Make the most of daylight with these gorgeous painted sun catchers

What you need...

• Sun catchers, glass
  
• Glass paints, Vitrail: Emerald, Orange, Chartreuse, Green Gold, Yellow, Apple, Dark Green, Vitrea
  
• Paint thinner
  
• Brushes, assorted
  
• Ribbon, green, narrow
  
• Pen, marker, felt-tip, brown

instructions

1. Large Pear Topiary - 1 Position a clean glass sun catcher over a downloadable pear-shaped topiary template. Fill in the topiary with gold paint, using apple to create shading.
   
   2 With a fine brush, apply small daubs of paint around the edge of the topiary. Once dry, draw a tree trunk with a brown marker, then use orange paint to create a terracotta pot.
   
   3 Leave to dry completely, then dilute apple with thinner to create a wash and paint the back of the sun catcher evenly. When dry, hang from green ribbon.

2. Oval Topiary - 1 Download and print an oval topiary template and lay a clean glass panel over it. Colour the topiary using chartreuse paint, daubing it on to make leaves, then shade with dark green.
   
   2 Using a fine brush, apply paint around the edge of the topiary. Leave to dry, then fill in any thinner areas with apple. Once dry, draw a tree trunk with a brown felt tip, then paint a terracotta pot in orange.
   
   3 Leave to dry completely and create a wash by combining apple and thinner, then pool over the back of the sun catcher evenly and quickly. Suspend from a length of green ribbon when dry.

3. Angular Topiary - 1 Wash a glass sun catcher thoroughly in warm soapy water and dry. Download an angular topiary tree design and lay the glass panel over the paper template. Daub emerald paint onto the topiary shape one section at a time to form leaves.
   
   2 Use chartreuse to create 3-D shading on the topiary, then daub paint onto its edge with a smaller brush. Leave to dry, then fill in any bare areas with yellow. Once the foliage has dried, draw a tree trunk with a brown marker and leave to dry, then create a terracotta pot with orange paint.
   
   3 Any wobbly lines can be wiped away with a cotton bud soaked in paint thinner. Leave to dry completely for a few days, then dilute apple paint to create a wash. Pool the paint evenly over the back of the sun catcher, then once dry hang from pale green ribbon.

4. Round Topiary - 1 Wash and dry a sun catcher, then lay over the downloadable template with two balls and a pear-shaped top. Use the number two paintbrush and load it up with apple paint. Daub apple paint onto
   the topiary to form leaves, then use emerald to create 3-D shading.
   
   2 Once dry, draw a tree trunk with a brown marker pen, then carefully paint an orange terracotta pot. Leave to dry completely, then pool thinned apple paint over the back of the sun catcher. Once dry, hang from pale green ribbon.