3 Ways to Make Black Glue Heart Suncatchers
Learn how to make your own stained glass suncatchers using black glue. There are 3 different ways to make these black glue heart suncatchers, so you can pick which method is the best option for you.
This is a fun activity for kids of all ages to make this Valentine’s day and if you’re not good at drawing, don’t worry. Grab a free printable heart template from the bottom of the post that you can download and use today.
Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times. Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase.
There’s no better way to show kids that you love them than by spending quality time together. Some Valentine’s day themed activities are perfect for finding ways to spend with your little ones. Or you can invest in the Valentine’s Day Activity Pack, which is filled with educational printables for you kids.
Table of Contents
- Watch the Video
- How to Make Black Glue
- Method 1: Black Glue and Permanent Markers
- Method 2: Black Glue and Watercolor Paints
- Method 3: Black Glue and Tissue Paper
- Experimenting with Different Materials
- Free Printable Templates
- More Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids
- You May Also Like
Watch the Video
The YouTube video of this tutorial goes over both method 1 and method 3 described below. If you prefer to watch the step by step instructions, then click to watch.
How to Make Black Glue
Materials Needed
- 1 Bottle of glue*
- Black food coloring
*For this craft you’ll see in the pictures that I used clear glue instead of white glue, because that’s what I already had on hand. While this doesn’t make a difference when you’re doing black glue art projects on paper, it does when you’re making suncatchers.
The clear glue is more translucent and therefore doesn’t create the strong black lines that are needed for suncatchers. So I recommend making your black glue using a white school glue instead, this will make the glue more opaque and will give your suncatcher crafts a stronger outline.
Instructions
All you need to do to make your own black glue, is to place a few drops of black food coloring into a bottle of white glue and mix until the entire bottle is black.
If you find that the color isn’t as dark as you would like, then add a few more drops of food coloring and mix again.
Storage
I’ve had my black glue for over a year and it still works perfectly. If it’s been sitting for a long time, then I just shake the bottle to give it a quick mix before using it on my black glue art project.
Method 1: Black Glue and Permanent Markers
If you don’t want to use a laminating sheet for these crafts, there are a couple of different clear plastic options that you can try instead. Like a piece of contact paper or a page protector. I used a laminating sheet for this craft because it’s 1) more stiff than page protectors, and was less likely to scrunch up and smear the glue as we worked. 2) Easier to see through than contact paper, and therefore easier to trace out designs with the black glue.
Materials Needed
- Black Glue
- Laminating sheet and laminating machine
- Sharpie markers in a variety of colors
- Free printable heart template (optional)
- Printer and paper (optional – only needed if you are using a heart template)
- Scissors
- Sticky tape
Instructions
1. Laminate an empty laminating sheet.
2. Download and print the stained glass heart template.
Of course, you don’t have to use one of the templates provided. You can always have fun making up your own designs instead.
3. Place the empty laminated sheet over your template.
4. Use the black glue to trace over the lines, onto the laminated sheet.
The lines will become a lot thicker when the glue is dried, so you can use it sparingly when you’re making your lines.
5. Let the glue dry before moving onto the next step.
This can take a while. I usually leave mine to dry overnight. However, if you have one, you can place your project underneath a heat lamp to dry it more quickly.
6. Take your permanent marker and color in the spaces in between the black line.
I tried a few different colors of markers and found that only the darker ones worked well for suncatchers. Lighter colors wash out when the sun is shining through and look like they’re not even there. So if you try this method, pick darker colors to create with.
7. Use a pair of scissors to cut out the outline of your heart.
8. Stick in on the window with double-sided tape and enjoy the colors.
Method 2: Black Glue and Watercolor Paints
The first section of this method is the same as in method 1. It’s only when you’re ready to begin decorating the heart section (Step 6 onwards) that it changes.
Materials Needed
- Black Glue
- Laminating sheet and laminating machine
- Clear Glue
- Liquid Watercolor Paint
- Free printable heart template (optional)
- Printer and paper (optional – only needed if you are using a heart template)
- Scissors
- Sticky tape
Instructions
1. Laminate an empty laminating pouch.
2. Download and print the stained glass heart template.
Of course, you don’t have to use one of the templates provided. You can always have fun making up your own designs instead.
