Today four more useful reminders for you
Stephen’s four reminders last time were: oil, flooding, holding firm on pricing, and being comfortable when you work.
Now it’s my turn to look back on 2011 and also take you forward to the coming year.
1. Racing to trace vs. pacing your tracing
First up, tracing – specifically, what you must do to trace well. I don’t care how many times we mention this (repetition works).
Every week we hear from people whose whole approach has drastically improved – just because they stopped racing to trace and started focusing more on their palette.
Continue reading …
OK, so last time it was Brigitte Bardot, Bill Haley, a broken-nosed bodyguard with two missing fingers, Henry Miller and – a pussy cat … and all this in a stained glass studio?
So how do I follow that?
I see that David – my dear fellow director and master glass painter – has left me with one Hell of a cliff-hanger.
Which gives me an idea … [click to continue…]
"Do I look old enough to you?"
Now the tycoon has approved the 16 designs, it’s back to us to secure his agreement on the painted glass itself.
As you’ll remember, his insistence is, it must look ancient.
Which explains why we’ve spent these last six weeks establishing and refining the necessary techniques.
Today the tycoon’s architect called in. The meeting went as well as you could wish. I’ll show you in a moment.
But first let’s look at how the ancient-looking glass was stained. Here’s a short and thrilling video for you. (And if anyone just gets an empty space, Stephen’s told me to suggest you check your Adobe Flash is up to date – whatever that means …) [click to continue…]
Just in from a loyal newsletter follower, Dorothy Collard, who writes:
There’s so much I want to ask you, but I’ll start with the Literary Agent’s front door. – Just how did you do it?
How?
There are several answers here.
And one answer – as some of you will remember – is that I got stubborn and refused to put up with bad smells in the studio … [click to continue…]
It is not every day you sit in a tycoon’s boardroom (nice Gothic lion-clawed chairs, by the way) and receive a challenge:
“The commission is yours if, within seven days, you can forge me two fine pieces of ancient-looking glass …” (the tycoon growled)
The boardroom was littered with other makers’ samples – wallpaper, curtains, rugs, table-tops …
I could see the tycoon’s problem – I’m quick like that …
[click to continue…]
Silver stain – how to trace, blend, shade and flood from a reliable batch that lasts for months …
Frustrated with silver stain? Fed up with unpredictable and disappointing results?
There’s no need.
There is another way …
[click to continue…]
When anyone’s always been told to do something in a particular way, and then suddenly they think:
“But wait a moment, this doesn’t make sense!”
And they head off in a new direction and things work out for them there – well, the story’s interesting.
It’s interesting because it shows how all of us can think for ourselves, and also work together with like-minded souls, to do the kinds of things we’re meant to do …
[click to continue…]
Here’s a quick proof – if proof is needed – of how it’s possible to trace with silver stain.
And not just trace, but also shape your strokes, then gently blend them … [click to continue…]
