This easy to make rainbow stained glass window will surely brighten up your room! Use a crayon and watercolor resist art technique to make your own stained glass.
We made a new stained glass window for the front door. And you know how I am about color. I love it. I’ve been wanting to try this ever since we made the other scribble stained glass, and this seems a good time with Maia’s birthday around the corner and “rainbow” part of her requested party theme (rainbow fairies, princesses, and unicorns).
Here’s how we made it:
Rainbow Stained Glass Window
MATERIALS
- A sheet of easel roll
- Oil pastels (or Crayons)
- Liquid watercolors (or regular watercolor paint)
- Paintbrush
- Vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Make Scribble Art
The girls were given a sheet of easel roll and scribbled all over the sheet with oil pastels (crayons would work too).
Step 2: Trace the Rectangles
I used a piece of paper the size of the window panes as a template to trace each rectangle.
Step 3: Painting the Rectangles
Maia painted in the rectangles with rainbow colors using liquid watercolors.
Step 4: Giving the Rectangles a Stained Glass Effect
After the paper dried, I cut out the rectangles, painted the back of each with vegetable oil, then stuck them to the window panes. Easy peasy.
And now we have a wonderfully colorful rainbow stained glass window for our front door!
More Stained Glass Window Art Projects for Kids
- Melted Crayon Stained Glass Window
- Autumn Leaves Craft: A Stained Glass Window
- Melted Crayon Stained Glass Bunting for the Window
- How to Make Faux Stained Glass Valentines with Black Glue
- Welcome Spring with a Stained Glass Spring Art Project for Kids
- Kids Stained Glass Art Project with Index Dividers
- Rainbow Stained Glass Window (from Teach Beside Me)
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38 Comments
Debbie Clement
August 17, 2011 at 1:25 pmLOVE LUV LOVE LUV LOVE LUV!!!!!
Just this minute have joined Pinterest. You’re will be the first in a new category of rainbows!!
Debbie
Laura King
August 17, 2011 at 1:26 pmi love this and have the perfect door for it. how long do you think the paper will stick to the window panes with the vegetable oil?
Jacqueline
August 17, 2011 at 1:34 pmI’m also curious about the vegetable oil. You just cover the entire backside of it with it?
lizabeth
August 17, 2011 at 1:41 pmlovely! lovely! lovely! one question…do you use anything to stick it to the windows or does it become like a window cling and aheres by itself?
Michele
August 17, 2011 at 2:12 pmHow inspiring!! We must start this project right away.
I even have the veggie oil – so awesome. And beautiful.
xoxo michele
molly
August 17, 2011 at 2:17 pmThose look incredible. I think I might have to do some. Oh, and maybe the kids too. :)
maggy, red ted art
August 17, 2011 at 2:43 pmGorgeous and beautiful and wonderful! You have such WONDERFUL ideas!
Love your stuff.. :-)
Maggy
Barb
August 17, 2011 at 3:39 pmYou use liquid water colors a lot. Where do you get them?
Peggy
August 17, 2011 at 3:50 pmOh, this is awesome! We have a group of windows next to our front door with an ugly curtain over it… this is so much better I cannot wait to do it!
Thanks for the great idea!
Catherine (@MummyLion)
August 17, 2011 at 5:56 pmso easy! i’m going to try this one. thank you.
Renee (Blue Wren Bibs & Bits)
August 17, 2011 at 7:32 pmThat is the most inspiring idea… I’m in awe!!!
I so want to try this for our front door panel.. may be a bit big for us though?? haha
Merja
August 17, 2011 at 8:24 pmOh my it looks AWESOME! I need a different type of door to our house now so that I could do this too.
Kristin @ Preschool Universe
August 17, 2011 at 4:30 pmNeat! Great idea of sticking them on with vegetable oil. We will have to try this in our playroom :)
Jean Van't Hul
August 17, 2011 at 5:10 pmYay! Pinterest is so fun!
Jean Van't Hul
August 17, 2011 at 5:11 pmIndefinitely? We’ve had previous stained glass up for months at a time anyway.
Jean Van't Hul
August 17, 2011 at 5:12 pmYes, I just use a pastry brush or regular brush and paint the entire backside with it. Not thickly, just enough to cover.
Jean Van't Hul
August 17, 2011 at 5:12 pmThe oily paper sticks to the glass by itself.
