Byzantine Period: Lesson 1

Hit the PAUSE BUTTON often!

Sharon doesn’t expect you to keep up with her pace. As a professional artist and teacher she is moving along at nice clip in order for you not to have to spend a lot of time listening to her.  She rather wants you to spend your time completing your project. So,  listen to a small part (maybe only a minute), push pause and then work that section. It is very important for you to slowly and carefully complete the project. These projects are not meant to be completed in one setting except for the Beginner Level. A student should never complete more than one lesson in a day.

Use the Lesson Highlights section below to check your work. 

Look at the Lesson Highlight section after every video where you work on your project. These pictures show where you should be at the end of the corresponding video. Click on each photo to enlarge the picture as you check your work. If adjustments need to be made to your project, do it before proceeding to the next video.

Pacing:

Don’t rush!  In order to have a masterpiece, you have to slow down and do a good job. On this project it is easy for young children to get in a rush because the small lines can start to get monotonous for them. That is why it is important to take breaks between the lessons.

Another reason it is important to take breaks is the paint. It needs to dry before you progress to far. Sharon has broken the lessons up in order to help ensure this is done corretly. After each lesson the student should stop working (at least until the project is completely dry).

Choosing glass for the project:

You can use any piece of glass you have on hand instead of ordering it from Blick.

Drawing the Design:

When drawing your design you don’t want the lines to be too close together, otherwise the lead lining will take up the whole area and there won’t be room for the paint. Simple is better, though you do want to break up the areas so that it looks like stain glass.

Applying the Lead:

When starting to work with the lead, you will need to take off the lid and puncture the tube. Then cut off only as much of the tip as you want. The more you cut off the thicker the line will be.

Parents can help their younger children put on the lead. Practice on a scrap sheet of paper making lines that look smooth before you apply it to your project.  Whenever you don’t like something you did with the liner, clean it immediately by taking a Q tip dipped in water and wipe it off. You can also use something to scrape it off if it dries to much before you remove it. Always fill in every spot where the lines connect. You don’t want any spaces in the lining where the color can leak through. Hold the tube at an angle and not at a 90 degree angle. Push gently and move the tube at a slow consistent pace. Try to keep rolling up the tube as you use it so that you don’t break the tube by pressing to much in the middle.

Painting:

When you start to paint, make sure you mix the paint with some of the gloss medium. It will paint on much easier and will look better at the end. This medium will make the paint more transparent. Only use a very soft brush for the painting. In fact, I have found that the cheaper the brush the better it will work as you don’t want any stiffness in the brush. By using a soft brush you won’t see the brush marks.

Obtaining the Rippled Effect:

The Rippled Effect spray is very nice, but you will not be able to get that from Blick Art Supply. You don’t have to use it but if you want a more authentic stained glass look then it is well worth it. Order it from   www.OnlineFabricStore.net The product is called Specialty Rippled Effect Spray Clear. The product ID is 275999 and it costs approximatley $6.65 enough for many projects.

Appreciation: We would like to thank to Simply Charlotte Mason and Tapestry of Grace for the use of their excellent art history resources.