More stained glass hearts

Continuing the Christmas present theme, and stained glass hearts, daughter No1 hit me with a request earlier in the year. One of her best friends absolutely loves hearts and has a massive collection which covers an entire wall in her house. Each year they make each other a Christmas present, and this year she wanted to make a heart in stained glass. It had to include a rose, her middle name and be in red. Okidoki, this would be a simple project, but would involve a short course in stained glass. 

The design was soon completed and would be a thin walled classic heart with a painted red rose hanging in the centre. I cut, painted, enamelled and fired the rose in plenty of time, this would be beyond a "crash course" and I wanted to get that bit ready in plenty of time. Meanwhile I had a visit from the husband of the heart lady with a design of his own. Unfortunately the rose design was on the board at the time and the cat was out of the bag. So we had two very similar projects for the same lady, how good us that!

Daughter No1 is a very busy teacher in Portsmouth, so the heart was left to the very last minute. It's testament to her abilities rather than my instructional skills that she was able to cut a complicated shape, copper foil and solder it all together in a single afternoon. The result is an absolutely stunning gift. Well done Em. 

Stained glass Christmas gifts

Now the dust and turkey have settled on Christmas, thought I would post a couple of our more interesting present projects. 

The customer came to see if it would be possible to make a glass heart and place some ashes from a much loved pet dog, sadly recently deceased and cremated, in a smaller heart in the centre. There are hundreds of different ways people deal with the ashes of a loved one, but a common theme is retaining a small amount as a keepsake, and this looked like a really beautiful way of preserving them. 

The heart was to hang on a wall with many other hearts, so we decided to back it with thin mirrored glass, the central heart would be cut out of the main red one, and a clear glass heart would be mounted proud, capping the central space filled with the ashes. The whole project would be copper foiled and left in a silver finish. 

It is a stunning and very personal way to keep a loved ones memory close to heart. 

Happy Christmas

We thought a festive post might be in order and have included a picture of one of my very favourite windows. It is a very modern window and sits at the west end of StMary's church in Shirehampton, Bristol. It depicts the traditional nativity scene but uses vibrant modern art glasses and a very modern style of design and painting. It is breathtaking to look at, the detail leaps out in almost 3D and the scene just comes alive. It is mesmerising to look at, as fine an example of modern stained glass as you will find anywhere. 

On the eve of Christmas, 100 years since the start of the First World War, we at Bishopstrow Glass would like to wish all our readers, followers, customers, friends, family, and servicemen and women everywhere, a happy, peaceful Christmas, and a safe and prosperous New Year. 

Per Ardua

More stained glass Christmas stuff

Further to my last post, all the Angels are finished and look fantastic, and most of the other Christmas bits are done as well.  I have made several mirrors of different shapes and sizes with textured coloured glass surrounds as simple gifts, and more tree decorations. These are made from interesting and beautifully coloured and patterned glass, cut into traditional shapes and finished with a shiny silver soldered band. They are designed to really sparkle on the tree with lights behind. On some I have painted a decorative pattern and fired them in the kiln. The last little things are some cute little snowmen, made from melted blobs of opaque white glass, with detail again painted and Kim fired on. They are finished off with a nicely battered old top hat made from opaque black glass and have already proved very popular; I only have two left and there is still a week before the craft fair. 

For those who don't know how I work, my client only pays the cost of materials used, I only ask them to make a suitable donation to one of my supported charities. The charities for November are (as you might guess) the Royal British Legion and Movember. Both I have supported for years and have topped many thousands of pounds over time. 

If anyone has any ideas for any other little Christmassy bits, or would like some of these, please let me know. 

Stained glass Christmas presents

With the festive season rapidly descending on us, the phone is hot and the order book rapidly filling. Most of the presents I won't be able to put on my post until after they have been given, but one I have confidence will not be viewed; I hope you like the hot air balloon. It is designed as a garden ornament and looks beautiful in sunlight, slowly rotating and spreading colour everywhere. 

I have also been persuaded to attend a Christmas craft fayre and am making a lot of little trinkets. The batch photographed below are little angels to hang on the tree. I have used highly textured handmade coloured glasses which will look fantastic with the tree lights behind them and the wings have an iridesent finish which looks like shimmering gossamer. Really pleased with the prototypes but an awful lot of work to do. 

Stained glass oak tree window fitted

After much mucky work, I finished the oak tree window last weekend. Rather than fitting it straight away I wanted to let it settle for a week so the putty could set and harden without cracking. 

