More Celtic Projects with Gallery Glass

Early Christians of Ireland were quick to adopt the Celtic style into their religious artwork. Here, two motifs exemplify the simple beauty of the Celtic cross. The circle around the center of the cross is one of the distinctive features of Celtic style. These two can be done as Clings, or enlarged to fit on the 8"x10" styrene panels.

To add to the Celtic flavor of a room, what better accessory tha a Braided Candle Shade? This lovely green project would go well with a St. Patrick's Day theme. It is larger than you would think because you cover most of 2 leading blanks with paint and then lace the short sides together with leather laces.  After constructing the elliptically shaped shade, place it around a votive candle for a moody glow.

Now let's explore something really off the grid! Let's do a Celtic door and sidelight Makeover (Yeah)! Now, granted, not everyone has a breathtaking wooded view when they open their front door. But if you have a solid door, you are probably well aware of how dark, your entry hall has become. And even if you have wonderful sidelights on both sides of the solid door, the light disappeared when you sourced out some kind of narrow sidelight window covering so that you could have privacy. Instead of being the most welcoming area of the home, it has become the most depressing. Solution, buy a new door! They are not very expensive if you buy just the door without all the framing, and paint or stain the door, yourself. You can also do the sidelights to match, once the door is finished. We're showing a full view door, but the garden door type with glass in the top half will be a big improvement over the solid door. You can use just the top half of the design.
If you are buying a new door, you can do the Gallery Glass motif on it BEFORE it is installed. But if you already have a door that has glass in it, or if you decide that just doing the sidelights would help immensely for the time being, then you will have to do them using the Vertical Application Method. Details of the various Application Methods can be found under Project Categories - Window Makeovers on the right side of the this home page. There is also another alternative applicaton method--the Modular Method. The intricate parts of the design will be done as a "Cling" then peeled up from the reusable surface and pressed on he glass of the sidelights, then the clear bachground and border colors are applied directly to the glass. This holds the clings on the window permanently. See More Celtic Projects - Patterns and Color Keys for directions.

I hope you have enjoyed our international Design Tour of the Celtric Category. We will study another country or group in the near future. Have fun adding these wonderful Celtic projects to your St. Patrick's Day decorating scheme.

More Celtic Projects - Patterns and Color Keys

Cathedral Square Cross Cling
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16012 Royal Blue, 16015 Ruby Red, 16020 Amber, 16035 Lime Green, 16076 Liquid Leading, 16051 Leading Blanks, 16225 Tool Set
Cathedral Round Cross Cling
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16001 Crystal Clear, 16005 Orange Poppy, 16036 Turquoise, 16017 Amethyst, 16425 Citrus Yellow, 16076 Liquid Leading, 16051 Leading Blanks, 16225 Tool Set

Place patten under Leading Blank and outline design with Liquid Leading. Let dry 24 hours. Fill in areas with Window Color as indicated on pattern key. Let dry 8 hours. Gently peel cling from Leading Blank and apply to clean window or other smooth surface.

Celtic Braided Candle Shade
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16013 Slate Blue, 16023 Berry Red, 16020 Amber, 16024 Ivy Green, 16076 Liquid Leading, 16051 Leading Blanks, 16225 Tool Set

Additional Supplies: 2 brown leather laces, 24" each and 1/8" wide, decorative large-hole beads (optional), 2 votive with candles, craft knife, straight edge, paper punch

Trim top and bottom off Leading Blanks as indcated on pattern. Punch holes n sides. Place pattern under Leading Blank and outline design with Liquid Leading. Let dry 24 hours. Fill in areas with Window Color as indicated on patten key. Let dry 8 hours. Place wrong sides blanks together and weave leather laces through holes. Add decorative beads to ends of lace, if desired. Knot ends of lace.

