BLICK 81952 Faux Stained Glass Instruction Manual

: June 15, 2024
: BLICK

Table of Contents

Faux Stained Glass Suncatcher
- Use acrylic skins to create a vibrant faux stained-glass masterpiece to
- References
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Faux Stained Glass Suncatcher

Recommended for
Grades
9-12

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Blick Art Materials
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Use acrylic skins to create a vibrant faux stained-glass masterpiece to

rival Tiffany.

American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany is best known for his revolutionary work in stained glass production. He was the first design director at his family company, Tiffany & Co., founded by his father. As a teenager, Tiffany visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, home to an extensive collection of Roman and Syrian glass. He was convinced that medieval glass held a level of sophistication lost in modern glass production. The impurities found in medieval glass allowed for rich tones and a variety of textures, creating more visual interest.

Tiffany searched for glassmakers willing to produce new glass from melted-down jelly jars and bottles. These cheap materials had the impurities that fine glass lacked. When he was unable to find a glassmaker willing to carry out his vision, he opened his own studio and glass foundry.

Throughout his career, Tiffany employed a number of revolutionary techniques in glass production. Most notable was his patented “favile” glass with its rich colors and iridescence.

In this lesson, students will use dried acrylic paint, called paint skins, and Pebeo Self-Adhesive Lead Strips to create a piece that mimics the appearance and visual aesthetic of stained-glass compositions— without using glass!

Just like Tiffany experimented with a variety of methods to color glass, students will experiment with different paint viscosities and transparencies to create a wide range of effects. When the design is complete, it can be hung in a sunny window, illuminating the colorful glass-like effects.

Note: Instructions and materials are based on a class size of 24 students. Adjust as needed.

Materials (required)

Blick Studio Disposable Palette Pads, 50 sheets, 9″ x 12″ (03063-2023); need at least two sheets per student

Royal & Langnickel Palette Knife Classroom Value Pack, Set of 36, (06060-1036); share one set across class

Princeton Catalyst MiniBlades, assorted shapes and sizes, (06421-); share one between two students

Pebeo Self-Adhesive Lead Strip, 6mm wide, 33 ft long (02974-1033); share at least four rolls across class, each student will need three to six feet

Forged Steel Jewelry Pliers, long nose (60618-1245); share one between two students

Beadalon WildFire Beading Threads, Frost, 0.006” x 20yds (63879-1501); share one across class

Suggested Paint Bases:

Blickrylic Polymer Gloss Medium, (00711-1028); share one bottle across class

Blickrylic Gel Medium, 64oz bottle, (00711-1018); share one bottle across class

Utrecht Iridescent Tinting Medium, 32oz jar,, (02029-1057); share one jar across class

Golden Glass Bead Gel, 32oz jar, (00628-1387); share one jar across class

Suggested Paints for Tinting:

Blickrylic Student Acrylic Paints, assorted colors and sizes (00711-); share a selection of colors across class

Utrecht Artists’ Fluid Acrylic Paint, assorted colors, 1 oz (01652-); share a selection of colors across class

Blick Liquid Watercolor, assorted colors and sizes (00369-); share a selection of colors across class

Blick Studio Marker Refills, assorted colors, 0.85oz (00862-); share a selection of colors across class

Golden High Flow Acrylic Paints, assorted transparent colors and sizes, (01650-); share a selection of colors across class

Preparation

Show images of stained glasswork. Discuss how an image in glasswork is broken down into separate sections, like a puzzle piece where each piece is a different color and the pieces add up to create an image.
Make a sketch, outlining the design for the finished piece. The sketch should be made to scale, as it will later be used as a template when cutting the dried acrylic skins.

Process

Create a variety of acrylic skins. Spread a generous amount of acrylic paint onto a sheet of disposable palette paper. It is best to have something ridged underneath so the sheets can be easily moved. Corrugated cardboard or chipboard works well. Use a palette knife to spread the paint evenly. Experiment using different paint bases and colorants. Each mixture will react in a different way, producing a variety of textures and opacities.
– Mix Blick Liquid watercolor or Golden High Flow transparent acrylic paint colors with Blickrylic Gel Medium to create a transparent base.
– Mix a small amount of alcohol ink from Blick Studio Marker Refills with Blickrylic Gel Medium to create a transparent base spotted with flakes of darker color.
– Spread out a layer of Gel Medium. Use a squeeze bottle filled with Blickrylic to draw a design.
– Use multiple colors and swirl together with a palette knife or catalyst wedge to make interesting patterns and marbled effects.
– To create a more opaque base, mix a small amount of Blickrylic with Gloss Medium.
– Add Utrecht Iridescent Tinting Medium to any mixture to create a Tiffany “favril”-like iridescence.
Allow the paint to dry completely. Drying time will vary depending on the thickness of the paint, temperature, and humidity. Allow 24-36 hours. Decrease drying time by placing in a sunny location or in front of a fan. Once paint is completely dry, the paint will peel off easily in one sheet. The palette paper may be reused.
Cut the dried acrylic into shapes. Use the preliminary sketch as a guide when cutting the acrylic pieces.
Note: if pieces are stored for later use, they should not be stacked, as they may stick to each other. Pieces may be stored inside a piece of folded palette paper.
Cut the Pebeo Self-Adhesive Lead Strip to size, working piece by piece. Cut the strip in half, lengthwise along the groove provided by the manufacturer. Peel the backing away from the lead strip to expose the adhesive.
Begin building the piece from the center out. Place two acrylic chips next to each other. Attach the pieces using the lead strip just like a piece of masking tape.
Turn the acrylic pieces over and apply the other half of the lead strip in the same position, behind the first. Continue until the piece is fully built out.
To finish the outer edges, cut the strip to size, but do not cut the strip lengthwise. Peel away the adhesive backer and center the groove in the strip along the outside edge of the acrylic piece.
Use jewelry pliers to crimp the edges.
Thread a needle with clear nylon string and pierce through the acrylic at the top of the piece. Tie a knot and hang in a sunny window to really show off the variety of transparent colors.