Fitting was straightforward, a thorough clean of the host frame and glass, a bead of bonding agent and in she went; a perfect fit. I will leave it a few days to settle and for the bond to fully cure, then a brown silicone sealant just to finish it off. It looks stunning in its new home, we had a very rare squirt of sunshine and the tree just exploded in colour. The whispey and semi opaque glasses absolutely come alive and give a great depth to the picture. The abstract modern style sits very comfortably underneath the more traditional panel with all the painted detail. 

Needless to say, both the new owner and I are very happy with this one; I hope you like it. 

Stained glass portrait

One subject I am asked if I can do more than any other is the stained glass portrait. And the main subjects tend to be pets rather than people; are they saying something? Whether man or beast, we try to make the portrait as accurate as possible, with recognisable details, and we try really hard to capture and portray the character of the subject. But it is also a piece of glass art and should be able to stand alone as an eye catching thing of beauty. 

We either use copper foil or the appliqué method of constructing the pictures depending how they have been designed and the effect we are trying to achieve and we try to use glass which will still produce a lovely image whether the light is reflected or transmitted. The pictures are made entirely out of intricately cut and shaped coloured glass and 

assembled like a delicate jigsaw puzzle. The effect is remarkable, but very time consuming. 

Nearly done

That's most of the leadwork done, just a couple of border pieces left to do. It's always a relief when the last piece goes in and fits perfectly up to the line. This window has been by far the most difficult to lead up that I have done so far; it has consumed six 1.8 metre lengths of 6mm flat came and three full days work. Looks great though and I am very pleased, if a little stiff in the back. 

Oak tree window

That's the easy part done. All glass is cut, now comes the hard bit; leading up. This is going to be a nightmare and was a major influence in the design, reducing angles and putting joints where possible in the middle of a straight run. Again the photo does not do justice and if you were wondering why there are a lot of gaps, I have to allow for the thickness of the heart of the lead came, otherwise it won't fit. 

Oak tree window

After a couple of very windy weeks sailing, it's back to the grindstone; literally. The sky is all cut, using three shades of the same glass and I am half way through the green. Using six different glasses in a mix of shades and textures, two are whispey semi opaque the rest clear. This really effectively mimics the confusion of colours in a tree canopy. 

As usual, apologies for the photos, they really don't do justice to the glass. 

Stained glass oak tree window

A very quick update on the oak tree window, all the opaque glass for tree and fields are cut, some need a little touch on the grinder but I am generally happy with the first cut. The glass for sky and leaf are beautiful and I am really looking forward to cutting them. This is going to be really difficult to lead up though. 

Stained glass oak tree

After much pondering, the plan has now been turned into a cartoon with border lead and cut lines drawn in. I made a few subtle changes to improve the lines and make it easier to cut and lead up. A large proportion of this window will be opaque glass, this can be challenging to cut accurately because you can't see through it, so I use a different technique. Using very thick tracing paper we start by tracing accurately the outline of the piece to be made, this is then cut out and "test fired" for fit on the cartoon. It is then transferred to the glass sheet and very

carefully drawn around, leaving an exact copy ready to cut. Here are a few photos to illustrate the process. Very time consuming as any error will compound itself and end up wasting a lot of expensive glass, so you have to be anal about everything. The tree is starting to come to life nicely. 

Stained glass acorn

I have been unseasonably busy lately so thought I had better do a quick update on the oak tree window. The top (painted) panel is finished and installed, and it looks great. The full size plan for the main panel is complete and the client is very happy with it. Next task to draw the cartoon and get started cutting the glass, this is going to be a difficult piece to make, but will be stunning when finished. There are also a couple of quotes to finish, so hopefully we will have a quiet weekend. 

Painting done

Had a great day finishing painting the oak leaves and acorns. Their outlines, shading and highlights were already painted in a rich black on the face of each piece, I now had to add the colour. I decided to use low firing semi transparent enamels and to paint them on the reverse. These fuse with the glass at about 550 Celsius to a matt finish, which when looked at with light reflecting off it looks a bit flat and insipid; but viewed from the other side with the light passing through has deep lustre and beautiful colours. It also adds depth to the image and is almost three dimensional. 

Sand Rose finished

The lovely sun catcher is finished and ready for collection. The first picture shows it with the copper foil applied and the second photo is the completed article. I have photographed in front of an obvious  background which gives an idea of how the light moves through it. It is beautiful in the sunlight and a perfect copy of the logo. 