Celtic Knot Door and Sidelights
Gallery Glas Supplies: 16001 Crystal Clear, 16003 Cameo Ivory, Champagne 16094, 16076 Liquid Leading, 16051 Leading Blanks,16225 Tool Set

Place Leading Blaks over patten and trace wth Liquid Leading. Let dry 24 hours. Make straight lead lines by placing Leading Blank over ruled paper and tracing lines--or use Redi-Lead. Allow to dry 24 hours. Fill in areas with Window Color as indicated on pattern key. Let dry 8 hours. Gently peel design motifs from the Leading Blank and place on window (refer to photo). Use leading lines to complete the pattern. Use a small drop of Liquid Leading to solder joints. Let dry. Fill in background with Crystal Clear, let dry 8 hours before touching.

Celtic Projects with Gallery Glass

You've got to love the bold swirls and intricate knotwork of Celtic inspired designs. All of the elements that Celtic art is noted for --knotwork, spirals and zoomorphs (animal patterns)--are represented in the set of decorative projects that we are going to post. While the Celtic are no longer a separate, established people, much of their heritage and art can still be found in traditional areas of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Many artists are enamoured with Celtic designs, not only for their historical significance, but for the linear style that blends so well with contemporary furnishings. I have always liked the intricacy of the line designs. I think that's one reason my grandchildren love to color them with colored pencils and markers. They are a lot of fun.
I think they play well in late February because they blend with St. Patrick's Day designs and somewhat relate in a historical way. These 2 plaques are called Celtic knots and can be done small as Clings, or larger as I have done them on the 10" round blanks.

You could also do them on the large clear plastic plates from the dollar or party stores.
The first octagonal design was painted with Glitter Silver and primary colors which goes well with rainbows and clover. It can also be done on an octagonal surface, if you are lucky enough to find one.

The Celtic symbol on the right has a lot of Gold Glitter and Gold Sparkle which always reads beige with the light coming through it. It is much prettier in person. These designs would look good hanging in the window of a contemporary kitchen or sun room. Lots of color!

Now let's look at some other Celtic accessories. I am really fond of this lamp. Believe it or not, in the hey day of Gallery Glass, that lampshade was actually made by Plaid and sold on QVC, You may even have one of the kits. If so, shame on you for hiding it under your bed all this time. If you don't have a milky shade on which to place the clings, you may be able to adapt it to a surface of your choice. I like that it has a rectangular design and two matching borders. Distinctive knots and braids are the foundation of Celtic art. They represent the unbroken rhythm of nature on earth.

One of the most unusual characteristics of Celtic Design is the animals. You may not be into them, but they are exemplary. This is a Celtic Peacock Bowl and the designs are done as Clings. The triple spiral on the side of the bowl is the most ancient of Celtic art. It's true meaning a mystery, it has come to symbolize life's passages along with the past, present and future.

If you would like to make any of these interesting projects, go to the Pattens and Color Keys sectin of Project Categories (to the right of the home page) and click on Celtic Project Patterns & Color Keys for numbered patterns and Gallery Glass supply lists.

Celtic Projects - Patterns and Colors Keys

Celtic Octagon (Top)
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16014 Amethyst, 16020 Amber, 16011 Blue Diamond, 16001 Crystal Clear,  16076 Black Liquid Leading, 16216 10" Round

Celtic Octagon ( Bottom)
16015 Ruby Red, 16020 Amber, 16009 Emerald Green, 16012 Royal Blue, 16001 Crystal Clear, 16076 Black Liquid Leading, 16216 10" Round

Celtic Lampshade  Designs
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16013 Slate Blue, 16020 Amber, 16024 Ivy Green, 16001 Crystal Clear, 16076 Black Liquid Leading,

Celtic Bowl - large round
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16036 Turquoise, 16014 Amethyst, 16012 Royal Blue, 16017 Magenta Royale, 16020 Amber, 16076 Black Liquid Leading.

Color Charts--Dry Color Swatches and Pattern to make your own

Our friend Laurie had a wonderful comment regarding color charts and I decided to make the most of it. She talked about making color charts on plastic plates, which is an inexpensive way to have dry swatches of the various Gallery Glass colors. It also works to document color mixes that you create from 2 other colors. I recommend that you label the bottles of remaining paint mixes, as to the colors that you used--especially if glitter was added, so you won't be surprised in the future if you pick up the bottle and apply it to a new project.

