Make your own stained glass
Stained glass is an ancient art practice that you’ll often find in churches and cathedrals, but these days it’s just as common in modern homeware. It’s made by colouring glass and using it to create a picture or design. It’s held in place by a material like lead, stone or copper foil.
If you’ve been inspired by Amy’s creations, we’ve come up with some easy ways to get the stained glass effect with no soldering involved! Create your own version at home and use it as pretty decoration or useful storage. We’ve included a few different ways to have a go. When it comes to the design, there’s no limit to your creativity, but to get you started, we’ve also included some stencils to inspire you. You can create your own designs or take it further – how about decorating a phone case or a window pane in your house?
Method one: using permanent markers
You’ll need:
- Permanent markers in different colours
- Clear plastic or clear glass (an old jar or bottle would work)
- Make sure the glass or plastic is clean and dry.
- Either draw your own shapes across the glass or plastic or use our templates. Using black markers for the outlines will recreate the effect of iconic black lines that go between the panes of coloured glass when making real stained-glass. Once you’re happy with your shapes, fill it up with colour.
- You’re done! This method works on pretty much any spare glass or plastic products you have around your home. You could use a glass jar as storage, or somewhere to put a lit or electric tealight to create a rainbow effect. Coloured plastic will also make great storage and is an especially good option if there are excitable pets or young children around. Just be sure not to get it near heat or fire.
Illustrations: Stella Isaac/stellaisaac.co.uk
Top tip:
How about trying these with your unit too? If you want to try even more ways of creating pretend stained-glass, many art suppliers and craft shops also have acrylic pre-made designs that can be filled in with the paint. It’s a great way for children to practice before moving on to draw their own designs.
Method two: using glass paint
You’ll need:
- Glass paint in different colours – you can get them online, or at lots of different crafting shops
- Paintbrush
- Clear acrylic or clear glass
- Make sure the glass or plastic is clean and dry. If you’re using plastic, acrylic is best when using glass paints.
- Use a paintbrush to create a design with the paint. Don’t use your fingers with this paint. Again, start with drawing your shapes using black lines, and then fill them in with colour.
- If you’re using glass, you can fix the paint by putting it in the oven at 150°C for 35 minutes. This will make the paint less likely to chip.
Method three: using tissue paper
This is a great method to try with your unit!
You’ll need:
- Tissue paper in lots of different colours
- Parchment paper
- PVA glue
- Scissors
- Sticky tack or a hole punch and string
- Cut up the tissue paper into small shapes. You can cut any shapes you like. Your stained glass pattern could be made up of lots of different-coloured squares, or other shapes like hearts and stars. Make sure you have a good mix of colours!
- Glue your shapes onto the parchment paper. Tissue paper is very fragile, so brush the glue on carefully. Once you’ve filled the parchment paper, you can cut it into any shape you like before you hang it. How about a trefoil?
- Stick your finished project to a window so that the sun can shine through it and show off all the colours. You can use sticky tack or punch a hole near the edge, put some string through it and hang it up.
Ready to get making? We've created some stencils for you to use. You can print them out and place them under flat, clear plastic or glass to trace the design, or use them to inspire your own designs.
We’d love to see your creations! Tag us on social media or email us at yourvoice@girlguiding.org.uk