Every stained glass artist has had a first stained glass project, and they usually involve at least a few mistakes. It’s how you learn after all! Many of the techniques we take for granted today were once unknown to us. I’ve learned so many tips and tricks that are so second-nature that they don’t feel like tricks at all, and I’m sure that some are simply things that I just naturally “get.”
Here are some of the common mistakes beginner stained glass artists make, so you can learn from them and hopefully avoid them yourself.
You’re not designing your pattern carefully enough
Often, when a person comes across a stained glass design they love, they are very keen to get started with it and cut it out. However, I recommend that people take the extra time to design out their pattern first.
Your pattern should contain realistic pieces that make for easily cut pieces. The pieces need to come together in such a way that you can easily solder them together, too. Spend the extra time and design a great pattern that is easy to assemble, and you’re less likely to run into issues that will waste your materials and time.
You’re cutting the glass by pushing too hard with your cutter
If you’re like me, then you assume that you need to push hard to cut the glass. Many times, the reason why a piece of glass broke where I didn’t want was because I was pushing too hard and the piece of glass snapped.
Try to use your cutter lightly, so that you leave a consistent and even score mark on the glass.
You’re not paying attention to gaps
A stained glass pattern is much easier to put together if your pieces fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. If your pieces are not perfectly cut to size, then you will need to account for the gaps when you assemble. If you’re going to cut small gaps and rely on solder to fill those gaps later on, you will have less control over what it looks like.
Use your glass grinder to take care of these small gaps, and keep your pieces neat.
You’re ignoring safety
Cutting glass creates pieces of broken glass all over the place, and it’s easy to step on a shard and forget that you’ve got a safety issue. You should always be prepared with eye protection, a safe work surface, and ventilation when doing soldering.
Get into a safety habit early on.
You’re going for a highly complex stained glass project
Some projects are highly detailed, contain 40 pieces, and are difficult to put together. Some of these might not even be beginner stained glass patterns.
Start out with something simple.
You expect perfection the first time
Just because someone made the stained glass projects we see online, does not mean that it came out looking perfect when they were first made.
Learning from your own mistakes
All these mistakes can be avoided through experience, but they still might be made even after that. Learning something about making stained glass projects comes through making stained glass projects! If you enjoy this craft, you will continue to learn more and more from each one you create. The more practice you get, the more experience you’ll have, and the easier each project will become for you.