Choosing a Design

• The design for a stained-glass window is important for two reasons. The first and most obvious reason is to make sure you have a beautiful and captivating pattern that viewers will find interesting. The second and more important reason for creating a good design is to ensure the finished product works artistically. There are several elements that make a good stained-glass design. These include a balanced and interesting composition, use of diagonal lines if you wish to create movement, horizontal and vertical lines to create stability, and a matching color scheme.
  
  Sketch the design on a piece of paper the same size as the stained-glass window will be when finished. Look for pieces that are very small or extremely large. Small pieces will be covered by solder and hidden from view while large pieces may crack or break easily. See that pieces meet to form nice lines or curves, and vary the lines so they do not end in a small, sharp point. For example, Chantal's Stained Glass recommends creating leaves by making one line of the leaf end slightly past the other. A pointed tip at the end causes a lump of solder.
  
  

Creating the Pattern

• After you've tweaked the pattern, trace over it with a Sharpie marker. Use a ruler or other tool to make sure your lines are precise and not wobbly. Number each piece, even the small ones, so you can match the glass pieces up later on. If you plan on using the pattern more than once, laminate it for protection. Once you've finished, lay out the glass for your first piece over the pattern piece labeled as number one. Trace the design onto the glass with a marker that uses water-soluble ink. Cut out this piece, number it to match the piece you traced and move on to the next piece. When you're finished, match the pieces up with the pattern to form the stained-glass window. Finish the window and wash the marker ink off the glass.
  
  

Design Tips for Beginners

• If you're a beginner, start with a small window that uses fewer pieces that are all about the same size. Stay away from complicated curves or circles. Squares and rectangles are the easiest to cut out of glass. Once you have made a few small stained-glass windows, experiment with curved pieces and move up to more-complicated designs with numerous pieces.