There Are 12 Places To Study Glass Painting With Us at Bryn Athyn This June

If you’re interested in techniques …

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This June, at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, we’ll run a  stained glass painting workshop for just 12 students.

The two of us – David Williams and Stephen Byrne – will travel to the US to demonstrate, teach, discuss techniques/ideas etc. and answer your questions about the techniques of kiln-fired stained glass painting.

We're coming to the US this June to run a glass painting workshop for just 12 students

We’re coming to the US this June to run a 4-day workshop for just 12 students

What you will learn

Your main focus during this time with us will be on traditional English glass painting techniques e.g. undercoat, trace, strengthen, wash and soften, reinstate and model, flooding, highlight and soften – in a single firing.

Special focus

All about the palette and the paint

All about the palette and the paint

This will mean paying special attention to working with a lump of glass paint (not a teaspoonful), how to move confidently from one consistency of paint to any other (e.g. from tracing to flooding then back to undercoating), how to deal with life’s small mishaps on the palette and also with those bigger accidents, managing the palette, storing and reviving your paint.

Other topics

You will also learn all about using glycol to take your ‘single firing’ even further.

Plus you will use silver stain with oil.

Where?

On campus at Bryn Athyn College, Pennsylvania.

Dates and times

The workshop runs from 20th-23rd June 2014, from 9 to 4 each day (an hour for lunch).

Course structure

There’ll be lots of demonstrations and discussion, and then practice, practice and more practice while we come round and work with you in small groups or 1-to-1.

We will be staying on campus so there’ll also be time to talk about other questions out-of-hours e.g. design, organising a studio, pricing etc.

These will be an intensive four days for everyone who comes.

Your background

The most important thing is you follow this blog, or get the newsletter, you know our guide to glass painting techniques, or you’ve seen our various documentaries.

Then you’ll understand about our approach and the kinds of thing you can expect us to do well with you.

You’ll also know how we focus first and foremost on techniques and process.

The designs you’ll paint

If you wondering what you will paint, the answer is: we’ll bring over a huge variety of small to medium-sized designs.

Sometimes we’ll all tackle the same design together.

Other times you’ll choose an image for yourself, talk it over with us, then paint it on your own.

Your skills / your level

Since there are two of us to teach and demonstrate, this workshop will often move at two speeds and in two groups – the classroom is plenty big enough for this.

Reason for this looser structure is, we want a good degree of flexibility in the scheduling of topics and demonstrations each day: that way we can be sure to meet the specific interests which each of you will certainly have.

Suitable for: intermediate students and for those of you who don’t yet feel confident in their ability to ‘do it all’ in just one firing.

Not suitable for: complete beginners (this course will be too fast) or advanced students (you know it all all ready).

Stained glass lion

Believe you can paint this? With the right techniques, it’s fairly straight-forward …

For example …

We’ll bring along a small section from ‘The Beastly Lion of Wolsey Towers’ (see him on the right).

The design measures 8 inches by 8. So it’s a fair sized piece of glass.

The basic techniques are:

  1. Undercoat
  2. Trace the outline
  3. Strengthen the main lines
  4. Flood / block in
  5. Pick out highlights

Certainly, you must be tidy and methodical. You must also be able to stand and concentrate for an hour or so.

All the same, if this doesn’t seem too difficult to you, there’s a good chance you’ve reached the level where you’ll really benefit from joining us this June.

Note: afterwards there’s glycol and silver stain, which we’ll also cover on this workshop.

Or what about this sun:

Stained glass sun

Stained glass sun – 4″ by 4″ in real life

Undercoat, trace, strengthen, flood and highlight. An absolute beginner may panic. But if you believe you can paint this with some guidance (that’s why we’re coming over), then you should think seriously about joining us this June.

If you’re uncertain, just decide to do some good, steady practice between now and June.

That’s all it will take.

Cost

The fee is $900 per person. This is for 4 full days’ teaching.

All about traditional English glass painting techniques, and especially about managing your paint and palette so you’re in complete control and you feel absolutely confident about how to achieve what you want.

This fee includes all your glass, glass paint, oil, glycol, silver stain, use of brushes and tools, and all your firings.

1. You will also get a pre-workshop 30-minute Skype call with us to talk about the workshop and what you specifically want to learn.

2. Plus you’ll get a course work-book with detailed step-by-step notes and many designs.

And also:

3. This year on Kindle, we’ll release the first season of ‘The Glass Painter’s Method’: you’ll get that completely free and before anyone else. Amazingly readable, entertaining, instructive – and searchable.

Not included: your travel, accommodation, and meals.

Accommodation

We’ll stay on campus. You can too if you wish. (More information in the first comment at the end.) Or you can find somewhere close to stay. It’s completely up to you.

Book now

You book directly with Bryn Athyn College.

Find out more about the Bryn Athyn stained glass workshop with Williams & Byrne

Learn more – click here

What to bring

All brushes and tools are supplied, but certainly bring your own as well so we can see what you use. Also your own bridges.

We’ll be using lead-free glass paint, but by all means bring a face-mask, gloves and apron and whatever else you want to keep yourself clean and safe.

Got questions?

First, have a look at the example designs. Notice the variety: we’ll probably have a hundred with us, ranging from fairly simple like this moon …

Design for stained glass moon

Design for stained glass moon

to quite demanding like this ‘Coronation lion’:

Stained glass lion

Design for stained glass lion – he’s crossing the Atlantic with us this June

Like we said, this workshop is for improving-to-intermediate students. Some designs take just minutes. Others will need several hours of steady work.

