That’s all done now.

Below, you’ll find the video I promised you.

There’ll soon be a quick welcome message in your inbox.

I’ll make sure you also get a PDF with a link to the video and the notes you see below – that way you can always watch it again whenever you want to.

Thanks for joining.

The Tycoon’s Square

This is a short film about the painting techniques we often use with stained-glass restoration – i.e. making as close a copy of an ancient, broken (or missing) piece as we possibly can.

The film is 20-minutes long. No commentary: the point is for you to see what you would see if you were by my light-box in our studio, watching me paint glass. I’d be focussing on my work, not talking. So this is true-to-life.

But I have added a few notes below the film. (I’ve also included them in the PDF you’ll get.)

Here’s the film:

If you want to download the film, go here.

If you want to download the notes, they’re here, and also in the email I will send you.

Preparation : here I take a quick tracing of the broken glass I want to copy. Nothing exact or overly-careful about this: the original doesn’t need it.

Undercoat : 01:00 : the undercoat is the ground on which I paint. It primes the surface of my glass, preparing it so it will receive your tracing lines far better than I were painting on bare glass. (Of course, I sometimes do trace on bare glass. It all depends.) The undercoat also allows me to highlight (step 3) before I fire. You’ll see the glass I use is uneven: it is hand-made, and thicker at one end, and so it rocks a little when I use my blender.

Tracing : 02:00 : this is the longest section of the film. Here, I do my tracing in one go. This is different from other times when, with the design beneath the glass, I copy-trace the main lines, and then I set the design on one side where I can see it, and go over my lines a second time and strengthen them. But here, as I say: just all in one go. I’ve taken special care to make sure you don’t just see me tracing but also see me load my brush and keep my paint in good shape: really important. The result: my paint flows slowly and just where I want it to – I’m in complete control. Also notice how I mostly trace with the tip of my brush.

The Highlights : 10:00 : This is a piece of restoration – I must copy the smashed original. That’s why, to do my highlights, I just use my hands, because it seems to me that’s how the original was done: no highlights with a pointed stick, just with my hands. The technique: I gently rub. Now the paint must have quite a lot of gum Arabic in it (or it would come off too easily), which is another reason why, when I trace, my paint flows beautifully: the gum Arabic actually holds the line together. I love highlighting, when the light suddenly breaks through … Also, because I’m using hand-made glass with texture / bubbles in it, the effect is stunning.

Texture On The Back : 12:40 : So now I clean the back of the glass – I really should have done this before I started – and I lay down a wash of paint (another undercoat) at the same time, and blend it. When the paint is absolutely dry, I load a soft-haired toothbrush with paint, and spray paint on. When the spots are dry, I rub them gently with my finger: this lifts off part of the undercoat, and leaves some of the spots: a delicate effect which helps my glass look older.

First Firing : 14:40 : This is a “paint” firing: about 660 Celsius (1220 Fahrenheit).

Silver Stain : 14:50 : Oil, yes oil, not water. Various oils in fact. Sandalwood Amyris and Lavender – I describe the whole process in a separate e-book and also in our film, The Heraldic Arms of Hampton Hall. Oil is far more economical than water: it dries out really slowly than water, and so you loose less. You can also apply it exactly where you want it: no tidying up or waste or mess. Just you see how much control I have with oil. It’s amazing, truly wonderful. And the colour is gorgeous. (You always have to test it though.)

Second Firing : 20:10 : This is a “stain” firing. The exact schedule depends on many things, but especially on the particular glass you’re using. (That’s why I say you always always have to test it.) The top temperature is normally around 560 Celcius (1040 Fahrenheit). After firing, you clean off the dried residue. And, if your tests were reliable, you now reveal a gorgeous golden piece of painted glass.

Thanks for reading and watching: enjoy the blog and newsletters!

You cannot beat the simplicity and directness of early stained glass painting.

These projects show you how it’s done.

“What do I get?”

You get immmediate access to a photo-packed 23-page PDF download.

Close-up step-by-step photos.

Plus clear instructions for 4 projects: king, tower, gargoyle and saint.

Plus full-sized photos of finished glass so you know what to aim for.

Important: requires a kiln.

Please note though that this guide does not re-explain how to mix paint, how to prepare oil-based paint and so forth. This guide does.

