My failed springtime project, or how I fell motion sick while window painting

Dear springtime, I’m fed up. Fed up with having to look at my still-covered garden lounge in mid-May. And I definitely have no desire to test my T-shirts for their suitability in the rain.

Spring, vamoose! We’ll bring you into the house in a different way, then: by painting the windows.

At least that was the heroic plan. Anyone who’s read any of my articles will know I hate DIY projects. Keeping the concept in mind that «what you don’t like to do, you can’t do well», I tend to stick to foolproof DIY projects only with my daughters. But apparently even these sometimes exceed my abilities.

Guidebook

27.50

Window decoration through the year with the chalk marker with Pia Pedevilla. With original chalk

Pia Pedevilla, German

4

Guidebook

23.–

Vorlagenmappe Fensterdeko mit dem Kreidemarker - Frühling & Sommer. Inkl. Original Kreidemarker v...

Markers

Quantity discount

14.90

Folia Chalk Marker

Black, 5, 2 mm

34

Guidebook

27.50

Window decoration through the year with the chalk marker with Pia Pedevilla. With original chalk

Pia Pedevilla, German

4

Guidebook

23.–

Vorlagenmappe Fensterdeko mit dem Kreidemarker - Frühling & Sommer. Inkl. Original Kreidemarker v...

Quantity discount

Markers

14.90

Folia Chalk Marker

Black, 5, 2 mm

34

The prep: cut and glue

But the will is there – for now – as I stock up on material for our window drawings. And how motivated I am indeed. I order two sets of springtime colouring pages plus a set of colourful chalk markers. The colouring page sets each come with a white pen – but I want more colour. After all, the theme is springtime.

The colouring sheets (seven per set) are large and come folded in a cardboard folder. The designs are also available online. You can print them out using the activation code provided.

I dutifully follow the instructions and first clean the window together with my four-year-old daughter. Next, we decide on a template to cut out – a rubber boot with flowers – and glue it to the window from the outside. Now all we have to do is trace over the lines to transfer the images to the window (in a jiffy, as the manufacturer promises).

1st attempt: my youngest kicks us off

My four-year-old gets to use the pen first. Her first stroke already goes quite south. It’s easy enough to wipe off with a tissue. She gives it a few more tries, then throws down the pen in frustration.

First lesson learned: as suspected, she’s still too young for fine motor painting work. Freestyle it is. From now on, she paints whatever she wants and has a blast doing so.

2nd attempt: mum gets motion sick

From now on, I take over tracing – and quickly realise it’s no walk in the park for me either. Because of the double glazing, the distance between the painting surface and the original is too large; the couple of centimetres between the outer and inner pane cause the image to blur and make it difficult for me to stick to the lines. Instinctively, I close one eye to hit the lines better, shooting-range style. This works quite well. But after a few minutes, I start to feel sick from looking and painting with one eye only. I still finish the painting, but the fun’s gone.

Second lesson learned: it’s easier to draw with one eye closed, but motion sickness soon sets in. With the ugly anti-climbing fence as a backdrop, the picture looks bleak anyway. To the ground floor we go!

3rd attempt: my eldest saves the day

The box seat – the kitchen window on the ground floor – goes to my seven-year-old. She chooses the flower meadow and keeps our previous learnings in mind:

• Draw from left to right, so as not to smear what you’ve already drawn.
• Only use the pens from the chalk marker set; they’re thinner and therefore more accurate than the ones supplied in the kit.
• Colour in areas sparingly, because none of the pens offer particularly high coverage.

For the next two hours, I hear barely a peep out of my painter. In total concentration, she works on her window picture, taking the rare break and then continuing without being asked until she’s done.

Third lesson learned: time, patience and inspiration are the recipe for success. My eldest achieved the best results by far.

The upshot: no spring, no boredom

So, was this DIY stint a success? Not quite; the springtime vibes are still far away. Mind you, the window picture is cute. But a window’s still a window. In other words, you can’t simply paint away the bleakness outside with a few flowers.

So, this was a DIY fail? No, I wouldn’t say that. After all, it kept my kids happy and busy for a while. And that’s worth quite a bit in this current mucky weather.

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