There are a number of different ways that you can bring the beauty of a custom stained glass piece into your home without paying big bucks for it. You and your family can make your own stained glass art at home with a few basic materials and some patience. Different stained glass techniques are used because not everyone can dedicate the same amount of time or detail to a stained glass craft project. The following are two of the most popular beginner techniques for creating stained glass crafts at home.
Tissue Paper Windows
To make tissue paper windows you will need to start with a piece of poster board. Choose whatever color you would like. It is suggested that you go with a darker color, like black, so that the colors that you will add in the next couple of steps will be more noticeable. Outline and cut out your stained glass pattern of choice. A common option is to do with a cathedral window shape (a tall rectangle shape with a triangle top), using this shape ensures that people recognize your art project as a stained glass replica rather than another type of colorful art piece. You can use an x-acto knife or a pair of small scissors to cut out the sections of the “window” where you will want the “glass” colors to be. You want to be sure to leave a grid of black poster board inside this will be important if you want to achieve a clean look once the project is complete. Every piece that you have cut out of the poster board will need to be replaced with a colored piece of tissue paper. But first you will need to start by covering the open portions of the poster board with clear cellophane. The clear cellophane will serve as a protective layer to the colors that you will now apply to your stained glass. Use tissue paper and some glue to carefully place the tissue paper into the openings of the poster board. Your tissue paper sheets do not need to be perfect cuts. If you have left frames around each portion of the stained glass patter that you will fill with tissue paper, those borders should cover any imperfection in your glue job. Feel free to overlap some of the tissue. You will need to be patient with this process as the tissue is very thin and will wrinkle and tare easily when wet. As you set each color and piece of tissue paper onto the cellophane, be sure to smooth it out. Go slowly so that you do not have large quantities of glue left to dry out. Using too much glue could discolor your stained glass window. When your piece is dry, hang it on the window to enjoy how the light streams in through the different colors of your stained glass window.