How to write/paint on glass tutorial...the easy way

Okay, this isn't a proper tutorial. I am not an expert. In fact, this is the first time I have done a project like this in my life.

But, it did work and was far, far easier than I anticipated. So I will share what I did even though I just got lucky.

I've seen on a few American blogs, they use these machines called Silhouettes for cutting text out of plastic stickers to help you create signs.

There are three reasons I didn't go down that road.
1. They are expensive.
2. I don't know if you can get them here in the UK.
3. If I had one I wouldn't be able to work it as I'm technically challenged.

My way was simple and cheap.
Let's face it, if your window cost 20p, you don't want to have to spend hundreds on some fancy machine to make it look good.

I figured out what words I wanted on the window, and scrolled through a LOT of fonts. (Why do words look very wrong if you do this? 'Bakery' looked like it was in Russian!) I like to use several different fonts to make it more interesting.

We (okay, mostly my husband) ensured that the words would fit on the panes of glass.
If you use a program called Word Art you can make your words bend to add another dimension. However, this can distort the letters and look pants. Apparently.

I cut my word up and arranged the letters in a curve.

But before I did this, I flipped each letter/word over and traced it through to the back of the paper. This gives you a double sided word/letter. The back one being the reverse image.
You could print your text straight onto printer compatible tracing paper if you want to save yourself some time. We tried ordinary tracing paper and it made a right old mess.

You could also print out just the reverse image, BUT, it is easier to see how it's all going to look if you can actually read it. Trust me on this.

So, on the reverse of the window you have this...

Make sure those letters are securely taped to the glass on the front and you're ready to paint on the back.

And here's where it gets super easy. Because you don't need to paint at all.

I was thinking of using my blackboard paint for this as I use that for doing lettering on my crates. But I popped into the Art shop in town and asked what they had for writing on glass.

The lady showed me these pens...

They are Zig Posterman Waterproof pens. They come in many colours and nib sizes. They are just like using gold and silver pens. You give them a shake and pump the nib a few times.
What I like about them is that they are completely opaque so you need only do this once. They are waterproof when dry but you can wipe off mistakes whilst they're wet. They are designed for permanent writing on chalk boards, windows, mirrors and ceramics. You don't need to cook your window in the oven to harden the paint. Which is good. And they are only £2.99. (I used the extra fine nib.)

So where were we? Ah yes, the reverse letters on the reverse side of your window. You just go over your traced outline and colour it all in. Simple as that. The ink dries in  minutes. If you stuff it up, just wipe it with a finger or something more sensible whilst it's wet. The writing is done on the reverse of the glass to keep the front shiny and more authentic.

Told you I had man hands.

The font for 'Bakery' had an inbuilt shadow so I used a white glass pen to do this part.

Turn it over and pull off your bits of paper and admire your handiwork. If you can colour in, you can do this. Couldn't be simpler!

Funky Junk