The charity is the Sand Rose project which provides free accommodation to recently bereaved families, with the emphasis on young children. Based at Marazion in Cornwall, it has three cottages overlooking the beach and is a national charity. 

Projects like this one are really rewarding. Most stained glass work runs over several weeks and even months in some cases and you can run out of enthusiasm for the project. The Sand Rose only took two days, made entirely out of offcuts it looks fantastic, and best of all is for a really worthwhile cause. It reminds me nicely why I do this for free. 

Sweet pea window installed

Spent a very enjoyable weekend in Walthamstow installing the sweet pea transom light. It was fitted inside the existing glass which gives it the advantage of being very well protected from the elements and from mechanical damage. 

All our windows are designed an built to complement their environment and look like an original feature, this was also intended to make the house number clearly visible at night. I hope you will agree from the two photos that we have pretty much nailed it. Apologies for the photo quality, wine and cameras don't seem to make good bedfellows. 

A quickie

Whilst even simple small pieces can take several days, and we do have several projects on the go at the moment, I received a request we could not refuse. A really worthwhile charity which had previously closed its doors is to reopen and someone who they had helped asked if we could do their logo in glass. It's a brilliant logo and really easy to copy; the brief was a 10 inch sun catcher  as close as possible to the original. A rummage through all our offcuts boxes and a couple of hours later all the glass is cut. Think we have nailed it?

Stained glass painting

Been very busy earning sailing money lately so have had an intense effort with the oak tree window. The top panel is first, glass cut and most of the painting completed. The pieces with lettering have both been fired and look terrific, we have used both methods of painting letters. Acorn is achieved by painting the background out with thick black tracing paint, this means the only light coming through is from the letters, which really highlights the word and make it leap out of the window at you. 

The second method is actually painting the letters on, this makes the scroll stand out and the word becomes subordinate. Using this more subdued method for the secondary word increases the impact of the house name. 

All the oak leaves and acorns are traced and shaded and a couple of them are in the kiln firing as I write. The are in dark black paint and are very effective, I shall reserve the decision as to wether or not to paint the acorns brown and leaves green when it's all fired. Sometimes simple(s) can be more effective. 

First Cartoon

After much work the first cartoon and painting guides are completed for the top window. The word acorn is going to be in a textured bright red glass with the lettering highlighted by blacking the background and the scroll will be on a yellowish glass withe the detail in black. Everything else will be on lightly tinted cathedral glass with the acorns and oak leaves painted in enamels. The panel is quite small so to maximise the light will be copper foiled and set in a 6mm border lead for fitting. A lot of work but will look great. 

New project

Next project begins. This is for a two piece window, main panel fixed, second panel on a top hinged light, opening outwards. Both panels are to be fitted to the inner face of the existing double glazing. They sit in a wooden frame on the first floor landing and face due south with a stunning view of the river Wylie and surrounding fields. 

The cottage is called "Acorn Cottage" and this is to be incorporated into the design and a magnificent oak tree which stands in the garden is to form the centrepiece of the main panel. My thoughts are to separate the script from the picture and maximise the impact of both. So a bold tree to fill the main panel and the script on the small opening light above. After a raft of preliminary sketches I have settled on what looks the right style for the tree, and have produced a proof of concept drawing. The client is very happy so far, so next job is the tricky task of preparing the actual design, cartoon and painting guide. I am hoping to finish in about a month but am still quite busy so it could take a wee while longer. 

All done

Well that's everything done with the sweet pea window. Last actions were a thorough clean and polish with whiting followed by a good polish with a graphite paste. This blackens the lead and solder giving it an antique patina, it also protects the lead from oxidising (which can weaken it) and from atmospheric pollution. It's a similar story with the glass. Mouth blown glasses have a softer surface than machine made float glass and the polish puts a protective surface on. 

The panel has sat for a few days allowing to putty to set solid and form a good bond between lead and glass. It is now very rigid and strong. The only other thing to do is to fit it, maybe a couple of weeks; will do a last post when in situ. Beautiful, though I say so myself. 

Nearly finished

It all starts to move quickly from here. The day started early, cleaning all the lead joints and applying a flux (pure tallow). It then took only about half an hour to solder the first side. Once done all the horseshoe nails which till now have been holding it together are removed and the panel is flipped over. This is the most likely point in the whole project to wreck it in one go; it is extremely fragile. Once ready we solder all the other joints. Next the tedious job of cleaning the tallow which has run everywhere, I have a neat trick to help but it is still very much a manual task. 

