Create Eye-Popping Window Displays with Glass-Friendly Paints

The ARTnews Recommends Editors
·5 min read

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When you think “window paint,” you might visualize holiday displays at your local diner or “Just Married” signs scrawled on car windows. Certainly, window paint can be used for bold, declarative statements on the panes of your home, vehicle, or business. But that’s not all it’s good for. Depending on the brand, you can use window paints to add a personal touch to glass fixtures, lightbulbs, drinking glasses, and more. Note that some are permanent and some are temporary. Behold our favorite window paints, and what you can use them for.

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This is one of those rare window paints that will satisfy true window-art virtuosi while also appealing to the hoi polloi. These handheld pens have the range and blending abilities of oil paints, along with the boldness and opacity of the Glass Chalk brand (see below). This 10-pack comes in relatively standard colors—the primaries and secondaries plus pink, brown, black, and white. You may need to use a brush and separate mixing palette if you’re going to be mixing colors often, but this is a superbly flexible window paint that holds up to all sorts of uses. Unlike some other paints on this list, it’s meant to be temporary and wipes away with a wet cloth and some soap.
Buy: Crafty Dab Window Writers $27.97

WE ALSO LIKE
Magicdo Stained Glass Paint
The real calling card of these tubes of paint? It’s not the fact that you get 12 sophisticated and vibrant colors. It’s not that it’s nontoxic, waterproof, and resistant to high temperatures. It’s not that it looks great on everything from wine glasses to lightbulbs after a quick dry on its own or a two-hour bake at 176 °F. No—the best part is that Magicdo’s glass paint set includes a palette. Color mixing? Heck yeah!
Buy: Magicdo Stained Glass Paint $18.29

EDUCATORS’ CHOICE
Glass Chalk Paint Markers
Nothing brightens a dull classroom as quickly and easily as window art—especially if kids get to play a part in making it. Glass Chalk’s no-mess, marker-style glass paint is bold and opaque, and easier to use than some of the other paints on our list. That, plus its nontoxic and easy-to-clean formula (a damp towel will do), makes it ideal for kids and families. You can buy Glass Chalk in five colors, like white and an eye-popping neon green.

Buy:
Glass Chalk Paint Markers

$3.96

Buy it

ARTISTS’ CHOICE
Plaid Gallery Glass Window Paint
We love how this paint line almost perfectly mimics the appearance and depth of stained glass. Sold in 2-ounce bottles, Plaid’s window paint comes in dozens of colors. If the hue doesn’t at first resemble what you ordered, don’t panic: Much like ceramic glazes, the color will deepen and become more resplendent as it dries. It works beautifully not only on glass but on styrene and plexiglass as well (though it’s removable only from glass).
Buy: Plaid Gallery Glass Window Paint $3.96

A GREAT ALTERNATIVE
Pebeo Arti’ Stick Window Color
OK, it’s not exactly a paint, but those who want to hold on to their art even after it’s overstayed its welcome on your window should check out these gels. Available in an impressive array of colors that put traditional glass paints to shame (we’re looking at you, Glow-in-the-Dark and Rainbow Sparkles), Pebeo’s viscous gel hardens into a thick adhesive layer that can be removed and reattached later on. All you do is apply the paint directly from the tube onto a plastic sheet or glass surface, then let it dry for 24 hours. The paint gel will coagulate into a flexible design that can either remain as-is or be applied as a window cling to the surface of your choice.

Buy:
Pebeo Arti’ Stick Window Color

$5.50–$8.55

Buy it

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1. Arteza Craft Acrylic Paint

Arteza’s paints are versatile and not strictly just for glass—you can use them on paper, wood, and ceramics. The results are uncommonly opaque on glass, though, which makes them stand out. This pack covers all bases by providing primary colors, neutrals, pastels, and even a metallic gold and silver.

Buy: Arteza Craft Acrylic Paint

2. Magicdo Stained Glass Paint

Magicdo avoids the pitfalls of many window paints that are geared toward children and thus would force you to hide them away in drawers out of embarrassment. These look like your average package of paints and are a delight to use, especially on projects that benefit from some sheerness in the color.

Buy: Magicdo Stained Glass Paint

3. Krylon Stained Glass Paint

For a seamless base, nothing beats a spray paint. Krylon’s version is light enough that it looks like naturally dyed glass rather than an applied paint. The spray is continuous and even, and one can will last for numerous projects, depending on size, of course. They also work well with stencils or taped designs.

Buy: Krylon Stained Glass Paint

4. U.S. Art Supply Washable Tempera Paint Set

This child’s set of washable acrylic paint is surprisingly bright and sticky to glass while also being very easy to wash off. Shop owners and other creatives that need to change up window designs will appreciate the combination of hold and removability.

Buy: U.S. Art Supply Washable Tempera Paint Set

5. Artistro Paint Pens, Multisurface

Paint pens are a beloved option for window painting because they allow for the effect of paint with the ease of a marker. The rich color in these pens will not look out of place alongside paint, and the fine tip allows for fine details that would be near impossible to get with a brush.

Buy: Artistro Paint Pens, Multisurface