Monthly Archives: June 2011

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Live from the Studio – Day #4

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Oil: the case against … and the case for

It’s the fourth day of this intensive technique-focused glass painting course for our five long-haul students – four colleagues from different states of the USA, and one from Kuwait. (For the 90-second video intro, please see here.)

Yesterday and today: oil.

The case against oil: it’s smelly, and it’s messy. You need extra palettes and extra brushes. Students need to learn how, once the oil has seeped down and been absorbed by the unfired water-based paint beneath, the paint itself becomes fragile. And another thing: it’s a good idea to adjust the firing schedule so the volatile fumes can burn off and escape.

All in all it’s rather inconvenient. Hmmmm – no wonder it isn’t taught in college or class. Too much nuisance.

So, the case for oil is what, I wonder …

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Live from the Studio – Day #3

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And also – money

You may already know that excellent maxim of Francois de La Rochefoucauld – “Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example” – well, the truth is now I’m just too mean to set a bad example.

That’s why today our five long-haul students benefited from a particular piece of hard-won wisdom which I am delighted to share with you.

So, to start: what’s the difference between this …

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Live from the Studio – Day #2

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The mystery kitchen object which can improve the way you trace …

It’s day #2 of an intensive glass painting course for our five hard-working, long-haul students.

See here for the 90-second video introduction.

In a moment, I’ll reveal the identity of the mystery kitchen object which can magically improve your tracing.

(And, no, it’s not a rolling pin.)

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Live from the Studio – Day #1

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Tracing and strengthening – how to mix perfect paint

It’s day #1 of an intensive five-day glass painting course for “long-haul” students who’ve travelled to our studio in Stanton Lacy (see my previous post for your nerve-jangling introduction and an absolutely breath-taking 90-second video).

The story so far …

Our students arrived two days ago to settle in and recover from their jet-lag. And today, refreshed, we went on a whirlwind and empowering tour of undercoating, tracing, strengthening and flooding – the foundations of traditional kiln-fired stained glass painting.

Now … we promised you various tips and updates live from the studio.

Today’s key tip is useful if:

  • You sometimes run into problems getting your tracing or strengthening paint to the perfect consistency; or
  • You teach glass painting and find your students adding too much water to their palette

Interested? Then let’s get going …