Guarantee

And you always have a 100% risk-free money-back guarantee. Anytime you want your money back for any reason, just write and say, and we’ll oblige.

We always want you to be completely happy. And exhausted by us, of course.

Bonus

You will also get 2 free bonus designs to keep and paint: Madonna, and Castle

So 4 step-by-step projects and 6 designs in all:

The offer

Here’s the offer:

• Instant access to a 23-page PDF
  • It’s packed with step-by-step photos
  • Plus art-work
  • 2 free bonus designs
  • Plus step-by-step descriptions
• E-mail support

100% no quibble money-back guarantee

Today it’s $9.97 for these timeless designs and clear instructions, so … click here and download now

 

“It’s our glass painting secret …” – That’s something we never say

Here’s why.

Right from day one, David and I put teaching at the heart of everything we do at Williams & Byrne.

You see I remember the day I decided to quit my office job and take up stained glass painting.

Back then – 11 years ago now – I was a business analyst for a huge insurance firm in City of London. (Yes, and hungry for adventure!)

I also remember very clearly – with just two exceptions (more about them in a moment) – how ridiculously hard it was to get sensible advice or even halfway competent instruction about real kiln-fired glass painting …

Closed doors pretty much everywhere.

Either that or garbled information and badly written text books.

What is it with some people?

Do they think the techniques belong to them? Are they scared of someone doing better? Can’t they write clearly?

I don’t know what it is but it’s crazy.

Surely the techniques belong to everyone who’s got the patience and the will to learn them.

Teaching and learning preserve the ancient tradition of stained glass painting

And as for someone learning to paint better than us – like, “Does it scare us? Do we mind?” – it’s not a competition between “us” and “anyone else”.

What really matters is that the long tradition of stained glass painting regenerates itself and grows stronger over time.

And the tradition needs newcomers and excellence in order to grow

The tradition also needs people who are brave enought raise their hand and say, “Yes, I want to get better at this, and this, and this: just tell me how!”

To be fair, David had a very different experience when he started out.

No doubt that’s why he was one of the two honourable exceptions who gladly shared his knowledge with me. (The other one was Leo Amery, an English stained glass painter who lives and works in France.)

You see, David spent 8 years as an apprentice in Patrick Reyntien’s studios, and Patrick was as generous with him as you could wish.

David (left) with Patrick Reyntiens (right)
when Patrick called in for tea at our studio on his way to visit Sir Roy Strong

That means we both know what it’s like to want to learn and always improve.

That’s why teaching is at the heart of all our work.

BBC interview with David and Stephen

Here’s where you can listen to an interview we gave the BBC about why teaching matters to us both.

The sound is not too good but like a lot of other people, the BBC is going through a recession …

The point is, anyone who’s seriously interested in the techniques of kiln-fired glass painting must read on and see exactly what you’ll get here …

1. Maybe you’ll join us in the studio for an intensive, technique-packed glass painting course
2. Or maybe you want to act now and learn more about this fascinating craft …

That’s why David and I spent a long time figuring out what will work best for people who want to learn more right now.

So we’ve taken our much-praised one-volume “Glass Painting Techniques & Secrets from an English Stained Glass Studio” and separated it into three convenient parts, each one packed with more designs, techniques, tips and videos than ever before:

• Part #1 is for everyone who wants a thorough grounding in the core techniques of classical glass painting – meaning how to trace, shade, flood and hightlight in a single firing
  
• Part #2 is for those of you who want to become expert in oil-based stained glass painting – the same approach used by master glass painters to paint those beautiful faces, hands and clothing you see in churches
• Part #3 is where you discover how to silver stain with ease and skill, avoiding all the technical problems of traditional (and mistaken) silver staining methods, saving so much time, money and heart-ache

Does this sound interesting to you? Then read on …

Learn glass painting – 19 proven strategies

First up, you absolutely need a reliable source of information.

Finding good information is not as easy as it should be – even in this age of the internet.

You see the published books are generally – how shall I put it? – misleading.

For example the basic topic of “How to mix paint” is usually be “explained” in a sentence or two.

Which is great if you want to trick people into thinking their lack of success is caused by their lack of “artistic” talent. But it’s a really unfair trick to play all in all.

