipes right off! Sure you will have to spray and wipe a few times but it is far from permanent. Another option is to add a few pumps of soap to your paint and mix it in. This thins out your paint a bit and can make it appear a little more transparent, but when clean up comes around getting the paint off is a sinch! All you need is a straight razor blade and the paint with soap in it scrapes right off! It’s very satisfying if I do say so myself. Gather your brushes. I like using a variety of flat and round brushes of varying sized depending on the area I’m painting and the small details there are. My favorite classroom brushes are the Class Pack from Royal Langnickle (the green handles!) Print your Drawing guide and get started! Ok you guys- confession time. I have been obsessed with doodling cozy homes for years and years- just check my sketchbooks and you’ll see! So after spending the weekend in a quaint little town near us, I decided to capture the charm of the town and bring it to my students and my resources. Taking photos of all of the cute shops and homes in the town, I turned them into step by step drawing for artists of all ages to follow! You can download this guide here! Begin by painting the snow at the bottom of the window (a bumpy line) and then start painting your buildings! The more charm the better- consider adding lights, street lamps, trees, fences, feet prints and more! Whether you’re planning on painting this village in your classroom, around the school or even at home, I know that you and your little ones are sure to love it! Have fun!
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Oversized Symmetrical Sugar Skulls (Part 1)
Let's learn about the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos by creating an oversized symmetrical sugar skull in art class! This lesson is hands on, fun and has the perfect books to accompany it!
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Interactive Haunted House Art Lesson
Allow me to introduce you to one of my students’ favorite halloween/ fall themed lessons! This interactive haunted house project has been one of my tride and true lessons over the last 15 years as an art teacher, and my students never cease to amaze me with their creativity! First, to create this haunted house (or fall house for any students who do not celebrate Halloween), students will need my Haunted House Drawing Guide that can be found in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. This drawing guide easily breaks down how students can use line and shapes to create an old creaky and run-down haunted house. Students are able to follow along with this guide both in person or it’s perfect for remote learning! There were even several times last year that my Smartboard wasn’t working, so my students pulled up these guides from their ipads and followed along without missing a beat! Once students have finished drawing their haunted house, they are able to add several signature creepy halloween characters to their houses (also provided in the guide)- but don’t add them all YET because the best part is yet to come! After drawing, have your student trace their pencil lines in varying-sized Sharpies (fine for the larger shapes of the house and an ultra-fine Sharpie for the small details and textures around the house. Have students color their haunted houses in materials of their choice (I usually do crayon, construction paper crayons or colored pencils). Once the Haunted Houses are colored in, using a Xacto blade, carefully cut open the window flaps or door to the house leaving one seem open and tape a small piece of paper behind the windows on the back. Have students add more funny/ creepy characters in the windows for added fun. I love giving my students the prompt of “What would be the weirdest/ silliest thing you would never expect to see in a haunted house?” A ghost singing in the shower? Dracula cooking garlic soup? You will be pleasantly shocked and in awe of the creative ideas your students come up with for this project! If you decide to do this lesson with your students be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see (@artwithmrs.e ). Have fun and Happy Halloween!
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