Several months ago, I decided to create a template for a compact portable color chart set that I could carry back and forth in my homework bag. Below are the results. At the end of the series, I will give you a pattern so that you can make your own color chart, either on glass or on styrene, like I did. If you wish to have a finished edge, you can put Redi-Lead around the perimeter.

NOTE: Keep in mind that I have put all the most recent colors in the chart, but many are discontinued and althought you may have a bottle, it is not longer available at the store. So be sure to look up the color--on the list that is printed above each chart. Colors with no designation after them, are active colors and should be available to purchase. However, you will find other designations as follows:
(D) which means that the color is discontinued and no longer available from Plaid
(L) which means that the color is limited, and will be discontinued as soon as quantities are gone
(N) which indicates a NEW color.

Color Chart #1 - left to right
Row 1 - 16001 Crystal Clear, 16002 Snow White, 16003 Cameo Ivory, 16004 Sunny Yellow, 16005 Orange Poppy
Row 2 - 16006 Canyon Coral (D), 16007 Cocoa Brown, 16008 Kelly Green, 16009 Emerald Green, 16010 Denim blue (L)
Row 3 - 16011 Blue Diamond, 16012 Royal Blue, 16013 Slate Blue, 16014 Amethyst, 16015 Ruby Red
Row 4 - 16016 Rose Quartz, 16017 Magenta Royale, 16018 Charcoal Black, 16019 Gold Sparkle, 16020 Amber
Row 5 - 16021 White Pearl, 16022 Clear Frost, 16023 Berry Red, 16024 Ivy Green, 16035 Lime Green

Color Chart #2 - left to right
Row 1 - 16036 - Turquoise, 16037 Sapphire, 16044 Window Etch, 16094 Champagne, 16095 Black Onyx
Row 2 - 16096 Celadon Green, 16421 Silver Sparkle (D), 16422 Copper Sparkle (D), 16423 Hot Pink, 16424 Purple (D)
Row 3 - 16425 Citrus Yellow, 16426 Light Brown (L), 16429 Pumpkin Orange, 16427 Blue Sparkle (D), 16437 Coral (D)
Row 4 - 16438 Magenta Rose, 16440 Gold Glitter (L), 16441 Silver Glitter, 16442 Hologram Glitter, 16443 Red Glitter (D)
Row 5 - 16433 Blue Glitter (D), 16445 Green Glitter (D) 16448 Bright Yellow (D), 16449 Bright Green (L), 16450 Bright Blue (D)

Color Chart #3 - left to right
Row 1 - 16451 Bright Purple (D), 16455 Sunflower, 16456 Morning Glory
Row 2 - 16457 Plum, 16458 Berry Grape (D) 16459 Italian Sage
Row 3 - 16460 Butter Pecan (D), 16461 Yellow Ochre, 16463 Spring Rose
Row 4 - 16850 Ruby Red Shimmer, 16851 Green Shimmer, 16848 Hologram Shimmer
Row 5 - 17044 Harvest Yellow, 17045 Peach, 17047 Rosy Pink

Color Chart #4 - left to right
Row 1 - 17048 Orchid Pink, 17049 Aqua, 17051 Light Green
Row 2 - 17052 Fresh Lime, 17053 Jadeite Green, 17054 Copper Metallic (L)
Row 3 - 16636 Autumn (N), 16637 Lemonade (N), 17072 Gilded Oak (N)
Row 4 - 17073 Blue Bird (N), 17075 Lilac (N), 17077 Lavender (N)

FolkArt Extreme Glitter  2 oz. (compatible with Gallery Glass Colors) - left to right
Row 1 - 2786 Gold, 2787 Silver, 2788 Rose,  
Row 2 - 2792 Red, 2793 Orange, 2789 Peridot
Row 3 - 2794 Emerald, 2790 Turquoise, 2791 Purple
Row 4 - 2797 Black, 2796 Hologram 

Now that you have seen my color charts, maybe you would like to make your own. Here is a template that you can use to lead and paint.