That’s why the “Part 1” you get from us starts with clear instructions for mixing excellent paint plus 28 step-by-step photos showing you exactly how it’s done.

You also discover how to bring dried paint “back to life”, which saves you time and money.

Now I’m going to stop right there with “knocking the competition” because I’m sure you’ve done your homework, so you know the kind of books there are. And you’ve seen the detailed information and case studies we share with you on this website and in the newsletter.

To paint glass well, you need well-mixed paint like this But be clear about this.

It really matters how you mix and keep your paint.

Make one mistake with this, and all the talent in the world will not save your painting. End of story.

And never let anyone kid you this is because there’s something wrong with your ability – it’s actually down to a small but important technical detail which you must know about, otherwise you’re wasting you’re time.

That’s why you get 10 pages of recipes and photos so you know exactly what to do to mix, test and store your paint.

I mentioned “19 proven strategies” a moment earlier, now that’s a lie as I shall explain in a moment.

First, here’s one true story from 1000s we’ve received:

“About ten years ago I couldn’t find any detailed instructions anywhere apart from the Albinas Elskus book.

As a beginner, Elskus’ book provided a good overview of the subject but not enough detail – my first attempts at glass painting resulted in mixed results.

At that time I got the impression that practice of glass painting was a closely guarded secret.

After ten years I decided to try and find information again. And I was astounded by the information you are supplying.

I am now confident that I can start learning how to do stained glass painting and have many projects that I want to pursue. Thank you!” (Denis Leys, New South Wales, Australia)

See the key things Denis mentions here: detailed instructions, plus confidence to try, plus complete openness on our part.

For instance, just in Part 1, you will learn not 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 but …

9 essential ways to use a palette knife

Imagine what you will learn from the other 50 pages in Part 1 alone.

Well, there’s no need to imagine. I’ll tell you. Things like …

When you know the correct way to use a bridge, it’s much easier to trace long elegant lines

• The correct way to hold and use a painting bridge
• How to organize your painting palette – does anyone else tell you about this? The importance of painting with a lump of paint – not a teaspoonful (which would be useless)
• Why it’s easier when you paint an undercoat before you trace, and how to do this
• How to shade before you trace which adds subtlety
• Why stained glass silhouettes are the best way to improve your tracing
  
• How to do all your stained glass painting in a single firing – saves time, adds beauty
  
• Painting on the front and back of the glass in a single firing (saves time)
• Techniques of highlighting and softened highlights (adds subtlety)
• How to make painted glass seem old (great for restoration)
• Give depth and perspective to your glass
• How to use a toothbrush to give age and texture to your glass …

And the list goes on. This is just from Part 1, “How you can trace, shade, flood and highlight (front and back) in a single firing, and why you absolutely need a lump of paint to do this (not a teaspoonful)“.

You’ll learn 19 proven glass painting strategies to paint your glass beautifully – but that’s a lie …

Now what was the lie I mentioned earlier? There are far more than 19 proven strategies here. I have identified more than 87. You see these three downloads get you the full picture with nothing held back.

You must know how to hold, shape and load a tracing brush

Which means for example you also learn the best way to hold a tracing brush, and how to shape and load it with paint. These are all precise and proven techniques which make all the difference to how you paint stained glass.

So if you’re a professional who paints for money, these downloads will pay for themselves many times over and over again.

If you’re a serious amateur who paints for pleasure, I guarantee you these techniques are the best way to finding that pure, happy sense of focus and enjoyment which you’re after. Plus you’ll learn to paint glass beautifully.

If you’re a beginner with an inquiring mind, these downloads contains the best account you could ever hope for (as you will see from the rest of this website)

Yes you will need to study and practice. We all do. These downloads are great for professionals and amateurs but they’re just awful for dabblers and time-wasters. So let’s be clear. Here’s what you won’t get. You won’t get:

• So-called “short-cuts” which don’t work
• “Infallible” ways to design world-dominating windows
• A “hypnotic formula” to command respect and adoration from the art-world
• Information about non-firing glass paints

And we can’t turn you into stained glass painters overnight. It takes work and commitment from you. I won’t pretend otherwise. That’s why we show you our respect by preparing such detailed and photo-packed information.

Thinking, “These aren’t ‘real books’ – can I trust this deal?” Read this …

Maybe you’ve joined the newsletter so you already know the kind of detail and care you get from us.