3. Place the empty laminated sheet over your template.
4. Use the black glue to trace over the lines, onto the laminated sheet.
5. Let the glue dry before moving onto the next step.
This can take a while. I usually leave mine to dry overnight. However, if you have one, you can place your project underneath a heat lamp to dry it more quickly.
6. Place some clear glue into the middle of the section you want to paint.
You’ll need a fair amount of glue for each section, because you want to color to be uniform. In the picture below, you can see examples of this colorful glue technique using small and large amounts of glue. You will see that using a small amount of glue (the blue section) causes a streaky look instead of a solid block of color (green section).
As an alternative to mixing the colorful glue right on the laminating sheet, you can also mix them in a separate palette instead.
7. Place 1 -2 drops of liquid watercolors into the middle of the glue.
8. Use a paintbrush to mix the color and glue together, and to spread it over the section you want to paint.
9. Repeat steps 6-8 with all the different sections of the stained glass heart suncatchers.
10. Let it dry.
11. Use a pair of scissors to cut out the outline of your heart.
12. Stick in on the window and enjoy the colors.
Method 3: Black Glue and Tissue Paper
Materials Needed
- Black Glue
- Laminating sheet and laminating machine
- Tissue paper in different colors
- Free printable heart template (optional)
- Printer and paper (optional – only needed if you are using a heart template)
- Scissors
- Sticky tape
Instructions
1. Cut your tissue paper into small squares. I prefer a variety of different sizes, ranging from 1/2 – 1 inch long. However, since you’re younger kids can do this step themselves, they will decide what size square they want.
2. Open up the empty laminating sheet and place the tissue paper inside. Try to cover all the gaps, but if there are a few, don’t worry. You can cover those up with black glue later in the project.
3. Once your tissue paper designs are finished, close the laminating sheet and run it through the laminating machine.
You can also place the tissue paper over one of the heart template and use the lines as a guide.
4. Use the black glue to draw a large heart over the tissue paper.
5. Next, you can try two different ways to make the inside of the heart.
a) Trace around the edges of each shape with the black glue. You’ll end up with a series of squares, triangles and rectangles.
Or, b) Make a stained glass heart pattern over the tissue paper regardless of where each color lays.
6. Let the black glue dry.
7. Hang it on the window.
Experimenting with Different Materials
Since I’ve always just made suncatchers out of permanent markers, I wanted to experiment with different materials to see what happened.
Clear Glue Vs White Glue
Halfway through this project I ran out of clear based black glue and had to make a new bottle. This second bottle I made with white glue and some black liquid watercolor paint. As you can see in the picture below, they both look the same against white paper, but the one with a white glue base is more opaque against the sun. So I would definitely recommend using white school glue when you’re making your own.
Acrylic Paint Vs Watercolors
I learned long ago that if you want to make acrylic paint stick to plastic surfaces better, then mix some glue in with the paint. While this works for most craft projects, it does not work for suncatchers, because even thin layers don’t really let the light shine through.
However, you don’t get this problem with liquid watercolors. Liquid watercolors mixed with white paint are more opaque and don’t “glow”, as you can see in the picture below. However liquid watercolors and clear glue do let the light shine through and show their colors beautifully.
Light Colored Markers vs Dark Colored Markers
If you just want to color in your suncatchers, using permanent markers, not all colors are created equal. Light or pastel colors get washed out when you hold them up to the light. So if you’re making suncatchers I recommend trying each color on a test strip first to see what it looks like. Darker or brighter colors are usually a safe bet if you want to try this material for your craft project.
Free Printable Templates
If you don’t want to create your own heart design, you can use a free heart template like the ones below. These are easy to print off and slip underneath your laminated sheet to trace for your heart suncatcher craft.
More Valentine’s Day Craft Ideas to Try
If you love these stained glass heart suncatcher ideas, then try some of our other simple craft ideas. These are perfect if you’re looking for a heart craft for Valentine’s Day.
- 14 Heart Coloring Pages (Free Printable)
- Spin Art Hearts
- Heart Scrape Painting
- Grass Heart Craft
- Button Heart Collage
Or, you can take a look at all of our 20 heart crafts for kids.
Valentine’s Day Activity Pack
Educational printables with a valentine’s theme. Perfect for preschool and kindergarteners to try this February.
Are you going to try making these black glue heart suncatchers with your kids? Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.
