Discover How to Get Stained Glass Symmetry

One question we have received a few times is how to get stained glass symmetry.

It's just another technique in the design process that you will want to master so your stained glass projects finish the way you want.

Let's discuss a few tips we follow as we work hard to obtain symmetrical patterns when making glass art.

There are 3 great tips you can steal from us to create a symmetrical pattern.

It can be very difficult as you try to free style your drawing. This is where you anal-retentive or analytical personalities come in handy.

1. When we made an all square piece, we measured out the size of the squares he wanted. We had to divide out the finish product to be equal to the size of the squares. We didn't want to end up with an odd size square anywhere on this design. We wanted them all the same size.

Once you have the size of his square, measure out across and down how many you want to row to determine the finished size of the project.

Then draw on a piece a paper what the finished size would be. This type of stained glass symmetry design is easier because everything is the same size.

A great idea for this is to keep it as a free standing piece.

2. There are stained glass software programs you can purchase to build your symmetrical designs on a computer.

A couple of the programs we found are called Symmetry Works & Glasseye. These are Illustrator programs that let you design & repeat your patterns. These computer programs can save you hours of time and frustration verses hand drawing.

With these programs you can design very efficiently, quickly, and be as creative as you want. If you don't like how a pattern is turning out, you can edit it until you get your desired image.

One tip is that some of these can get expensive so be sure you are able to justify the expense as you venture into stained glass making. You may be able to do most of this with free programs on both a PC and a Mac or just google around to find cheap/free software!

Keep in mind when doing symmetrical work it is best to stay simple. You don't want to use too many lines or your finished piece will look like all solder rather than a glass piece.

On the other hand be careful with fine points. If you use too many your design may not be strong enough.

3. Do you remember when you where young making a snow flake from a piece of paper? Mine rarely looked like a snowflake.

This is another fantastic way to obtain stained glass symmetry with your design. Take a piece of paper and fold it in half. (top to bottom). Then fold the paper again in half (left to right). Finally, fold again at a diagonal.

Your paper should look like a form of a triangle. Take a scissors and cut out shapes from all 3 sides of the folded paper.

Keep in mind the fold in the paper is the line of symmetry. After you have made your cuts, open the paper and you will see the same images on both sides of the paper.

Keep in mind if you want a circle, only cut 1/2 of the circle within the folded paper, so when you open the sheet you will see the full circle. A mistake that took me a few times to master - duuuhh!!

Please share your insights, tips, and techniques on making stained glass that others will benefit from!