But maybe you’re new here, or maybe you’re wondering about what kind of return you’ll get. Well please do remember you get a 100% guarantee:

If for any reason at any time you want your money back, just write and say, and I’ll arrange it straight away.

And also read this message we received from a colleague in New York:

“I was not sure that I was making a good decision because I was not receiving a ‘real book’ but I quickly had my affirmation. I received enough value in the first evening of reading my download to justify my investment. You guys are great and generous proponents of the art! Thank you” (Michael Gonta, New York, US)

See what Michael says about how just in a few hours he got more than he paid for.

In 5 years (and three editions), there’s only ever been one person was disappointed and asked for a refund. This was because they wanted a book on non-firing glass painting. Which we don’t know about.

It’s only kiln-fired glass painting you learn about here.

“OK so what’s in the three (3) key downloads?”

Fair question so let’s take a look at what you get in each part.

Glass Painting Techniques & Secrets Part 1 – the Classical Foundations

The title’s long but says it all:

“How you can trace, shade, flood and highlight (front and back) in a single firing, and why you absolutely need a lump of paint to do this (not a teaspoonful)”

All the techniques are presented clearly for glass painters of any level from beginner through to professional.

Yes, even professionals need this download. The reason is, it covers material you just won’t find elsewhere and also solves problems I’ll bet you’ve been struggling with since you began.

Beginners on the other hand have the good fortune of learning good practice right from the start … You are fortunate indeed.

 

• How to mix perfect paint, all the ingredients, and their proportions
• How to test your paint
• The consistency you must have
• How to keep your paint fresh for weeks and even months
• How you can use your light box to prevent mistakes on glass
• How an undercoat of paint will help you trace light and delicate lines
• How to paint on top of unfired paint (many books say this is impossible – they are all wrong!)
• How to flood large areas of glass with dark paint which doesn’t blister in the kiln
• How to trace lightly
• How to reinforce a line
• How to thicken a line
• How to create textures and shadows

On top of this, you’ll also discover how to shade before you trace (yes, all in a single firing).

See, most people think you shade and matt only after you’ve fired your trace lines. But here you will discover a completely different way of shading stained glass – it is amazing.

You will discover how to shade before you trace, then paint your trace lines, then fire your glass just once. Saves money, saves time. And the very best thing is this – that you will find new confidence in glass painting.

“A new world has opened for me: fascinating” (Ivo de Croock, Antwerp, Belgium)

“Your step-by-step instructions are just what I need” (Linda Zorichak, Germany)

“This is such a great help!” (Ab Evenhuis, Veldhoven, Netherlands)

“Your e-book helps me paint with a much better understanding of the art” (Joanne Legault, Manitoba, Canada)

Click here to learn more about Glass Painting Techniques & Secrets Part 1 – the Classical Foundations

Glass Painting Techniques & Secrets Part 2 – Glass Painting with Oil

Once again, a long title. The point is, it tells you exactly what yuou will get:

“How you can use oil to shade efforlessly & leisurely & still do all your glass painting (front and back) in a single firing”

See, now you will discover something that even Albinus Elskus doesn’t show you – how to paint with oil-based paint on top of unfired water-based paint.

And we don’t mean using a nib and oil – that’s easy.

You will actually learn how to use a brush and oil-based paint on top of all those layers of unfired water-based paint you learned about in Part 1. Wouldn’t you think this would disturb the unfired traced lines and shading beneath?

Well, it doesn’t. Here’s where you learn how and why.

“How You Can Use Oil to Shade Effortlessly and Leisurely and Still Do ALL Your Stained Glass Painting, Front and Back, in Just One Firing“

You will also discover how to shade with oil: if you haven’t done this before, get ready for a wonderful new skill. This technique will change the way you paint stained glass: I guaranteed it or I will give you your money back.

