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A variety of methods for making Stained-Glass with kids in Sunday School

This topic was originally started by member Chris18's suggestions and request for more help. Feel free to add your resources and ideas to it!




For younger grades, I like coloring a picture with crayon and then rubbing it with baby oil or vegetable oil to make it transluscent. (It needs to dry.)  See how-to here.

But we'd like to try something different in the older grades.

Techniques we tried and didn't like the results (maybe we were doing it wrong?)

  • We've tried using overhead transparencies, but struggle with what to use on them. Sharpies seem to temporarily dry out after just a few strokes. Other permanent markers seems to end up very streaky looking.
  • Tried a sample with acrylic paint which looks nice on the table, but not so nice when hung in a window. \
  • Tried puffy paint tubes which wasn't too bad, but they sure went through the tubes in a hurry.

Here are two lesson plans at Rotation.org that use "stained glass paints" found at places like Michaels and Amazon.

  1. "The Last Supper" Art Workshop Stained Glass using Glass Paints and adhesive "leading strips" written by Jaymie Derden, State Street Church.



  2. The Birth of Jesus Art Workshop written by Carol Hulbert and Sherry Stone, First United Methodist Church. use stained glass method using GLASS PAINT on Glass Votive Holders.

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Last edited by Neil MacQueen
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Some craft stores have a "peel & stick" leading, then use glass paint inside the leading. The leading can be formed in any shape easily. My daughter used this on her bedroom window several years ago, and it's still there! The glass paint can be blended; you can use different tools to create texture. (One example used a regular hair comb to create a wavy pattern - it was cool!)

Go to https://plaidonline.com/brands/gallery-glass to see their products. I also found an article on using the paint at this site, but as it took me awhile to find it, here is a direct link.

Hope this helps!

Julie Burton


Moderator updated dead link.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

Another idea is to glue TRANSLUCENT beads and mosaic tiles to a picture frame (plastic preferred).

View the how-to details at Holly Art Corner
http://hollysartcorner.blogspo...x-stained-glass.html

She also has a version that uses translucent (thin) sheets of tissue as the "glass." These could easily be decoupages onto a plastic surface or transparency using Mod Podge.

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Last edited by Neil MacQueen
I use felt scraps often to "look" like stained glass or a mosiac design. The kids love it, it's cheap and it's not messy...and we always have tons of felt scraps. I have used this for not only stained glass, but "jewels" on Pharoah's collar, wrist guards, etc. It's colorful and easy!
I did that at a conference and it was really fun. Each group had an oddly shaped piece of black felt, and we could decorate it any way we wanted with the felt pieces. When each group was finished we put them together and the pieces formed a chalice! It was very cool.

Felt is cheap and not messy, but I always found the glue would soak into the felt. It might be easier to use adhesive-backed felt for the "glass" pieces. Or, craft foam would also work, but wouldn't look as neat.

Julie
For the "Gallery Glass" product, I have done this with several groups, and the results are great! I use sandwich sized plastic zip-style bags. I find/draw 4-6 simple patterns (fish, cross, butterfly, etc) on white paper, and make several copies of each. The patterns are placed inside of the baggies. Then, you can either trace the outline with black and let it dry over night, or allow the youth to trace the pattern with black (can easily smear with the younger kids). Children can fill in the colors they like best. Leave the baggies on a counter to dry, and the kids can pick up their window clings the following week. It usually takes awhile for the paint to dry, so I recommend they wait to take home the finished product. You definitely gotta try it out sometime!!
Stacia - NE

We have done "stained glass" designs using clear shelf paper (comes in different names, a couple are: "Mactac" or "Contact" Clear Adhesive Rolls), electrical tape and tissue paper.

Prior to the lesson the design was drawn on the paper backing in marker (so it would show through) and then electrical tape was used to make the "leading" on the front.

We cut the electrical tape in half to use for the leading in the interior of the design and used the full width strips for the outer edges.

When it is time for the lesson, the paper backing is peeled off and the children stick squares of tissue paper to the sticky side of the Mactac.

To ensure a nice finished product, we restricted the colours the kids had access to (for example, several shades of blue for the water, then replacing the blues with another colour for another area).  When they were done, we put them up on the windows in our Sunday school room with electrical tape around the edges.

Since we had cut the Mactac to fit the windows, it gave a really good stained glass effect --so good that our minister asked us to move the designs downstairs to the sanctuary windows so everyone could benefit.  Since the amount of preparation is significant, we used this as a group activity instead of an individual effort.

~~~~

Moderator updated by adding photos posted, by Forest Hill United Church, using this same method over in the Last Supper forum here.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

You can make your own window cling paint by mixing regular white PVA glue with a few drops of food colouring and a drop or so of dishwashing detergent.  Here's a blog post with lots of helpful info in the comments:  http://merryabouttown.com/easy...ow-cling-kids-craft/  

They do take a while to dry but look great when done.

Two Ways to Simulate Stained Glass

Translucent pieces of colored tissue paper look like glass when "mod podge-d" (glued) to a transparent surface (such as acrylic or transparency sheets). Get the "high gloss" mod podge so that the dried tissue looks shiny. You can glue black strips of paper to simulate "leading" if you want.

Use this idea to create a "Fiery Furnace" Stained Glass encouragement.

Member Wendy wrote this stained glass idea which uses LIQUID LEADING and says you don't need to wait for it to dry before applying paint. Suggest you blow dry the liquid leading ("ready leading") a bit to get it to set up, then use an EYE DROPPER to drop color into the different sections instead of brushing (brushing will disturb the not yet set up leading).

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Last edited by Luanne Payne

"Wet Erase" Transparency markers are the best things, by far, to use on overhead transparencies.  Available in both waterproof and water-soluable varieties and a variety of thicknesses.  You would be looking for waterproof ones, which come off with rubbing alcohol.  Alternatively, you could use a black waterproof to draw the design and water-soluable for the coloured "glass".  The water-soluable markers can be easily rinsed off under a running tap and the transparency re-used if it wasn't a take-home craft.

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Last edited by CreativeCarol

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