The next task is to cement the panel, this is achieved by forcing a special putty between the glass and came. This very sticky disgusting mess (boiled linseed oil, whiting and a few other noxious substances) is vital; it bonds the whole panel together imparting great strength and flexibility into it and also weather proofs it. As you can see from the photos it is a very messy business (I even wear protective gloves) and starts to cure quickly. If left for too long we would never be able to shift it, so once it's ready we cover the whole thing in whiting (calcium carbonate powder), the begins the curing process and aids its removal. There now follows a short lull to make sure it is setting and then hours of very tedious work to remove all the excess and polish lead and glass. So that's one side completely finished, another day should do it. 

All leaded

Okidoki, that's all the leading finished and I am happy to report that the last two pieces of border lead fitted without fuss and were right on the line. What this tells me is not just that all my fastidious measurements and hyper accurate glass and lead cutting have been spot on (can you imagine how accurate that needs to be so that over 10 to 20 pieces of all shapes it is within half a millimetre at the end!), but that the panel will be strong and resist movement. It has been a labour of love, fitting it together was very tricky and at times frustrating, but looking at it now, with its beautiful delicate curves, it has been well worth the effort. 

All that's left to do now is to solder the joints, cement the glass and polish the whole thing; then we can fit it. 

Work still on the books: two stained glass picture windows to design and make, one stained glass panel to restore, several lead lights to repair. 

Leading looking good

Half leaded now and starting to look good. The lead emphasises the flower stalks nicely. It has been difficult work, not cutting or shaping the lead, these are simples shapes, but fitting it together. And worse than that, I have run out of 6mm lead came! Thought I had more but it all turned out to be round section and we are using flat on this project. We are also using 10 mm for the main flower stem and 12mm for the border; got loads of those. 

Sweet pea window

A quick update on the sweet pea window, all the glass is cut just a lot of leading to go. The original plan was for the background glass to be moderately tinted in three pastel shades, but it just took a bit too much away from the leaves, so I re-cut them in two shades of very lightly tinted glass and it looks perfect. The main impact of this window is the beautiful elegant shape of the green leaves and the delicate pink flowers; they now stand proud as originally intended. Terrible photo but you get the picture. 

I have been asked a lot of questions about designing stained glass work, I shall attempt to answer some of these in a couple of posts soon. 

Stained glass sweet pea window

That's all the coloured glass cut and you can now get the general idea of the design. The green glass used for the leaves has a very pale wispy green vein running through it which really lights up in the sun. The shapes were very 
to cut and very wasteful, I ended up using two sheets. Not so the pink flowers, the curves interlocked perfectly and all were cut in 10 minutes from less than a third of a small sheet (see photo). I now just need to paint the flower detail on, should be nearly finished next week if all goes well. 

On with the window.

Olidoki, enough fun, back to the serious business of building windows. The sweet pea transom light is now going to be fitted inside the glass pane already there and I have a paper template the exact size and shape of the sight size. There have been a few alterations to the original cartoon and the number centre piece is finished (painted and copper foiled), so I decided to start again and re-draw the cartoon. 

The easiest way to start this is to treat it as a re-size project, in other words what we would do to fit a stained glass panel into a different size window to that it was originally built for. To start, we draw up the tight size box, centre the X and Y axis and place the piece correctly over it. We then draw its outline and finish by drawing the rest of the design around it. 

With the design complete we now have to draw in the cut line; for this I use a 2mm wide felt pen. The heart of the lead came is about this wide and you need to allow for this when cutting the glass so that it will all fit together. We start with the border lead because everything else will butt up to it. Using 12mm lead for this design, we draw both sides and the 2mm heart, I then check it all with a short piece to make sure it is spot on, then go over all the other lines to complete the working cartoon. Then it's over to the cutting table and away we go. Simples. 

Cutest dog ever ?

Couldn't resist this photo. You know that awful moment when you catch your reflection in a shop window and realise you are not Clark Gable, you're just a fat bald bloke with a moustache; it looks like poor old Jackson has just discovered he's not actually a Doberman. I can't stop laughing; mission accomplished. 

Not strictly glass

OK, this picture is not strictly glass; but as glass work is all about light, it's refraction, transmission or reflection, it's colours and the sense of life it conveys, it kind of says it all. A simple view of the sun setting over the frosted water meadows of the river Wylie, leaves you completely in awe of natures beauty. The subtle change of hues and the primeval vista which reaches into and stirs your soul. This is just what a stained glass window or art should achieve. 

What we do in life, echoes in eternity.