Introduction: Easy Faux Stained Glass

By Mary Makings
About: 25-year-old mathematician in training, who loves to make things, DIY style. Mary believes homemade gifts are the best gifts, and is always on the lookout for a new project to make. Hobbies: Crocheting, playin…

Stained glass is just beautiful. It's classy and can add a touch of elegance to a room.

I decided to make some stained glass to decorate our game room. My husband is really into playing cards, so this fit perfectly.

I was surprised at how easy it was to make faux stained glass! Using minimal materials, all of which I already had around the house, I was able to create this beautiful piece of art.

Step 1: Gather Materials

For this project you will need:

  • Picture Frame
  • White Glue
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Acrylic Paints

Step 2: Draw Your Design

Remove the sample photo from the picture frame. Turn it over, and use it to sketch your stained glass design. This works perfectly, since the paper should be the same size as the glass.

First sketch the bigger shapes that you want to display. When you are happy with it, divide each shape into smaller sections using straight lines. Triangles work well, but also throw in some shapes with 4 or 5 edges.

Step 3: Hot Glue

Tape the sheet to the bottom of the glass from the picture frame, making sure to not have tape cover any lines.

Using a hot glue gun, slowly and carefully trace each line. I recommend tracing the larger shapes first once again, and then tracing the connecting lines. Try to keep your lines as straight as possible, but if you make a mistake, you will be able to fix it up later.

Step 4: Clean Up the Glue

After the glue has dried, use an exact-o knife to tidy it up. Cut away any blobs to make straighter lines by pressing carefully downward, and then sliding the knife between the glass and the glue. The glue should be able to be pulled easily off the glass.

Step 5: Paint It!

Mix white glue with a couple drops of acrylic paint. I used disposable cups for this, which worked great.

Mix them together to form a coloured glue. Apply a generous layer to the glass, filling up each space. For an authentic look, don't paint two touching sections in the same shade of a colour. Instead make several versions of a colour which will help your art look like real stained glass!

Step 6: Fixing Mistakes

If you make a mistake (it's easy to do, if you add too much acrylic paint to the glue), don't panic.

Let the glue dry. Once dry, soak the section that you would like to remove in rubbing alcohol using a cotton swab. Wait a few seconds. Use a toothpick to poke a hole through the paint. The rest should be able to peel right off the glass, and look as good as new!

You can now paint it again with the glue-paint mix.

Step 7: Paint It Black

Finally, paint the hot glue lines black.

I found that giving the glass a quick spray with an acrylic finish let the black paint stick a lot better to the hot glue.

After spraying and allowing it to dry, use a fine tip paint brush to paint each line in black.

Step 8: Finish It Up

Finish it up by replacing the glass in the picture frame, and hang it up in a window for all to see!

Enjoy!