Departments : Art Curriculum that Works :
Stained Glass for Your Class
By John W. Healy
This sometimes instructive, always elegant art form is accessible even to the youngest children
It's easy to recreate the look of stained glass for a class art project.
Stained glass, when exposed to light, comes to life, exploding into a myriad of colors. This appealing art medium gives the impression of looking into a kaleidoscope, and the experience is unforgettable. Exploring the concept of stained glass through related art materials can be an engaging contribution to our students' art education.
History of an art form
The historical significance and use of stained glass is of particular interest. Louis Comfort Tiffany is known for a broad range of stained glass creations. Tiffany was an interior decorator and a descendant of Tiffany jewelers. He also pioneered hand-blown organic-formed glass vases (favrile glass) and enameled, precious metal and colored glass jewelry. Under Louis Comfort Tiffany's direction, the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company uniquely enhanced the homes and institutions of the day with hanging lamps and standing lamps with graceful, decorative bases.
The Tiffany method
Louis Comfort Tiffany's method of fabricating detailed stained glass pieces is very different from the method originally developed in the Middle Ages. In medieval stained glass, each piece of glass is quite large and thick, compared to the glass used in a Tiffany lamp.
The pieces of glass used in medieval stained glass are fastened together using a long strip of lead called "came." The lead strips are malleable and, when looked at straight on, form an "I" shape. One piece of glass slides into the channel on each side of the "I," and the design is soldered together at intersecting points.
The Tiffany method uses very small pieces of glass that are wrapped individually with long narrow pieces of copper in a technique called "foiling." To fasten the pieces of glass together, a bead of solder is melted onto the copper. The solder, which is composed of tin and lead, adheres only to the copper and not the glass, creating a continuous bead of narrow, smooth, raised solder.
Making "stained glass"
You won't be soldering in your classroom, but there's a simple way to introduce students to the process of making stained glass, with beautiful results.
- On an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of white drawing paper, each student creates an original line drawing of a subject that interests him or her. If a student wishes to create a geometric design, graph paper may be used.
- Place the completed drawing under an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of treated acetate. Treated acetate should be easy for teachers to find – we use it as transparencies on overhead projectors. (Don't use non-treated acetate; one cannot paint on it.) Tape the paper to the acetate around the edges, so the drawing doesn't slip.
- The children "trace" their drawings in copper foil tape (found at craft stores), adhering the tape to the acetate along the lines of their drawing.
- Remove the paper from the acetate and invite the students to paint their copper-outlined designs with transparent paints (found at craft stores) made especially for use on glass.
- Once the transparencies have dried, tape them in a window to let light shine through the paint. You might consider joining all the transparencies together to create a large "stained-glass window." If this is the goal of the project, you may want to formulate one large layout as a class first.
This project works with kids of all ages. Four-year-old Caleigh (top image), has made a bold geometric design, while her eight-year-old sister Julia (above) has drawn and painted a bird.
The effect of so much luminous color is bound to let everyone know that your classroom is a special place, filled with brilliant young learners.
Dr. John W. Healy teaches art at Woodland Middle School, East Meadow, NY.
