We are making good progress with our 120 sq ft window commission.
We paint upright at the easel with daylight (we are so lucky to have great north facing light), and daylight bulbs when required, illuminating the glass from the rear. The cartoon is to one side for reference. We defuse the daylight behind the easel as this helps to show any areas that may appear unevenly painted, too dark, or too light, and requiring more work. Similar techniques are used for drapery, and working at the easel this way allows for correct follow through of highlights and tonal values from one piece to another, as well as gravity allowing the paint dust to fall downward while we are working, and be easily mixed back onto the palette later.
Pictured here are a number of heads plus related hands which have been attached to a glass easel with beeswax, and John is working through the first stage of tonal painting until we’re happy. There’s a bit of a way to go with these heads yet, but it’s useful to show the process. The selected and cut glass pieces are completely covered in paint oxide, allowed to dry, and we then work in the negative removing that paint with brushes and other tools to create the tonal values. Highlights are taken out at this stage before the first kiln firing as once it has been fired it cannot be done later. The oxides are fused into the glass at approx 700 degrees Celsius. The next stage will be to apply different oxide paint for the hair, repaint again to build up semi tones and darks and then kiln fire again.