Congratulations! If you're reading this, you're probably getting started with your first or second stained glass piece and wondering how to make it even better. Or maybe you've been creating patterns designed by other artists and want to figure out how to customize. Or maybe you've never touched a soldering iron and just want to be prepared before starting out.
Wherever you are in your artistic journey, I am so excited for you and I know you will be amazed by what you can create if you're willing to put in the time to practice. As with any piece of art, it all starts with an idea.
FROM IDEA TO ART 💡
You could have a partial idea, just a color pallet in mind or a particular animal that you want to try creating. Or you could have a more fully-formed, detailed masterpiece in your head, ready to draw out. I get a lot the inspiration for my art from books, poetry (Edgar Allen Poe is bae), classical paintings, and the places I've lived.
Wherever you're starting from, don't be afraid to use references while you're designing your piece. A quick glance at a reference image can save you hours of wondering why something doesn't look quite right. If you're struggling to find a nice reference photo of your idea, take a few minutes playing around with an AI tool to see if you can create a reference that way. (Night Cafe Studio is a great free option)
Once you have a basic plan in your head, it's time to get to drawing. My favorite way to draw designs is on the Procreate app (requires an iPad & Apple Pencil). The great thing about procreate is that you can get your design perfectly symetrical and then print it right out so you don't have to worry about any distortion that could occur if you do everything by hand on paper.
COLOR 🌈
When planning out the colors you want to use in your piece, don't just think about flat colors they way you would in a painting, think in GLASS. Look at each glass sheet you have and consider how the textures, patterns, and colors of the individual sheet could play into your next piece. Is that blue and white swirly glass just what you needed for a cloudy sky backdrop? Or could that wavy glass be the perfect addition to your seascape? Incorporate unique glass into your design to quickly turn a simple pattern into a beautiful masterpiece.
Sadly, many times you may not have the exact color or pattern of glass you want but that's okay! You may not have the identical shade of opaque pale yellow you need to make the perfect Pikachu, but that shiny iridescent glass you have sitting around could make your piece instantly electrifying. Don't feel like you have to go out and grab a new sheet of glass every time you come up with a design. You never know what happy accidents you might discover while trying to make the colors you have work.
SHAPES 🔹
The last, but most important, thing that you need to consider while drawing your design is the individual glass shapes that make the piece. You don't want to make your design something impossible to actually cut out in glass. Glass wants to break in a straight line, so unless you have a special tool to help you carve out a circle, you will need to make the lines straight enough that you are able to create them.
If you need help getting cleaner cuts, tools like grinders, ring saws, and Silberschnitt running pliers can all be used in different ways to help you unlock trickier cuts. Depending on your budget, grinders are the most versatile tool to clean up rough cuts and achieve more complex designs until you've mastered glass cutting.
Don't get discouraged if you break a few pieces while you're trying to make tricky shapes. It can be heartbreaking to see a squiggly glass piece shatter after putting in work cutting and grinding it down. Accidents happen to even the most experienced makers! Stay strong, try not to let a slippery piece of glass ruin your night.
Need Help Getting Started? 👩🎨
If you want to get started making stained glass but aren't ready to make the jump into designing your own pieces, that's okay! There are plenty of resources out there to help you get to creating ASAP.
I have a few patterns here on my website, for both hobby and commercial use.