Window Painting

Intro: Window Painting

For those of us who would like to be Michelangelo but do not quite have the technical prowess, window painting can be a fun project. Materials are pretty basic

STEP 1: Find Images to Paint

I decided to go for the best I could find, and chose this classic image from Michelangelo's Cistine chapel ceiling paintings. Thanks to the miracle of modern publishing, I have a beautiful print of my subject that is just the right size for my little window, which I had recycled a while back (I don't remember what from). I also decided to use a National Geographic photo of a Native American Lacota Sioux Shaman, to produce an original composition, using the separate images. Finally I incorporated lightning from another National Geographic article. It certainly seems to tell a different story now. I find this technique requires very little ability and even a hack like me can come up with something that looks cool.

STEP 2: Trace Images Onto Glass.

I used black paint to trace my image. It was an oil based Pebeo product that was a little tricky to use and thus may have not been the best choice. One Shot sign painter's paint would probably have flowed a lot better, but even so, the crudeness of my line would have little effect on final outcome, and it might even add a bit of impressionistic texture or something like that. Easy as pie to trace the master's work.

STEP 3: Add Background Colors

I added some thinned out light brown first on the flesh areas, followed by light touches of additional shading, a few strokes of orange and a wash of gold. The hair and lower demon were done with darker brown, and I used white for lightning, the shaman mask, and the Indian skirt area. A dream bubble area around the shaman was lightly painted with pearlescent glass paint, as well as the lower part, which I later filled out with solid blue, as well as the upper part.

STEP 4: Let Dry and Turn It Around.

The final image is of course a reverse of the original, but I think this helps make it seem more like an original itself, and is well recognizable, if lacking a bit in detail. I did this all in a matter of a few hours, and could certainly have gotten more detailed if I'd wanted to. I now can use it on another project, perhaps as a window, or just mount it on the wall. I'm thinking of making another one with an identical piece of glass I have and use it for a cabinet project. I have to admit it probably needs a few touch ups and I may change the lower background texture someday, but it otherwise came out really nice for a quick project, and was fun to do.

You may notice a slight difference between the last two pictures. This is to demonstrate how easy it is to fix any little errors you may encounter at the end. I just scratch off the paint, repaint, and voila!: anomaly gone (I probably have a few more to do still). Enjoy.