Making two new windows – left and right – to go each side of the existing image of Saint Chad in the middle (who was made some 30 years ago):
Left and right, you could just use unpainted glass.
But this wouldn’t really work, because the light would be uneven.
Horribly uneven …
I understand why highlights worry many people. The lines and shadows demand a lot of patience, yet they’re only half the story. Till you’ve put the highlights in, your painted glass – however finely traced – is dull. It’s one-dimensional.
Highlights are the cure – as you can see above.
The problem is, highlights also have a risk. A big risk: if you do them badly, they will wreck your work.
All set now to paint the fierce lion tomorrow: tracing (outlining), then flooding. And once the flooding is dry, I’ll pick out his highlights using “the chalk method” – just like you do with stained glass lettering.
Let me tell you that the key points are: have a plan (don’t usually invent things as you go along), hold your glass firmly with one hand, work from the bridge with the other, choose your highlighting tool with care (make your own as needed), be confident (not scratchy, unless scratchy is what you really want), consider stencils (especially if you have a repeating pattern), remember how the back of the glass is also good for stained glass highlights, and use your hands as needed (just be sure they’re clean).
Right, now I’ve said my piece, will you also have a look?