Saturday, December 26, 2009

Braque and Picasso




This painting by Picasso painted during the Cubist period lends itself the medium of stained glass.

The first picture is of the original painting.

The second is a line drawing done in Adobe Illustrator. This could be done just as easily with pencil and paper.

The third is the draft with color added.

The final one is the design cut into glass. The strings were added using thin brazing rod.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Using Photoshop for Special Commissions



The missing pieces!

First design proposal


Photoshop paste-up

Design amended,completed triptych

If a client provides you with a digital photo of the place where a proposed stained glass window is to go, a design can be composed in Adobe Illustrator. Afterwards, The design can be imported into Photoshop. Color and perspective adjusted, the design can be pasted into the photo giving the client a very good idea of how the piece will look upon completion.

Friday, December 18, 2009



The customer needed help deciding on color and which beveled cluster to pick.
This graphic was all the customer needed to make-up their mind.

As an artisan, it is up to you to present a compelling presentation to secure their interest. One way is to compose a graphic that relieves all doubts. I draft a design full size in Illustrator then import it to Photoshop and complete it there. I have a library of pictures I have taken of full sheets of stained glass. I use them to paste a convincing texture and color into the graphic. More complicated elements are extracted from pictures of finished windows.



Various designs that just weren't right.



Sara Mrachek's excellent sketches



Design composed into Illustrator to use as a cutting pattern.



When doing a series repeat you must consider the over all effect.
When doing multiples your choices are 5 different designs, a contiguous design that composes one large image or a repeat of the same design.



The first of five completed







Sara Mrachek of Concord Massachusetts commissioned five stained glass panels that would divide a larger room. I submitted several designs that did not meet Ms. Mrachek's taste or desire. She countered by submitting her own drawings and ideas. This process was a back and forth exchange over several months each time getting closer and closer to the best design for the project. This design was a true collaboration.