Technique of stained glass painting
The whole process of stained glass painting consists of three steps (next to the making of the design and finishing of the window):
Painting of the outlines on the glass
At first the outlines are painted onto the glass.
After the lines have been painted, it is possible to correct minor errors by scratching the paint of the glass surface.
When the lines are good, the piece of glass is put into the kiln for firing. The surface of the glass will start to soften at a temperature of about 640 degrees Celcius. At this point the paint can enter the glass.
Applying the grissaille to the glass
After the outlines are burned into the glass the shadow layer will be
painted. the paint used for this layer is called the grissaille. The grissaille must be applied in an even layer, without any lines. A special brush with very fine hairs is used for this purpose. When the layer of paint is dry it is possible to scratch and sponge parts of the paint away. In this way the open parts will become more light in the drawing. Than the piece of glass is put into the kiln for the second time.
Applying the eamille(s) to the glass
Now the layers to create the different colors can be painted onto the glass.
In general it is neccessary to use several layers to create the desired colors. For each layer of color the glass piece is fired in the kiln