Learning to Shade

This past week has been an interesting one, with preparations for a two week vacation, network issues at school, a switch up in our stained glass project, painting Christmas nail designs, and going to hockey games with my family. This is probably one of my favorite designs so far, though I am not used to wearing such bright colors. I usually go for purples when I'm not doing something fancy. I really like the clean lines that the gold tape created. It is a real pain to work with because it is so thin though.

Last Friday we figured out what the 2nd design was for. It was a Madonna and Baby Jesus. The painting went well, I barely had to do any scratching once the paint had dried. However, our homework was to design new faces for the window. Animal faces, to be exact. So, I now have a trace lined and shaded cartoon of a cat Madonna and Jesus. Well, at least class never gets boring.

On Monday we didn't get much done, other than learning how to mix the pigment with gum arabic and water to make a thin paint that can be applied to the glass to create shading effects. We use a goat hair brush to apply the thin layer of paint, and then a badger hair brush to even out the strokes and create a stippled effect, which hides imperfections. Apparently badger hair brushes can cost up to $200. I now have a new job plan: I am going to run a badger farm! Well, not actually, but it would be an interesting thing to have on a resume.

By using a stiff brush to gently rub away the dried paint, it can be lightened (since the brush only takes away a little at a time). It's like negative shading. Mistakes are REALLY hard to fix though, since any interruptions to the coat can be easily detected.

Interesting Fact: During the industrial revolution, the burning of coal caused acid rain that pitted the backs of stained glass windows that had been made with beech ash. The little holes that formed in the glass collected dirt around the edges, giving the glass a spotted appearance. To replicate this, artists can flick little particles of water on the the dried paint wash. When it has dried again and the top layers are brushed away, it can be seen that the water caused rings of thicker paint surrounding a thinned spot.

Today our original Madonna pieces will be fired, and we will start the shading process. I'm wondering if I might possibly be allowed to stay after and make a second set of surrounding pieces so that I can complete a Madonna version as well.