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Design Development Process
 WHEN
A CLIENT wants a new stained glass window, the first and most important step is
to listen carefully to the client's request. Of course, we must also consider
the architectural space, adjoining windows, building style, light source
intensity and direction, and any trees, buildings, mountains, or other
obstacles that may block the available light. All these variables must be taken
into account during the process of forming the core concept but in the end, it
all comes down to fulfilling the client’s desire.
Computer Aided Design
In the not too distant past we would render our design proposal as a watercolor
painting or use colored dyes on transparent film to illustrate our concept for
the client's approval. Today we create our proposal rendering using our
computer aided design (CAD) system. It takes our artists about the same length
of time to create a digital rendering as it did to produce a watercolor
painting. However with a digital design, we don't have to start over if the
client wants to make changes. Now changes to the proposal, even major ones,
such as a complete color makeover or a proportion adjustment are made quickly
and simply, allowing us to communicate with our client graphically in a way
they can understand. It is our responsibility to demystify the process for
them.
Transmitted Light
| An easy way to experience the contrast of transmitted light is to
look at a familiar church window from the outside during the day, you’ll
notice a very dramatic difference. |
The client may also need some guidance to help them understand the unique
nature of stained glass as a "transmitted light" medium. If you look
at a stained glass window in reflected light, (from the same side as the light
source) you will find yourself looking at a relatively dark surface, with a few
light colored opalescent (milky) glass areas. An easy way to experience this is
to look at a familiar church window from the outside during the day,
you’ll notice a dramatic difference. Even the opalescent glass areas have
a very different, less interesting characteristic in reflected light.
Proposal Rendering
| An easy way to experience the contrast of transmitted light is to
look at a familiar church window from the outside during the day, you’ll
notice a very dramatic difference. |
This brings us back to the rendering. A proposal rendered on paper, by its very
nature, is presented in a medium of reflected light. At best, it can only give
the client an indication of how the finished stained glass will look. Even a
proposal prepared on transparent film, which is a medium of transmitted light
(similar to stained glass), cannot portray the depth and richness of stained
glass. Very few clients are able to visualize the overall effect of the glass
in the finished window even when colored glass samples are presented along with
the rendering. For this reason, it is very important to establish a trust
relationship between the client and the stained glass artist.
| An easy way to experience the contrast of transmitted light is to
look at a familiar church window from the outside during the day, you’ll
notice a very dramatic difference. |
The most innovative and poetic work is accomplished by allowing an experienced
artist the creative freedom to visualize. Of course they must stay within the
clients established design boundaries as well as other considerations such as
correctness of religious symbols, liturgy, architectural styles, and artistic
style factors such as modern, traditional, abstract, representational, etc. |
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