Faux Stained Glass Window

I really liked the idea of faking stained glass. I have some very boring windows that are un-curtainable but need to provide privacy for our fishbowl house. Buying a door with stained glass is pricey and getting a new door is silly when our door is in good shape. So I tried in vain to look up someone elses project for faking stainded glass and kept coming up with some not so convienent ideas that involved a lot of work and products that I couldnt find in my area. So here is my easy and fast project for privacy stained glass.

Gather your stuffs. You will need:

a ruler
a sharpi marker or any old permenant marker
puffy fabric paint (i used tulip brand)
acrylic metallic paint (i used plaid "folk art")
a foam brush
paper plate
a stained glass pattern ( i obviously hand copied mine off of an internet search for "stained glass pattern")


To start, clean your window. It can be any glass window. I did this on GLASS not plexiglass so I only know that this works on glass.
( Dont be afraid! I have done this once already and I cleaned it off with soap and water 5 months after I painted it. So it is perfect for renters or commitment worriers). Get your sketch.

For this next step remember that perfection is not necessary. It needs to look nice but I never worry about exact measurements. Transfer the lines of your sketch to the window using your ruler (or other strait edge) and your sharpi. Or transfer your pattern free hand. My first window pattern was done free hand. This pattern just happens to need a strait edge.
The sharpi can be easily erased with a paper towel and water if you mess up, so again, dont worry. The paint is going to cover up the sharpi so you will not see it. I am painting on the inside so I am using the sharpi on the inside as well.

So I first tried using plain black acrylic paint and a paint brush but found this to be messy and time consuming. I found fabric puffy paint that we all remember using on sweatshirts in the 90's and realized how much easier this could be and found it to be so.

So trace your sharpi lines with the puffy paint to simulate and imitate the "leading" in stained glass. Let dry.
The label says wait 4 hours but my window took about 1 hour to dry. Depending on temp. but make sure it is really dry!

So now is time to paint. Using a foam brush and paper plate for your palate, paint your metallic acrylic paints however you want. Again, we are on the inside, stay within the lines now! 
I used metallic acrylic paints for two reasons.
First, it looks more authenticly like stained glass and second is provides more privacy.
The metallic properties have a two way mirror effect when used this way. They reflect light when a person is looking in, therefore blocking any view to the inside and not reflecting light for the person on the inside. Letting us see who is outside our door.
You can use any technique you like, but making wavy streaks and splotching will enhance your stained glass fake-out.
Let dry.
You are now done. How easy.