“I am thoroughly enjoying this e-book. It completely changes the way I paint stained glass” (Ken de Leeuw, New York, US)

“… the most complete information …” (Dave Kimmel, Pennsylvania, US)

“Your advice is so precious” (Ewa Nerkowska, Warsaw, Poland)

“… your thoughtful e-book” (Irene de Hosson, Marum, Netherlands)

“You make a great difference in peoples’ lives” (Cindy Whitehead, Texas, US)

“Wonderful and informative: I am totally thrilled”(Diane Armitage, California, USA)

“This e-book fills in the gaps that other books leave” (Maggi Macaulay, Quebec, Canada)

Click here to learn more about Glass Painting Techniques & Secrets Part 2 – Painting with Oil

Glass Painting Techniques & Secrets Part 3 – Silver Stain: Your Problems Solved

Every book I’ve ever seen has also told people to mix their stain with water or vinegar.

Every glass painter I’ve ever met has always complained about the unpredictability of using stain.

Ahem!

Maybe there’s a connection here?

In fact there definitely is. And with silver stain costing anywhere between $9 and $15 an ounce, you’re wasting time and money if you continue mixing it with water or vinegar.

See, ruined stain actually ruins the whole piece and wastes hours and days of your valuable time.

That’s why this guide is indispensable to everyone who wants their silver stain to succeed.

“How you can trace, blend, shade & flood from a reliable batch that keeps for months (and why water or vinegar are no good for this)“

Again, the title says what you will learn.

“Congratulations on an excellent e-book” (John Wilson, Eccles, England)

“You are simply exquisite. Thank you so much for your wonderful activity” (Mafalda Castellani, Rome, Italy)

“A treasure trove of ideas” (Shereen Timmerman, California, USA)

“Fabulous” (Linda Graham, Suffolk, England

“Excellent” (Rubèn Alberto Pere Bugnest, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

“Your e-book inspires me further” (Sue Sills, Wiltshire, England)

“I am so impressed by the knowledge you are willing to share: you are the best” (Charlotte Pennington, Florida, USA)

“I love your techniques” (Louise Carbonneau Vermeiren, Ontario Canada)

Click here to learn more about Glass Painting Techniques & Secrets Part 3 – Silver Stain

Glass Painting Techniques & Secrets from an English Stained Glass Studio – now in 3 convenient parts

So you see you’ll get lots of practical suggestions on what works, what doesn’t and why.

We’ll destroy a load of silly myths and confusions which cause many people huge trouble.

And above all we aim to inspire you to paint glass beautifully.

This is your opportunity to download a unique 3-part practical companion where you will find out about paint mixing, silhouetting, shading, tracing, highlighting, painting glass with oil, and silver staining.

• Part 1 – Classical tracing, shading, flooding, highlighting back and front in just one firing
• Part 2 – Advanced glass painting with oil on top of unfired water-based paint
• Part 3 – Silver staining with oil

To be specific, here are the 19 strategies you will learn about in these three guides to kiln-fired stained glass painting:

How to organize and control your palette, undercoating, copy-tracing, reinforcing, strengthening, testing, softening, reinstating, modelling, silhouetting and blocking in, highlighting and softened highlights, reverse painting and spottling, undercoating with oil, tracing and shading in oil, highlighting in oil.

Plus how to mix the perfect lump of water-based paint and how to mix perfect oil-based paint.

Plus how to kick the bad habit of using silver stain with water or vinegar and also how to chose the right oils to use instead.

All backed up with a 100% money-back guarantee.

What these downloads are not

You maybe know all too well that many books promise to turn you into a talented stained glass painter “in a weekend” or even quicker.

Worse still, many glass painting books contain half-truths – or downright errors.

Their recipes are wrong or incomplete.

Their procedures don’t work.

You don’t get a real and exciting idea of how proper kiln-fired stained glass painting is really done. Few of these books’ authors have played in the big arena.

We make honourable and respectful exceptions of Albinus Elskus and Patrick Reyntiens, both of whom have written very important books that you should read, along with this one here for you today.

And too many of these books are in the “become-an-artist-overnight” field. If that interests you, read no further. Sorry, it can’t be done.

So,what you will get from us is much broader and, to be honest, much harder work.

You’re going to get the stained glass painting techniques we use each day to make our very own windows at Williams & Byrne.

Everything from the best way to prepare a perfect lump of glass paint to how to paint with oil on top of unfired water-based paint. Plus how to silver stain with oil because this saves you so much time and worry.

Along the way you’ll also discover how to shade before you trace, as well as how to paint both undercoats and overcoats (hint: undercoats prime the glass before you trace on them, whilst overcoats enable you to transform lines into shadows).

