Ever since I was a kid I've loved stained glass, but several things have stopped me making any:
- Actual stained glass is very expensive, difficult, and requires lots of equipment.
- Pretend stained glass is fairly expensive.
- I'm very clumsy.
- I hate spending money.
- All the stained glass (real or pretend) designs I've ever seen in craft shops etc are ugly.
- Single little stained glass bits on windows look like big stickers.
Perspex
In highschool "woodwork", I came up with what as far as I can tell was an original idea for stained glass with perspex- a picture which is also a puzzle, where the pieces hold themselves together through the way they're shaped.
The top yellow bit was supposed to be blue but they ran out. Hmph. Yes, I also made the frame, showing that I really am a clumsy oaf (not a right-angle in the whole construction) Of course this isn't really that cheap, and needs a jigsaw as well as a puzzle design.(It took my ages to design this one)
Cheap Glass Paint
I have discovered the "Crazy Clarks" have $2 for 3 colours of dodgy glass paint, rather than around $6 for one colour at Lincraft. So, with materials, I need a good design. Now most "stained glass" designs are very simple and are basically a shape drawn with fake leading then filled in with a few flat colours. This is dull and looks like a failed attempt at stained glass stuck onto a window. So- I got a book out of the library on modern stained glass, with lots of pictures. The problem with cheap paint is that it's, well, crap. It bubbles and cracks and if you let it set on perspex and don't move it for a while it's very hard to get off. As you can see I have actually bought some expensive stuff now!General Ideas
The main ideas I think are missing in patterns for stained glass in craft shops or on craft sites are described below. Note that I don't think my attempts to implement these ideas have been completely successful, but the ideas are valid. Well, I think so, so nerr.You don't need to use "lead"
Coloured glass paint itself can make perfectly good outlines. See the next image.Make it look like part of the window
See also the picture at the top.
I based these on real leaves, patterns are for weenies :) I have visions of a whole length of window with a range of flowers and hovering butterflies. These visions come from this site.
Marbling
Ok, i got the idea for marbling from a glass paint site, but they just had you make a big sheet of marbled paint and cut out shapes. If you make an outline and let it set, you can make a nice marbled shape inside, and have the colours in a sort of pattern. (For example spiralling in to the centre)
The wings I designed off the images I got on google with "butterfly wings". I've seen actual glass and metal versions of butterflies using some sort of paint to do different colours, but they were a bit muddy.
Permanent marker
Much cheaper than leading, and you can do all kinds of detailing. (See the butterfly above) I mean to buy red and blue permanent marker and do patterns on stuff.
The important point to note is that if your glass paint is the least bit opaque, the marker will only show on the side you draw it.
To combat this, you can do the bits you want marker on very thinly to begin with, let it dry, put on marker, put on more paint, put on more marker.
The danger with this approach is getting marker on your worksurface, which is bad if it is, say, the frame for your perspex fish puzzle.
Of course if you're putting it on a mirror or something the problem doesn't come up.