It is difficult to find a person who would not at least once admire the view of frozen moisture on glass in the winter. It turns out that amazingly beautiful frosty pattern on the window can be created with your own hands. And it’s not so difficult.
Anyone can try to make a simple or more intricate winter composition even inside the home: on a glass interior door, a cabinet door or a mirror. And for this, frost and moisture are not needed at all.
There are several ways to create a winter mood in your home. Let's try to figure out what is needed for this and what skills will be required from the performer.
Natural frosty pattern on the window
Winter stains on glass are, in fact, hoarfrost, which forms under certain conditions on tree branches, wires and any other surface. This happens when the temperature drops below zero degrees. Moisture in the surrounding air freezes, becomes solid and, in the form of ice crystals, settles on turned surfaces.
The same thing happens with windows. The seemingly flat glass actually has minor scratches and cracks. Particles of dust settle in them. Ice crystals falling on this inhomogeneous and uneven surface, especially when exposed to gusts of wind, form a unique frosty pattern.
Unfortunately, with the appearance of the sun or heat, this beauty disappears. Modern plastic windows eliminate the possibility of frost stains. Their double-glazed windows are reliably isolated, they fog up a little from the inside and do not allow freezing of the internal space.
But is it possible to stop a person with artistic inclinations who wants to create a frosty pattern on his window pane in the summer? Of course not!
Frosty pattern: imitation
If there are no two main factors - moisture and glass, cooled to a negative temperature - the occurrence of natural frost on the window is impossible. Having learned the reasons for the formation of frost patterns, you can try to create them in the summer.
Chemical reactions of crystallization of certain solutions come to the rescue. Known methods for the formation of imitation of frosty patterns using magnesium sulfate (other names: magnesia, bitter or Epsom salts). You can use sodium thiosulfate (also known as antichlorine, hyposulfite, photographic fixer) for these purposes.
These chemical compounds are not dangerous substances, they can be purchased at a pharmacy or in chemical stores, and if the minimum safety requirements are met, use for decorative purposes to mimic a frosty pattern.
You will also need brushes for drawing a picture, you can use cotton pads, a sponge or other objects suitable for this. To accelerate the evaporation of moisture, it is convenient to use a hairdryer.
Chemical frost
To create a frosty pattern using magnesium sulfate, you need to dilute 50 mg of this substance in 100 g of beer and paint the stains with a brush on this cleanly washed and dried window. After drying (you can accelerate the process with a hairdryer), magnesia crystals will appear on the surface.
Another version of the working solution: the same magnesium sulfate, but instead of beer, boiled water is used and a tablespoon of diluted gelatin is added. Use a brush, sponge or rag. The solution is applied in chaotic and irregular movements to fat-free glass.
Frosty patterns on glass with sodium thiosulfate are formed after evaporation of moisture from a working solution prepared from 40 g of this substance dissolved in a glass of water. The chemical pattern in this case will be white, more dense, opaque, resembling snow.
The technique of creating a drawing is selected individually. After several tests, you can develop certain skills. It is necessary to try to depict frosty stains, “feathers”, curls, improvised snowflakes. The solution after an unsuccessful attempt can be easily removed with a damp cloth and repeat the creative process again.
Wood glue
Earlier in Soviet times, frosty patterns on glass were obtained using wood glue. It was necessary to remove the gloss from the surface, to process it until light dullness with sandpaper or sand with abrasive. The bottom line is that when soaked in water and swollen, tile or granular wood glue dries, wrinkles and coarsens in an unpredictable way.
If such a composition, heated to a fluid state in a water bath, is applied with a layer of up to 3 mm on a glass processed to dullness, then in a day it will begin to dry out. The composition adhering to the surface, tucking together during the hardening process, will form a network of unique patterns. After completion, the sprinkled particles are carefully swept away with a brush.
Glass for such hoarfrost should not be chosen thin, otherwise it will simply be bent and deformed by the tension of the drying wood glue. The working composition is applied on a flat horizontal surface and left for a day.
