Fall is a great time to start a few new art projects with your kids. We have a great variety of Fall Leaf Art Projects for kids, that are sure to be a hit in your classroom. However, if you’re looking for a lasting project, one that you can hang up year after year, then this free pumpkin window cling tutorial is for you!
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If this is your first time making your own window clings, then you’ll want to prepare a few things first. Each window cling is made on top of a sheet of plastic. The least expensive way to do this is to run a blank laminating sheet through your laminator. That way students each have their own plastic canvas. The plastic sheets can be reused again and again, so once you make enough for your students you can save them for your next project.
Materials:
Step 1:
After preparing your plastic, place it over your pumpkin template and tape it to a piece of cardboard. With the cardboard backing, you can easily move your project without wrecking the wet paint.
Step 2:
Choose a few colors to outline each of the pumpkins. You might set the outlines aside to dry just a bit if you don’t want them to blend with the interior colors. When doing this project with younger students, you might already have these outlines prepped for students to fill in.
Step 3:
Use the paints to fill in the individual sections of the pumpkin. This is a great time to get creative with rainbows, blending, etc.
Step 4:
You can experiment with different color blocking in each section. Place various colors with random patches and blend them together. Here is a look at how I completed the first three pumpkins:
Step 5:
Use a variety of colors to make a fun set of pumpkins. If you have a “Clear” paint you can use it to create some fun pumpkins as those sections will dry as transparent. In the picture above I’ve used the “Clear” paint for the jack-o-lantern, and the outline of the middle pumpkin. Once you have your pumpkins how you want them, set them aside overnight (or longer) to dry.
Step 6:
Here is how the pumpkins will look in the morning, once they are dry. The colors will have darkened up a bit, but don’t worry, once the light shines through them they will brighten right up.
Step 7:
Carefully peel back the edges of the pumpkins to remove them from the plastic sheet. It should peel back very easily so if you feel a tug, it could be a part of the pumpkin that is not completely dry. Go slow and make sure it’s dry before continuing.
Here is how the pumpkin will look once removed from the plastic. This is one of the pumpkins I used transparent paint as the outline.
And here is how the pumpkins look when placed on a sunny window! The light shines right through them and adds some fall color to your room.
How cute do they look hung up together….instant happy!
You can peel and restick these homemade window clings over and over again until you get them just how you like them. To store them until next year, place them back on the plastic and file away in a manila folder.
You can use this window cling tutorial with any template you like and design your own window art for the entire year of decorations. If fact, if you like this project, you can try our stained glass hummingbird art project next.
Comments (2)
Would puffy paint, like what you use on a t-shirt do the same thing?
I don’t believe so, I think there is something special in the gallery glass paint that helps it not permanently stick. Maybe you can test it out on a piece of scrap glass. The other thing to consider is that windows are in the sun sometimes, so the drying effect could change the puffy paint differently as well.