1.
Find a pattern to meet your skill level. My skill level in stain
glass is beginner, so I picked an uncomplicated pattern. The pattern
I chose was in an Acrobat PDF file, so I converted it into a JPEG
file by capturing it off my screen with Paint Shop Pro v6.0 and
colored it there. Then I printed out two copies of the
pattern.
2.
Next, I prepared translucent clay - one for each color used in the
pattern - by blending a small pinch of opaque clay at a time into
the translucent. After blending each pinch into the translucent,
I squished it out kinda thin (uniform wasn't necessary here) and
held it up to the lamp to make sure it still let the light through.
I wanted the clay to be firm yet pliable when it is thin. That way
it will maintain it's shape as I worked on it. My clay was too mushy
after I conditioned and colored them, so I sandwiched the sheets
between two sheets of typing paper for an hour or so. If you're
impatient, sit on it instead. That will cut the time down to about
30 minutes.
3.
When I got the clay to the color I wanted, I ran my clay through
the pasta machine on the medium setting. I have a 9 setting Marcato
Atlas with 1 being the thickest setting. I used setting #4. I laid
the colored sheets on one of the ceramic tiles and set then it aside.
This tile is where I will be tracing the pattern onto the clay and
cutting it.
4.
I conditioned my opaque clay (I used black) for the leading and
rolled it into a sheet the same thickness as the colored sheets.
5.
I conditioned all my scrap clay and set it aside for later.
6.
Once the clay was all prepared, it was time to start working with
the pattern. I found with this technique it was easiest to start
at the center and work out. It was also necessary to prebake some
sections during the assembly to avoid damaging the design.
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Fig 1 |
7.
I placed the pattern on top of the clay color corresponding with the
center or focus of the pattern. In this instance, the focus and the
center is the rose. You will note in Fig 1 the clay extending
from under the pattern matches the rose color. I burnished the paper
briefly so it would adhere to the clay to prevent it from moving.
Using
a pointed tool (Click on the thumbnail for a closer
look at the tool), I traced around all the lines
for everything using that particular color of clay. I pressed hard
enough to make an impression in the clay below yet not hard enough
to go through the paper. Each line would be traced over more than
once before I was done!
Alternatively,
you can use a straight pin and pierce thru the pattern along the lines
to leave a trail of tiny holes.
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Fig 2 |
8.
When I had traced the outlines for that color clay, I removed the
pattern and set it aside for later. See Fig 2. (Click
on the thumbnail for a closer look.)
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Fig 3 |
9.
Next I cut out the pattern along the trace lines so it would come
apart like a jigsaw puzzle. I hung onto my scraps until I was finished
in case I made a mistake and needed to start over or if I didn't have
quite enough room on the sheet to trace all the elements of the design
in that color. Then I would simply moosh the scraps together, run
them through the pasta machine on medium and trace the sections I
still needed to cut out. (Click on the thumbnail
for a closer look.)
I
placed the jigsaw pieces onto my other tile and placed the one I used
for cutting the clay on top of them. This keeps them flat. Without
the weight on top, the pieces will warp and cockle. I baked these
pieces at the manufacturer recommended temperature for 20 minutes.
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Fig 4 |
10.
After baking, I let the pieces cool on top of the stove with the tiles
still sandwiched together. When they were cool to the touch, I reassembled
the pieces into my design. I pulled my black sheet of leading in front
of me and placed a straight edge (I used a ruler) onto it. I cut one
side to get a perfectly straight edge to start with and set the scrap
aside. I moved the ruler in just a fraction of an inch - about as
wide as the clay was thick and cut a very thin, long strip. (Click
on the thumbnail for a closer look.)
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Fig 5 |
11.
Now here's the tricky part. I needed to pay attention to where the
top and sides are of this very thin strip of clay. Since the entire
design was rolled out to medium thickness, including the leading,
I wanted to place the strips around the pieces so the top of the strip
remains facing up. I did not want turn the strip on
edge. This way, the leading would always be the same thickness as
the design. I started by completely outlining the centermost
piece (See Fig 4) then pressed the leading onto each section firmly
to avoid any holes the light could shine through. I attached each
piece from there, outlining the sides that did not snug up to the
previously laid leading. (Click on the thumbnails
for a closer look.) If I were to just wrap leading
around all the pieces before assembling it, the leading would be double
thick in some areas.
I
assembled just the center or focus of the design. I set aside the
buds for later (See Fig 7). I placed the center piece onto my work
ceramic tile and placed the other tile on top of it to keep it flat.
I baked this piece at the manufacturer recommended temperature again
for 20 minutes.
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12.
When I put the center or focus piece into the oven, I had snugged
all the pieces so they were together real tight! When I pulled the
design out and it had cooled, I held it up to the light and saw
daylight and cracks from shrinkage during baking and it was rather
flimsy. To remedy this I put the center piece face DOWN onto my
baking tile and poured a thick layer of undiluted Transparent Liquid
Sculpey (TLS) onto the back and smeared it around so it was spread
evenly. Then I flipped the centerpiece back over and placed it back
on the tile face UP. I baked withOUT the cover tile on top of it
(so not to squish all the TLS out from under it) for about 8 minutes
to harden the TLS. After it cooled, I used a tissue blade to slice
the center piece away from the tile and held it up to the light.
The cracks were filled in and the center piece is was now stronger!
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Fig 6 |
13.
I repeated steps 7-9 with the secondary areas of the design. To pick
out what that would be, remember I was working from the inside out.
With this pattern, the next element was the leaves. I also chose the
leaves because they were more intricate than the background pattern,
so they would be easier to assemble if prebaked. I worked through
steps 7 through 12 again with the stems and leaves. (Click
on the thumbnail for a closer look.)
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Fig 7 |
14.
I picked up the undamaged paper template and slid it under my glass
work surface. I placed the centerpiece and all the other baked pieces
loosely into their corresponding places and set it all aside. (Click
on the thumbnail for a closer look.)
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Fig 8 |
15.
At this point, I traced and cut out the remaining elements of the
design (see Fig 8). I followed the steps 7-9, but I did not
prebake these! (Click on the thumbnail for
a closer look.) I wanted these to remain soft and
pliable.
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Fig 9 |
16.
Going back to the glass surface, I assembled the remaining elements
working from the inside out, placing the leading between each piece
as I went along. (Click on the thumbnail for a closer
look.) When I had all the pieces assembled, I went
back around and worked them together so there is no daylight or cracks.
I did this by holding the glass with the design on it over my head
and up to a light. I added clay or worked with fingers and tools to
get all the cracks blended in and all the pieces tightly put together.
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