Jean Van't Hul
August 17, 2011 at 5:13 pmI get ours from Discount School Supply: https://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=16821&keyword=liquid%20watercolors&scategoryid=0&CategorySearch=&Brand=&Price=
Jenna
August 17, 2011 at 9:36 pmHi Jean! I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoy your blog. I wish I had found it when I was teaching pre-school! I have a blog dedicated to sharing arts & crafts projects for children and I wrote a post about you, encouraging my mom and teacher friends to follow you. Here is the link…
https://anklebiterart.blogspot.com/2011/08/artful-parent.html
I hope you are having a wonderful week!
Rachel at Stitched in Color
August 18, 2011 at 10:12 amIt’s gorgeous! Wow, THAT is party decor I can get behind.
meredith
August 18, 2011 at 2:12 pmi love this idea! now that my daughter is two and half, we are incorporating a lot of art projects into our days–i’m going to have to add this one to the list. thanks for all of the great ideas that you share on your blog–i love the way that you focus on easy, accessible projects to foster creativity and art learning.
Heather
August 18, 2011 at 7:39 pmoh i really love the vibrancy of this set! makes me think i need to redo ours now!!
Laura King
August 19, 2011 at 1:09 pmawesome. thanks so much. this project is on our weekend list :)
Holly Mobley
August 21, 2011 at 3:18 pmI think I may try something like this for the arched window above my front door!
Heather @ Life Gluten Free
August 22, 2011 at 6:16 pmI love this idea. We have the same front door with the window panes! I have curtains right now but it would have fun and colorful to do this!
Misty
August 26, 2011 at 6:17 pmI did this project today with my toddler. Not sure it was the best project for a toddler, but we had fun. Wish I had used baby oil or mineral oil, the veggie oil has an odor, but the door looks great!
Pumpkinbear
August 27, 2011 at 7:35 amI bet it would be handy to keep the measurements for all my windows on hand just for projects like this!
Linette
August 31, 2011 at 5:51 amHi
My kids and I did this project today and I love it. Our watercolours are not so bright so I think I will invest in the liquid watercolors.
The project had 2 bonuses: 1. I found a neat way of incorporating/ displaying the kids art in our home. 2.Our front door use to have a view into the guest bathroom, what a clever way of solving that little problem.
And yes, I wish I could do it with all the windows in our house. Sigh ;-)
Becky
August 31, 2011 at 11:43 amThis might be a dumb question but what kind of oil? cooking oil/baby oil???thanks love this!
Katie Nicoll
December 1, 2011 at 8:34 amWow, incredible. You can make a fortune out of these…j/k. Well, it is art, and it would be better appreciated if you don’t put a price on it.
Katie Nicoll
June 13, 2012 at 5:56 pmLooking at these pictures, it seems that your children had a wonderful time decorating the rainbow stained glass window of your house.The scribbled design chosen by your children looks so lively and colorful! It is a masterful piece by your children. It’s a good thing that you were able to instill in their young minds the importance of cooperation.
Mary
August 11, 2012 at 4:26 pmI love your blog Jean! And I love this idea! I have a question. We rent our home. Does the paper easily come off when needed? Is it difficult to clean?
Tami
August 12, 2012 at 1:45 amSo cute!
I’d love it if you shared this with the Fun Family Crafts audience.
FFC is similar to Craftgawker but it only features kid friendly tutorials.
Looking forward to seeing what fun crafts you submit!
https://funfamilycrafts.com
Jamie
October 5, 2012 at 10:54 amBecause I’m slow — you surely had to tape them to the window panes, right? The veggie oil didn’t stick them…. This is so gorgeous, and I want to try it in some way!
Bobbi Jo Barger
May 3, 2013 at 6:53 pmWhat a cute idea for creative little kids to show off their talent for everyone to see…Not to say it would only be good for children though, I think I would like to take a stab at it myself. ;-}
Eri
May 20, 2013 at 12:44 pmHi! I’m just wondering if light can still pass through the paper? I’d like to do this for my dorm window :D and I wouldn’t want my room to get dark.
A4q96
June 2, 2013 at 10:38 amHi, might sound like a silly question, but the vegetable oil doesn’t damage the surrounding? And do you get the oil off simply with soap and water or household cleaner?
HelpfulforHomes.com
February 25, 2020 at 10:32 amThis is so easy and fun. I’m pretty sure we’re going to have to do it one of these days, maybe one of the days we are sequestered at home from one of the many colds and illnesses we’ve had this season.