Second, leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you quickly.

Third, let’s fix a time to talk on Skype. It’s all part of the deal. My ID is stephen.marcus.byrne – send me a contact request and I’ll reply.

Thank you!

I know I’m speaking for both of us here: we can’t wait to meet you in June. I am thrilled to bits and counting the days till I finally set foot on American soil and shake your hand.

Find out more about the Bryn Athyn stained glass workshop with Williams & Byrne

Learn more – click here

Stephen Byrne of Williams & Byrne the glass painters

 

P.S. Questions? Please write and say.

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24 thoughts on “There Are 12 Places To Study Glass Painting With Us at Bryn Athyn This June

  1. A quick note about campus accommodation: each suite in the dorm has 3 bedrooms that share a bath and a kitchen/common room. Two of the bedrooms are double occupancy and have 2 twin beds, two wardrobes, two desks, two night stands. The other room is a single and has one set of furniture. Each guest gets a pillow and 1 set of linens – sheets, pillowcase, blanket, towel & washcloth. There is no maid service. Rooms have Wifi and a flat screen TV in the living room area. The cost is $85 per person per night for a single or $42.50 per person for a double. You’ll find photos here.

  2. Greetings Stephen and David,

    I have a few questions. I am not a member of the American Glass Guild. I am not very near to them that I can’t get there easily, or afford to, so I have to set my priorities. This course is one of my goals, because I have admired you both and your workmanship and kindness for sharing your skills for quite some time with so many of us around the world.

    Not being a member of the AGG, am I still allowed to attend your 4-day course? Also, when does the money for the course have to be sent in? And does the lodging have to be sent at the same time? The reason I am asking is that I will have to borrow the money from my local bank and have it in the time-frame you have set to register. This may not pertain to you, but the lodging may be a separate part of the registration and payment for this course.

    Thank you and, Blessings.

    • Hello Mary,

      The workshop isn’t restricted to members of the AGG.

      Rather, the main criterion is that you already have a firm sense of the techniques we know and our wider approach to work. The reason is, this shared understanding will allow the time we spend together to flow smoothly.

      For our part, we also appreciate the previous messages we’ve exchanged with you and others who choose to join us, because then we’ll also have a sense of your own priorities.

      About the lodging: it does not need to be booked at the same time.

      Furthermore, people can stay wherever works best for them – on campus or elsewhere.

      We ourselves will be on campus because it is more convenient for us, what with tidying up at the end of the day, and getting there early in the morning to check on paint, glass, hand-outs etc.

      But you and everyone else, if you have a car, can stay wherever.

      Just say if you have other questions.

      Best,
      Stephen

  3. Stephen and David,

    Please let me know as soon as the reservations open up. I’d very much like to attend.

    I’ve been practicing in my spare time for a year now and am ready for some professional tips to really advance my technique. I’ve worked with water, oil and silver stain and have made plenty of mistakes with each of them.

    Best regards,
    Cameron

  4. I have most of your videos and have been using them for about 2 years now. I do the single firing and find that most of the problems I have are from the palette and being able to know when the paint is just right for the step I am trying to accomplish. Most often it is the flooding which still tends to fry in the kiln. My dream have been to learn with you. Is there any chance that you will teach on the west coast of the US in the future?

    • Hello Kathy,

      The answer is, I don’t know. It’s our first time to your wonderful – huge – country. (I’m used to a country I can drive across in a few hours.) We must take things one step at a time.

      Best,
      Stephen

  5. I am very excited to be joining you on this course. I have been painting for a few years now, and have had success with the single firing, but I have a long way to go still in learning how to really make it all work.. I also lack the skill and confidence of working with oils.

    I work with the lead paints. Is there much of a difference in working with the lead vs. lead-free?

    See you in June!

  6. Just finished my registration for the course at Bryn Athyn College. I very much look forward to seeing you both again and learning more of your methods. While I’d rather be learning in Stanton Lacy, I’m sure this will be a great experience.

    • Hello Michael,

      We’ll give a 4-hour workshop at the American Glass Guild annual conference. Other than that – this time, that’s it, and I am sorry to disappoint you. All the same, I know Stephen has appointments to meet people when we’re out there, and talk about returning sometime soon. We’ll tell you about this when we know more.

      Best wishes,
      David

  7. Hello! I just wanted confirmation on the dates. This page says the classes run from June 19th-23rd, but the registration says the class runs June 20-23. Please confirm so I can book my dorm room and flights.

    Smiles …
    Michaela

  8. David & Stephen,

    Tried to reg. and was put to a waiting list. From what I here the waiting list is quite long. I hope the two of you will book more classes here in the future. I was really looking forward to having the opportunity to learn more.

    Have a great time here in the US – hope to meet you both in the future.

    I also heard about the four-hour workshop which will good for some who are close. I am aprox. 600 miles away.
    Take care best wishs for your travels.

    Darvin

    • Darvin,

      I’m sorry we won’t get to work with you this time round. When we’re over in June, we’ll make plans to come back in 2015. Since I now know you’re interested, I will make sure you – and others who ask me – will get to hear things first.

      Best,
      Stephen

  9. Please put me on your list for the next visit, I would have definitely signed up for this as it is my home state and I am in the mood to go on and improve. I have some of your videos and just love your pieces. Perhaps the subject line should be WE ARE COMING TO THE USA AGAIN – Thanks.