Arts | Society

Out of all the different forms of art that are practiced these days, I'll take stained glass anyday of the week. If you travel around the world, you will see breathtaking examples of stained glass throughout the world. In churches, beautiful homes, and national monuments there are so many examples of the possiblities of this wonderful art form. Fortunately, this art form has stood the test of time as many artists continue to tradition of creating spectacular art pieces. One of the reasons that holds people back from learning this art form is that they think it's more difficult than it actually is, which is understandable. But, once you get started, its a very easy artform to get the hang of. Here are some of the tools needed to get started with a basic project.

Obviously, you need stained glass in order to create stained glass! Spectrum Glass is the standard in the glass industry. Spectrum has a well deserved reputation of being extremely easy to work with, quality products, and their glass is very easy to get your hands on. They also come in a wide variety of textures and colors so you always have a lot to work with. One of the neat advantages to working with Spectrum is that as you progress, you might start using your own stained glass patterns. Most software programs are loaded with Spectrum glass built in so you can design your piece, see it on screen, and then go out and buy the glass if you like it. Its like seeing a preview.

One of the first tools you want to invest in is a good stained glass cutting tool. You use this tool for scoring the stained glass prior to applying pressure to make the break. The amount of money you can spend on stained glass cutters varies widely, you can spend a little for a basic one or a lot for a more specialized cutting tools. You basically use the traditional ones for your standard cuts, but you can also get higher end cutters that can cut shapes, are easiler to work with, and ones that have different sized blades.

A stained glass grinder is another lifesaver that most artists will invest in relatively quickly after they've started their first project and determined they are in it for the long haul. You can get some basic models that are for starters for under $60 dollars and they work really well. The grinder smooths out rough edges after you've made the cut and this allows you to shape the piece. While it's not exactly necessary to have a high end stained glass grinder early on, its a nice thing that most hobbyists will invest in off the bat.

Once you get the basics down, you'll start slowly finding more tools that will help make your life a little easier. The best recommendation I can make is to buy a beginners stained glass kit and that will give you all the small tools you need to get started. Once you are far enough along, you can also look into some handy tools like the ones that Morton Glass puts out. They have a number of tools that make the glass artists life a little easier. SO, there you have it.When you see those churches and impressive works, its easy to get intimidated, but remember that everyone has to start somewhere!

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