Splashing Character on Windows

Splashing Character on Windows

Author	Teresa Farrington
Genre	Article, How-To
Published	EF Issue 2019.1
Publication date	Winter 2019
Media type	Print, Digital
Pages	22-24
Website	caricature.org

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Article Transcript

Introduction

Along with drawing caricatures, window painting is one of my passions. Over the past 30+ years, I have been perfecting my skills splashing color and adding character to business windows around the country. Along the way, I have picked up other skill sets and incorporated them into my window designs. As a caricature artist, I enjoy capturing the personalities of my subjects, so I figured why not use this ability on my window painting. Over the years I have managed to create my own unique style as every artist strives to do. Many artists have shown an interest in learning my window painting technique. Well, I am here today to share the basics of how it’s done, including how I add my own unique personality to my characters to make people smile when they see my finished window paintings.

Supplies

I was always taught in order to do a job properly you must first have the correct tools and knowledge of how to use them. Here is a list of what I use to paint windows.

• A couple of tarps. One to lay on the ground under window and one to lay under your paints. It keeps things

clean. This can be a messy job. I have failed to do this in the past and you can see the results on the tailgate of my truck.

• 3” sponge rollers (Larger for huge showroom windows)

• 1” & 2” sponge brushes (I cut them down when I need thinner line.)

• Liner paint brushes (Used mainly for detail on faces)

• Several small paint pans

• 4” scraper blade with handle (used to scrape large areas of paint off of windows) I call this my eraser.

• Small hand-held 2” scraper blade (Used for cleaning up lines and drips)

• 1” Masking tape (for taping off straight lines for lettering and clean edges)

• Scissors (used mostly to cut sponge brushes smaller)

• Jug of fresh water (for thinning paint)

• Bucket of water (to clean brushes)

• Paper towels

• Box of small sandwich baggies (used to place wet rollers with different colors in for reuse)

• China marker (used if you want to pre-sketch design on window)

• Receipt book (when collecting money)

• Paint: I use three kinds of paint. I prefer Sherwin-Williams paint. If you ask your paint supplier, sometimes you can get discounted paint that has been mixed wrong or discontinued. Asking the right person could save you money.

1. Ceiling Bright White
2. Acrylic flat house paint
3. Day Glo fluorescent paint

• Plastic tubs work great to store gallon containers of paint as you travel to each job.

• I change out color selections for seasons, but always carry basic colors such as white, black, blue, red, yellow, and green.

• My Day Glo colors I keep in stock are Rocket Red, Saturn Yellow, Bright Green, and Hot Pink.

• It is best to get a premixed black paint for the darkest pigment. Black that is mixed at paint stores is never dark enough. It usually has more of a gray tone on windows. Sherwin-Williams carries gallons of premixed black that work well for me.

Steps

1. Design concept

Speak with the client about what their needs are and what they are promoting. If it’s a holiday window ask if there is anything specific they would like on it. For instance some prefer “Merry Christmas,” while others prefer to stay generic and say “Season’s Greetings.” Most often if a client has seen your work, they will give you free rein on painting holiday windows. Promotional windows are used for advertising and require a specific message. Also find out if they have any color preferences. Bring a tablet with you and do a rough sketch to give the client an idea of what you plan to paint so they have the opportunity to make changes. Once it is accepted, it’s on to step 2.

2. Laying out design on window

This is when you will tape off straight lines if needed and sketch your design on the window with a china marker. Being a seasoned window painter, I no longer need preliminary sketches on windows unless it is a special font lettering design. The roller is an extension of my hand, where the ideas flow through right out of my mind. It becomes second nature after you paint for a while.

3. White base layout

The whole design is laid out with a white base color. This separates the amateur from the professional. Without a white base, the painted color will look translucent. By applying a base of white and then painting color over it, your color will be solid and much more vibrant.

Make sure to give the white base time to completely dry or you will pick up white on the roller when you start applying color. The result will be a muted color. The white could also lift off the window. When the weather is cold, I sometimes go paint base on another job to give it time to dry. The white dries quickly in the warmer months, allowing me to continue right away with color.

4. Shades and highlights

All my color is painted with a 3” roller. This gives the window a smooth clean look. I add depth by rolling on a light blue shade to images I want to look 3-D. Make sure to decide what direction your light is coming from as you will later add Day Glo color for highlights

5. It’s color time

Time to start applying color with the 3” roller over the white base. Paint colors one at a time until all the colors are on. Be careful not to roll over wet colors when applying another color or you will get colors mixed on your roller that could create a mess. Details make the artwork pop. I apply a bright fluorescent day glo paint in the highlight area. For example I will use the fluorescent Rocket Red as a highlight for an image painted in a basic flat red. The very last step will be white highlights which add to the three dimensional look. For an even more finished look, I sometimes add a white contour outline around the whole image.

6. Outlining and Detail

The final step is outlining and detail. This is usually done with black paint, although I have gotten creative and used blue or white. Generally, black is the best choice for this step. The design is all outlined with black using a sponge brush cut to desired thickness. This gives it a finished look. Using a liner paint brush, I create expressive faces on my characters to give them personality.

7. Optional Detail

For an added touch to make your window pop, you can add a white contour outline around the image. Don’t forget to sign it and put your contact phone number on to get future work.

This is another fun and lucrative way to make money using your skills as a caricature artist to bring your windows to life. Holiday windows are the most fun and best way to get started. Now kick up your heels and paint the town!

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