Stained Glass Courses

Decorate your future with a Stained Glass course

Stained Glass is an unusual skill to have. Once very popular throughout northern Europe, appearing everywhere from the church to the pub, stained glass windows are seen less and less these days. This is partly because it is a multi-disciplinary art form, that requires artists to be able to work with glass, as well as practical skills like soldering. If this sounds like the perfect mix of art and handiwork, then a course in Stained Glass could be perfect for you.

I’ve never worked with glass before? Do I need to take glass making course first?

Not if you don’t want to. While you could go out and learn how to work with glass beforehand, it is not necessary for one of our courses. Of course, it’s important to note that there is more to the course than just turning up and making glass. You will also learn about design and how to plan your art before creating it.

Some courses will provide materials, while others will require students to bring their own. Please check before attending a course whether or not you will need to bring your own materials.

I like to paint, but I’m not sure I’m a practical person. Is that a problem?

The important part of working on a stained glass course is that you want to do it. If you have the imagination, then you will absolutely be able to create something amazing. If you are worried about not being handy enough, this should not be a problem. Skills are there to be learned, and a course will teach you everything you need to be great.

Skills include:

• Glass selection
  o Choosing the right glass to work with is obviously the right place to start. Teachers will help students find the right glass to be working with for their masterpieces.
• Glass cutting
  o Shaping the glass by cutting it down to size is going to be necessary. Expert advice and demonstration on how to do this will help you lean one of the most important parts of stained glass.
• Foiling
  o The Tiffany style of glass staining (working with foils to create colours) is the practical modern alternative to traditional techniques. It is much faster and easier than creating coloured glass using dyes.
• Soldering
  o Getting the glass formed together takes soldering. If you’ve never soldered before, then don’t worry. It isn’t a difficult skill to learn, but having a teacher on hand is never a bad thing.

What can I make with stained glass?

Whatever you like! Starting with a new window for your church isn’t advised due to size, but if you can design it, you can make it. Popular stained glass items include lamp shades, light catchers, mirrors and decorations. It makes high-quality, stylish gifts for anyone. It’s also a great skill to boast about – because no-one else will be able to say ‘oh yeah, me too!’.

Working with glass forms part of ceramics. If you already work with ceramics and would like to be able to take your skills to the next level, a course could be perfect. Learning to cut and shape glass is a useful skill for a ceramics artist to have.

A course in stained glass will give you a great talking point in conversation. It will also give you the chance to create unique art, that’s identifiably yours. You could even make a career out of it. Although there are not many stained glass specialists left, there is still demand for their service, so becoming a tradesman is also a possibility.