What is Glass Art?
17 March 2009
Author: Spotted Canary
Glass art is a quick and easy crafter version that simulates traditional stained glass. The traditional art of stained glass involves cutting actual pieces of colored glass following a pattern, then assembling them with strips of lead and solder. It requires artistic skill to envision a design and technical skill to be able to render it in glass. Glass art, on the other hand, is composed of one piece of glass with heavily inked lines to represent the leading between the color sections. Color is added to the areas with translucent glass stains applied with an eyedropper.
As a beginner, you might want to try this craft with a kit. The kit includes the glass printed with the lines, glass stains, an eyedropper, and instructions and a chart. The best kits include REAL glass, and the printed lines are raised from the surface so that they pool the stains and keep them from running over into other areas. That makes a real difference when you are working on the project.
Glass art projects are not very time consuming. Most designs can be done in an hour or so. They are easy and fun for anyone in the family. Some designs have a leaded edge called caming, some have hangers, and others include stands for displaying on a shelf or windowsill. To enjoy the beautiful color of the finished stained glass, display your work in a window or near a light source such as a lamp or candle.