And, from the many comments we’ve received, we’re also confident we’ll do something else.

Despite the hard work (yes), we will also make it fun.

You will enjoy the experience of working hard with us. You have nothing to risk except what you will not learn unless you act now.

There’s no need to take our word for it. Just read what other people say:

“Your willingness to share is incredibly kind” (Jerry Thompson, Texas, US)

“Truly inspired” (Norman Walker, Deux-Sevres, France)

“This e-book is amazing” (Alison Evans, Welling, UK)

“Detailed and easy to follow” (Richard Bancroft, Boston, US)

“Such a beautiful e-book” (Kevin Thornhill, Florida, US)

What do you need to know?

It’s your choice now. Yours alone. You choose:

Part 1 Classical Foundations	Part 2 Glass Painting with Oil	Part 3 Silver Staining with Oil

Welcome

This site is dedicated to you and your adventures with the techniques of kiln-fired stained glass painting.

This page will help you find what you’re looking for – from ‘Tracing’ (scroll down to §2) to ‘Silver Stain’ (see §8) and ‘Firing’ (§9).

Just click a link and start exploring.

1. Our main blog is here.
2. Be sure to download  this free e-book about the 6 essential tools and how you hold them so they work wonders for you.
3. Not free, but worth every penny, is our book: The Glass Painter’s Method – Brushes, Paints & Tools.

Now for some information about techniques.

§1. The undercoat

Professional glass painters rarely trace and shade directly onto glass. 

Instead they prime their glass before they start. They paint an ‘undercoat’.

The undercoat is a light layer of paint which they apply all over.

And if you’re wondering why they do this, there are several reasons e.g.

1. It’s hard to trace and shade directly on bare glass.
2. Once dry, the undercoat is a lovely surface on which you work: it grips your brush, which gives you more control.

See here for five ways the undercoat will help you paint stained glass.

Other resources for you:

• To watch us prepare the glass then apply the undercoat, click here.
• If you want to see a good way to hold a badger blender, you’ll find this very useful.
• And this post tells you how to clean your blender.

§2. Tracing

Some people like to shop. They think their tracing would be perfect if they only found the ‘perfect’ tracing brush.

I confess I used to think like this.

Yes, I did.

But see how few brushes I use these days – just one or two: read my full confession here.

Preparation

I learned the hard way because I had to earn a living.

That’s why these days I mostly trace with just one or two good brushes.

And one essential thing I always do is take whatever time I need before I start to get my paint just right.

These days it doesn’t upset my calm if my paint needs 10 minutes to prepare it before I start.

What are 10 minutes?

10 minutes are nothing in the scheme of things e.g. if, with excellent paint, you go on to trace a lot of long and lovely lines.

Here’s what happened one day so you can see me get my paint just right before I start to trace.

Another big thing I know is to study the design before I start. I always have a plan:

1. I’ll start here
2. Then I’ll move round to here
3. Then this
4. And this, then …

If you’re interested, here are two designs plus a break-down of the sequence in which I chose to trace the lines.

And maybe you’d do things differently. Who knows? Myself, I reckon what matters most is you have a sense of purpose. 

You don’t start tracing and only then decide the general sequence of your lines. As with driving somewhere, you need to have a route … a plan.

You need a plan because a plan will keep you calm and focussed on your tracing. So my plan plus designs are here.

Pace

What’s the rush when you trace?

Why the hurry to get it done?

Some people bring this from the other work they do: ‘busy, busy, busy’.

Well, I’m busy too.

I always have a ton of work to do, a hundred conflicts to resolve: that’s my life.

Chances are, it’s your life also …

Exactly: so I work fast.

But I never lose my sense of what’s important here. 

And if you’ll forgive me for stating the obvious, a stained glass window can easily last 500 years or more. 

Which makes me think how what’s important is, we work the best we can. 

So I work fast, but I never rush.

Here’s a good 5-minute video where you’ll see the kind of calm you need to trace stained glass.

And – when you’ve time … – here’s a long article I wrote about not rushing. It’s called ‘Rushing and not Enjoying vs. Treasuring the Journey’. Read it here.

Another thing: always, in between the strokes you paint, you must look after your palette and its paint, as you’ll see here in this 6-minute glass painting video.

A steady hand

That’s important, certainly: a steady hand. Here are 9 useful tips which make a difference.

