Here Are Some Options for Making Glass Patterns

In our other article about stained glass patterns we have supplied sources such as the Internet, books, library, photos your own eyes & brain, or desigining your own.

We thought we could provide more information on the subject of stained glass designs as this is a question that comes up a lot.

The designs and patterns you may come across will range from very simple to quite detailed and complex. The fun of stained glass is you will always be working on your craft and getting better with each piece.

Below is an article from another stained glass creator (we thought a different perspective would be good too) and their tips on finding and using pattern resources.

If you use a book pattern the design is done for you. You can find a variety of patterns - what ever your heart desires.

We recommend you take the pattern out of the book to lay flat on the table.

If the pattern takes up 2 pages, tape the pages together. Then choose your colors of glass to proceed. Most book patterns give you the colors to use which is very helpful. Plus, you get to choose the textures of glass.

If you use a photo or print a pattern off the Internet, you may want to enlarge the pattern. There are several ways to enlarge your pattern:

You can redraw your pattern but that takes time and patience. You would need to use a method of grid scaling so your pattern will be the same except larger. The challenge is getting each piece of glass scaled the same so you don't alter the pattern.

Another option is you could take the pattern to a store that has photocopiers or blueprint machines. You might try a place like Kinko's.

Be aware when you enlarge on a copier that the pattern may not come out to the exact size you want. If you want exact sizing, we'd recommend a blueprint copier.

An art projector is a third option. You can put the pattern on the wall. Adjust the projector to the size you desire, then trace it. Several papers may be needed to get it accurate but again, you can tape them together.

Fourth, use your computer. You can scan your pattern and store it on your computer. Technology is a wonderful thing. There are software programs both simple and complex that will allow you to create easy to follow stained glass patterns.

Tips for Designing Your Own Stained Glass Patterns

If you are designing your own stained glass patterns, you must keep in mind to make sure the pattern will be strong and hold together.

You must ask yourself, is there is enough support inside the pattern or does it have hinge points that are not necessary? This is important as you don't want to bust your butt making this beautiful piece only to learn it is too weak to hold.

You can create your designs on a computer or hand draw them if you like to do it the "old school way".

If you are good with a computer it will make it easier to store your patterns and resize as desired. Have some fun with this process, use your imagination, and toy with ideas to get the stained glass patterns you desire.

Another pro to using a computer is you can also add colors or change them out until you get the colors you see in your mind.

Although a computer will make the process much quicker, the journey from this point to the finale is the excitement.

So, if you love to draw, there is nothing wrong with a good, old-fashioned pencil and paper. Plus it is the cheapest way to learn this artform.

One con to utilizing a computer program is they can be expensive (currently createstainedglass.com is hunting down quality programs to offer our visitors & members).

One good program that I have used is Illustrator. You might want to check to see if anyone offers this program on a trial basis for you to test it out. You don't want to get frustrated with the computer program - yes even though they tell you how simple it is, that is not always the case if you have learned the hard way like me.

You could also take a stained glass class to help with the learning curve.

Remember, depending on your learning style, if you need hands on, live classes, they can also get expensive. This is why some people use a small TV/DVD or laptop in their work area. They can spend less money of videos or watch Internet feeds as they take each step.

Stained Glass Tip: Keep your patterns simple! As they say, K.I.S.S. (keep it simple silly). Too much detail will weaken the structure. It can also make the pattern look ugly with to much soldering, which is something that plagues many artists.

"LESS IS MORE". A great example is a leaf. The lines around the leaf are a good aspect to implement, but having cuts for every vein of that leaf may cause you to lose the design of the leaf.

A good point of reference is to ask, where do you want your eyes to focus? Your colors and amount of detail will determine this focus. If you have the detail and bright colors on the subject, your eye will focus on the subject.

But if you have more detail on the background, your eye will focus on the background.

Our best recommendation is to keep your stained glass patterns simple. We believe this will be more elegant in appearance.

We hope that helps provide even more insight when finding and creating your stained glass patterns.

Be sure to check out our other article on finding free stained glass patterns.

Also, if you are having trouble sparking ideas for designs, click here.

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