Stained GlassLandscape

Watercolor Painting

Medieval Stained Glass Art of stained glass reached height

between 1150 and 1500 Created for great cathedrals to

enhance the beauty of their setting and to inform the viewer through narrative or symbolism

Subject matter was generally religious, though "portraits" and narrative scenes also give valuable insights into the culture of the time

Sand and wood ash (potash) are basic ingredients for making glass

Mixture is melted into liquid, when cooled it becomes glass

Glass is colored with powdered metals that are added to the mixture

Contemporary Stained Glass: Louis Comfort Tiffany

American artist best known for his work in stained glass

Most associated with Art Nouveau period Used cheap jelly jars and bottles because

they had mineral impurities finer glass lacked When he was unable to convince fine

glassmakers to leave the impurities in, he began making his own glass

Used opalescent glass in a variety of colors and textures to create a unique style of stained glass

Created his own company that is known world wide for its stained glass lamps, windows, and other interior items.

TASKFor this project you will be creating a watercolor landscape painting that incorporates and utilizes a combination of medieval and contemporary stained glass styles.

STEP 1: ReferencesResearch and find landscape reference images. Think about what type of landscape you want to create. Consider…

Types of vegetation Differences in terrain/climate Is there any architecture? Is there a strong foreground, middle ground and

background?

Step 2: PlanningFor this project, more than any before, PLANNING is ESSENTIAL. Create a few compositional sketches using your references Use more than one reference image if needed Experiment with different ways to fragment the image to

achieve a “stained glass” style Think about different color options/schemes to use

Step 2: PlanningWhen planning consider your use of SPACE

FOREGROUNDMIDDLE GROUNDBACKGROUND

Foreground

Middle Ground

Background

Step 3: Final DrawingOnce I’ve approved your “stained glass” composition, you may begin to draw VERY LIGHTLY on final watercolor paper with pencil

Dark pencil lines will show through on your watercolor.

TOO DARK!!! NO!!! VERY LIGHT!!! YES!!!

Step 4: Painting/Inking Apply watercolor using the techniques discussed and

practiced in class – reference color planning, make use of test strips and your color wheel while you apply color.

After you have applied color to your “stained glass” and it has dried, use a fine tip sharpie to trace over the fragmented lines of the “glass” to mimic the style of stained glass.

Student Examples

Student Examples

Questions?