There Are 12 Places To Study Glass Painting With Us at Bryn Athyn This June

If you’re interested in techniques …

SORRY – SOLD OUT – IF YOU WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO HEAR WHEN WE RETURN TO THE US,Ā PLEASE CLICK HERE TO EMAIL US

This June, at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, we’ll run a Ā stained glass painting workshop for justĀ 12 students.

The two of us – David Williams and Stephen Byrne – willĀ travel to the US to demonstrate, teach, discuss techniques/ideas etc. and answer your questions about the techniques of kiln-fired stained glass painting.

We're coming to the US this June to run a glass painting workshop for just 12 students

We’re coming to the US this June to run a 4-day workshop for just 12 students

What you will learn

Your main focus during this time with us will be on traditional English glass painting techniques e.g. undercoat, trace, strengthen, wash and soften, reinstate and model, flooding, highlight and soften – in a single firing.

Special focus

All about the palette and the paint

All about the palette and the paint

This will mean paying special attention to working with a lump of glass paint (not a teaspoonful), how to move confidently from one consistency of paint to any other (e.g. from tracing to flooding then back to undercoating), how to deal with lifeā€™s small mishaps on the palette and also with those bigger accidents, managing the palette, storing and reviving your paint.

Other topics

You will also learn all about using glycol to take your ‘single firing’ even further.

Plus you will use silver stain with oil.

Where?

On campus at Bryn Athyn College, Pennsylvania.

Dates and times

The workshop runs from 20th-23rd June 2014, from 9 to 4 each day (an hour for lunch).

Course structure

There’ll be lots of demonstrations and discussion, and then practice, practice and more practice while we come round and work with you in small groups or 1-to-1.

We will be staying on campus so thereā€™ll also be time to talk about other questions out-of-hours e.g. design, organising a studio, pricing etc.

These will be an intensive four days for everyone who comes.

Your background

The most important thing is you follow this blog, or get the newsletter, you know our guide to glass painting techniques, or youā€™ve seen our various documentaries.

Then youā€™ll understand about our approach and the kinds of thing you can expect us to do well with you.

Youā€™ll also know how we focus first and foremost on techniques and process.

The designs you’ll paint

If you wondering what you will paint, the answer is: we’ll bring over a huge variety of small to medium-sized designs.

Sometimes we’ll all tackle the same design together.

Other times youā€™ll choose an image for yourself, talk it over with us, then paint it on your own.

Your skills / your level

Since there are two of us to teach and demonstrate, this workshop will often move at two speeds and in two groups – the classroom is plenty big enough for this.

Reason for this looser structure is, we want a good degree of flexibility in the scheduling of topics and demonstrations each day: that way we can be sure to meet the specific interests which each of you will certainly have.

Suitable for: intermediate studentsĀ and for those of you who don’t yet feelĀ confident in their ability to ‘do it all’ in just one firing.

Not suitable for: complete beginners (this course will be too fast) or advanced students (you know it all all ready).

Stained glass lion

Believe you can paint this? With the right techniques, it’s fairly straight-forward …

For example …

We’ll bring along a small section from ‘The Beastly Lion of Wolsey Towers’ (see him on the right).

The design measures 8 inches by 8. So it’s a fair sized piece of glass.

The basic techniques are:

  1. Undercoat
  2. Trace the outline
  3. Strengthen the main lines
  4. Flood / block in
  5. Pick out highlights

Certainly, you must be tidy and methodical. You must also be able to stand and concentrate for an hour or so.

All the same, if this doesn’t seem too difficult to you, there’s a good chance you’ve reached the level where you’ll really benefit from joining us this June.

Note: afterwards there’s glycol and silver stain, which we’ll also cover on this workshop.

Or what about this sun:

Stained glass sun

Stained glass sun – 4″ by 4″ in real life

Undercoat, trace, strengthen, flood and highlight. An absolute beginner may panic. But if you believe you can paint this with some guidance (that’s why we’re coming over),Ā then you should think seriously about joining us this June.

If you’re uncertain, just decide to do some good, steady practice between now and June.

That’s all it will take.

Cost

The fee is $900 per person.Ā This is for 4 full days’ teaching.

All about traditional English glass painting techniques, and especially about managing your paint and palette so you’re in complete control and you feel absolutely confident about how to achieve what you want.

This feeĀ includesĀ all your glass, glass paint, oil, glycol, silver stain, use of brushes and tools, andĀ all your firings.

1. You will also get a pre-workshop 30-minute Skype call with us to talk about the workshop and what you specifically want to learn.

2. Plus you’ll get a course work-book with detailed step-by-step notes and many designs.

And also:

3. This year on Kindle, we’ll release the first season of ‘The Glass Painter’s Method’: you’ll get that completely free and before anyone else. Amazingly readable, entertaining, instructive – and searchable.

Not included: your travel, accommodation, and meals.

Accommodation

We’ll stay on campus. You can too if you wish. (More information in the first comment at the end.) Or you can find somewhere close to stay. It’s completely up to you.

Book now

You book directly with Bryn Athyn College.

Find out more about the Bryn Athyn stained glass workshop with Williams & Byrne

Learn more – clickĀ here

What to bring

All brushes and tools are supplied, but certainly bring your own as well so we can see what you use. Also your own bridges.

We’ll be using lead-free glass paint, but by all means bring a face-mask, gloves and apron and whatever else you want to keep yourself clean and safe.

Got questions?

First, have a look at the example designs. Notice the variety: we’ll probably have a hundred with us, ranging from fairly simple like this moonĀ …

Design for stained glass moon

Design for stained glass moon

to quite demanding like this ‘Coronation lion’:

Stained glass lion

Design for stained glass lion – he’s crossing the Atlantic with us this June

Like we said, this workshop is for improving-to-intermediate students.Ā Some designs take just minutes.Ā Others will need several hours of steady work.

Second, leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you quickly.

Third, let’s fix a time to talk on Skype. It’s all part of the deal. My ID is stephen.marcus.byrne – send me a contact request and I’ll reply.

Thank you!

I know I’m speaking for both of us here: we can’t wait to meet you in June. I am thrilled to bits and counting the days till I finally set foot on American soil and shake your hand.

Find out more about the Bryn Athyn stained glass workshop with Williams & Byrne

Learn more – clickĀ here

Stephen Byrne of Williams & Byrne the glass painters

 

P.S. Questions? Please write and say.

Stained Glass Painting with Oil – the Brushes You Need

The essential brushes for painting glass with oil

Yes, everyone starts by painting glass with water.

But, when you are fairly confident with using paint and water to trace and shade, you’re definitely ready to start with oil.

Oil is for everyone – not just for the “professionals”

You see, water doesn’t get you very far (despite what all the other books say or don’t say).

At some point you will hold yourself back unless you work with oil.

(more…)