Such a frosty pattern remains forever. Wipe off the dust and wash the glass after exposure to wood glue should be careful - the sharp edges of the picture can hurt the skin.
Toothpaste painting
Not everyone decides to paint window glasses, arguing that there is a lack of artistic ability or an unwillingness to wash windows from paint. But with the help of such material, you can get easily washed out drawings. Frosty toothpaste patterns are safe; this technology is available even to children.
Glasses after unsuccessful creative processes are easy to clean and even shine better after that. And creativity can be limited only by simply spraying the dissolved toothpaste from the spray bottle.
The main thing is to decide, and if you understand the simplicity of the undertaking, you can try to paint the glass with a brush (preferably with hard bristles) in the style of frosty frost. Smears are applied starting from the corner and moving towards the center. To simplify, you can keep at hand a suitable image of a natural frosty pattern or any abstract picture.
Winter pattern
For people who do not want to paint, but want to decorate their windows with artificial frost, there is an easy way to create frosty patterns with your own hands. A stencil with a finished composition will be the best solution for those who have never picked up a brush and paints.
A template with a picture can be purchased at the store or made by yourself. It will not be difficult if you do not immediately set a goal to simulate realistic winter stains. You can download your favorite composition from the Internet, but it’s better to draw it yourself, especially with your child.
You can start with a simple snowman, a simple image of a Christmas tree, various animals, ornate stars. After transferring the pattern to thick paper, the contours are carefully cut. The template is applied to glass or glued with adhesive tape and a solution of toothpaste diluted to a creamy state is applied.
If you add a little watercolor or gouache paint to it, you can get more opportunities for implementing ideas. For application use a kitchen foam sponge or brush. It is possible to use as a background as a stencil not only a sheet with a cutout, but also the image itself, causing a coloring composition around it.
Frosty patterns for children
With a small child who is used to tasting everything, you can arrange funny drawing. Frosty patterns can be made completely safe if you use powdered sugar to create them.
It can be attached to sterile glass on an adhesive base made from water diluted with honey, sucrose, fructose or any tasty syrup. If the baby really likes the result, he can even eat homemade frosty patterns.
The stencil is applied to the washed glass, an edible adhesive is smeared, then ground sugar is applied with a puff or a soft powder brush. Even a child can do this. The safety of the fascinating process is respected, the kids will be delighted. And they can safely taste the drawing after removing the stencil.
Artificial snow
There is another easy way to create frost on any surface. A frosty window pattern using a stencil can be quickly and easily applied using artificial snow. A can with this composition is better to choose from the category of non-melting flakes.
For artificial snow, it is better to choose a winter composition associated with the New Year holidays. Suitable snowflakes and all sorts of fairy-tale characters acting in the winter.
Glasses are washed and wiped dry to prevent condensation or wet streaks. Before use, spray the can of snow thoroughly. The sides of the template should fit snugly to the glass to be able to get clear frosty patterns. It is better to attach the stencil with tape.
Spray the composition from a distance of 15 to 40 cm, depending on the desired effect of frost density. After applying snow, its excess is removed with a dry cloth, the stencil is carefully removed.
Snowflakes for windows
A frosty pattern on glass is not necessarily an ornate unique pattern. For many people, a simple snowflake on a window is a symbol of winter and New Year's holidays.
You can start creating frosty patterns for children by making homemade paper masterpieces. Any paper can serve as a material, but traditionally napkins were used for these purposes. They are already folded in four layers. It remains to make another fold on the diagonal, so that it is the middle part of the snowflake, take the scissors and start creating.
You can cut the pattern according to patterns or come up with your own pattern. Finding out in advance what happens for a snowflake is quite difficult. Only after removing unnecessary details and expanding the paper sheet can you imagine and understand how this or that intricate pattern turned out. Snowflakes can be decorated with sparkles, or you can cut them out of foil.
Everyone can do frosty patterns with their own hands, the main thing is to want this, to allocate and spend a little time and effort. The mood, impressions and positive emotions are guaranteed.