Column: A hobby for you to try: window art paint

At the initial onset of the pandemic, people had no option but to stay indoors or at their homes. Many people found hobbies that truly interested them, and out of which I was one. I tried a variety of new things, from cooking to diamond art painting. I decided that every month I would start a new hobby, and it was in January 2021 when I began window art painting.

Window art painting consists of using non-toxic paint to draw a desired creation on a vinyl sheet. Depending on the kit you buy, it can come with blank paintable sun catchers, which are to be filled with non-toxic paint.

These kits can be found at local craft stores, Target and Walmart. I purchased mine on Amazon, which had many more options than what the local stores had in stock. Although my kit came with sun catchers and a pattern book, I decided to copy designs from the internet.

Before my history class started, I first outlined my designs with black paint and waited until lunch for them to dry. After two hours, I filled in the art with several colors and let my finished products sit until the next morning, when it would be safe for me to peel the “stickers” off the sheet. Once dry, I peeled them off and pasted them on my desk cabinet, dismissing the fact that it was called “window” art.

In the beginning, I did put them on my window, only then to realize that pasting the paintings on a solid background made them look more vivid in color.

A piece of advice I would give for window art painting is to let the paintings dry completely, especially the outlines of the drawings. If the outlines do not dry to the fullest, it may be difficult for you to color in as it may blend in with the outline color.

Another recommendation would be to know exactly what you want to paste your creation onto. If you peel the painting off multiple times, or even once, it may stick to parts of itself and fold. And unfortunately, once folded, it won’t be able to return to its original shape.

Staying at home during COVID quarantine can easily bore people. So, a way to keep you distracted while having fun is to try out window art painting, which is a quick activity and a great option for all ages.