1. Arched window
An arch of irregular panes with no picture in it: color it as abstract glass.
Free printable · Color online
Stained glass coloring pages
Six windows to color: an arched window of plain panes, four more with a shape picked out in the glass, a star, a heart, a candle and a round flower, and a rose window with corner roundels.
The lines are drawn heavy, like the lead in a real window, so bright colors stay crisp. Print them on letter paper or color them on screen.
Each page prints on one sheet of US letter paper. Under every page are buttons to print just that one, to color it on screen, or to save it as a picture.
2. Star window
A five-pointed star in its own panes, set in an arched window.
3. Heart window
A heart in its own panes.
4. Candle window
A candle and flame in large panes.
5. Flower roundel window
A round flower set in the middle of the arch.
6. Rose window
A round window of arches, beads and petals, with four small roundels.
How stained glass is made
A stained glass window is a mosaic of pieces of colored glass. In the medieval method, each piece is cut to shape, details are painted on and fired, and the pieces are joined with strips of lead that have a groove on each side to hold the glass. The lead lines are the dark outlines you see, and the artist plans them as part of the picture.
The great round “rose” windows of Gothic cathedrals such as Chartres in France date from the 1100s and 1200s. In the late 1800s the American designer Louis Comfort Tiffany made windows and lamps from glass with color and texture in the glass itself, joined with thin copper foil, which allowed much smaller and more intricate pieces.
How medieval windows were made is described in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Stained glass: an introduction.
Color ideas for these pages
Stained glass looks right when the colors are strong and unblended: one flat, saturated color to each pane. Go over the lead lines with a black marker when you finish to sharpen the edges.
Keep the shape and its background in different color families, warm against cool: a gold star in a blue and violet window, a red heart in greens. To suggest light coming through, leave a small unpainted glint at the same corner of every pane.
Which page to start with
This set has 6 pages: 1 bold and easy and 5 medium. The quickest to finish is “Candle window,” with 41 areas to color, and the longest is “Rose window,” with 324. Bold and easy pages have heavy lines and large shapes that suit markers and tired eyes; detailed pages have fine lines for sharp pencils or gel pens.
How printing, saving and coloring on screen work is explained on the coloring pages home. If you like filling shapes by number, Linseed Loft Color by Number is a free paint by number game with 74 pictures.