You should also know how to load and shape a tracing brush with paint – a light touch is what you absolutely need – and how to hold it when you paint stained glass.

How to use the painting bridge

The bridge feels awkward to begin with, but you’ll soon get used to it.

• It’s best to hold it when you’re tracing.
• Later on, when you’re doing highlights, it’s best you hold the glass: see here.

There’s also a 12-minute tracing and highlighting video here which makes the difference clear.

How to arrange your palette

You’ll trace far better when your palette is properly arranged as you see here.

Other resources for you

• Lead-free glass paint: see here.
• The right and wrong way to leave your paint and palette when you’ve finish working.
• A 15-minute video where you see exactly what to do to restore your paint and also work up your brushes so they’re perfect for a morning’s work: watch it here.

§3. Shadows

Some shadows we make by ‘softening’ trace-lines or mid-tones.

“Softening?”

That is to say:

1. You apply the undercoat
2. You trace the lines / mid-tones
3. Now you turn them into shadows by covering them with a wash of paint, then blending them with the badger until they’re nice and gentle

Then you add more lines etc. to restore the precision and detail you sacrificed in step 3 above.

Watch this video here. 

We teach this and other ways of shading inside Shadow. This course is for those of you who already feel confident with the key techniques. If you’re starting out, try this course here – it’s perfect for beginners.

§4. Flooding

‘Flooding’ is the name we give to the very thick paint you use for stained glass lettering or to block in around a face or hand.

It’s important you learn to do it well, because thick flooded paint can sometimes blister in the kiln, which you definitely don’t want. 

Here are some tips and guidelines. And here’s a video demonstration – a stylish one: click here and you’ll see what I mean.

§5. Highlights

You’ll find a lovely demonstration here.

This step-by-step slideshow walks you through the process of using sticks and scrubs etc. to cut back through unfired paint to the bare glass which lies beneath.

§6. What do you mix your paint with?

Your glass paint: what do you mix it with?

Everyone often uses water.

We’re no exception. So all the main lines and shadows are done in glass paint mixed with water and gum Arabic.

For a wonderful, short video course on how to mix small and perfect lump of glass paint,
see here.

And then we carry on.

Sometimes we then use glass paint mixed with oil, other times it’s glass paint mixed with Propylene glycol.

Why? Why do we continue painting? Why don’t we stop and fire our glass?

The reason is there’s so much gain and so little risk.

Watch the high-speed demo (below) and you’ll understand the stunning effects which glycol let you achieve.

Ah yes, shadows can be difficult.

But we’ve figured out a way:

Watch a high-speed demo here.

And here’s a long article plus 8 videos where you see you the full process.

Join the online course on shading here.

§7. Mistakes

Doing so much painting in just one firing, you might naturally wonder what happens if you make a mistake: is all your work ruined?

So isn’t that a good reason to trace and fire (and fix your tracing permanently) before adding another layer (which you fire separately)?”

That’s a good question.

Because yes – some mistakes are serious.

Other mistakes are just variations which occur naturally whenever you do things by hand. So they’re fine, they’re only human – and wonderful.

Read more about this great topic here.

§8. Silver stain

When you use silver stain, it is very important to test everything: here’s why.

Here’s a video demonstration of stain and oil in action: watch it here.

If you’re wondering about the oils we use, I’ll gladly tell you. First of all, sandalwood amyris to make the basic mixture. Then spike lavender to dilute it to whatever consistency you need, e.g. depending on whether you want to trace, shade or flood.

Amazing online course is here.

§9. Firing

Here’s our ‘common sense’ firing schedule. Just be advised that every kiln is different, so you must test things in your own kiln. 

You should also adjust your schedule slightly to make due allowance for whichever techniques you’ve used. 

Here are 12 points you must bear in mind when deciding how slow / fast to fire your glass. And here’s an article about fire-polishing, which is useful after sand-blasting.

§10. Overviews of complete projects

Here’s David talking about a heraldic window he was commissioned to make in honour of the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation: lots of useful tips and insights – see here.

And here’s a detailed case study which shows you the techniques we used to silver stain a magnificent front door.

Questions

You can write to us here.

Please note: we don’t sell paints or brushes. 

For our advice on brushes, paints and tools and where to buy them, see here.