Gallery Glass version of Show and Tell

Once in a while, we invite members of our craft group to bring in their painted projects. It's a thrilling experience for me because my ego gets stroked. I pat myself on the back for being such a GREAT teacher! And then comes the nagging thought, that their amazing results are probably due, not to my influence, but to their unbelievable artistic talent. One thing for sure--together, we're awesome. Lynn Morgan has become extremely interested in seasonal door decoration. She owns a very successful Accounting Firm and enjoys frequent visits from many of her clients on a regular basis--especially during tax season. So for her, the office door has to keep up with upcoming holidays. Her first door project was a colorful collection of ornaments during the Christmas season. Everyone enjoyed it so much, that she made a big collection of hearts to post when it came time for Hearts and Flowers. St. Patrick's Day is one of Lynn's favorite holidays and the Celtic symbols are near and dear to her heart. So she has been busily making shamrocks and yesterday, she sent me this wonderful picture of the Clover Door. I love that they are colorful and fun. It adds a cheerful note to the somewhat repetitious traditional green scheme--although you can spice it up a little by using various colors of green. There are so many Greens in the Gallery Glass line--Emerald, Kelly, Ivy, Lime, Celadon, Jadeite, Green Shimmer, Fresh Lime and Italian Sage! But, who's counting? Too bad that she didn't make them all 4 leaf clovers-- to ensure good luck for her visiting taxpayers.

At one of our last craft classes, members were allowed to "order" pictures they would like to paint and I leaded the panel for them to paint on their own. The basket of flowers was a popular favorite. Lynn Morgan LOVES color and her choices for the flower basket are characteristically bright and cheerful. But notice that every flower is not a different color. There is logical repetition to the arrangement with one focal bloom in the center--illustrating a very important principle of good composition. The sailboat illustrates a small amount of brighter colors which stand out from the basic blue and clear background. The snowflake is a good example of monochromatic coloration--or varying shades of one color.

Some of our other wonderful glass crafters brought in noteworthy examples. Marian Wright painted the lovely Tulips and Fruit in the lower left corner. The coloration of the leaves make tem look almost 3 dimensional and alive. And the gradual shading of the fruit and mushrooms shows off their curves. The painting is 16"x20" and was her first BIG painting. She was proud of it when she finished and realized that it would not take her as long on the next big one. The more you paint, the faster (and better) you get.
The egg basket was painted by Lynn's husband, Richard, and he loves color, too. But he wanted to paint the basket with traditional basket browns and I like the way that it makes the eggs really pop. Several of the Clover Wreaths had been done as color charts which makes a great reference when you are painting other projects. The snowflake in this picture looks just like the one in the other window, although the paint is not as thick, so the colors do not appear to be as dark. It's interesting how two of the same designs--painted by different people, can look totally different.
Most of these patterns are already on the blog in other posts, but if you don't see them, trust me, they are ON THE WAY! Thanks to Lynn, Marian, Richard and the rest of the craft class for letting me take your creative efforts to the world wide web. We can all learn from each other.

Being Coy with Koi

What a coy way to a Valentine's heart--through his hobby--Koi! Our wonderful blog friend, Laurie, shared this intricately painted project with me and I admire it--on so many levels. For one, what a clever use for a Gallery Glass Cling and secondly--her technique is terrific. Read what she says about it.
"I just finished a cling for my husband, Jay, for Valentine's Day....he is a Koi pond keeper so I've learned a bit about, not only building and maintaining a pond, but about the Koi, too. An important part of a Koi is it's scale definition. I found this pattern on the Internet (it's actually a tattoo). I knew that to a Koi keeper seeing the scales would be important, but at the same time, leading the scales would make them too "heavy". Since I finally figured out your tape tip (see the step by step post under Leading Tips) I decided if that tip worked for leading, it would work for the paint, too. So I fashioned a very small tape tip and slowly applied paint to my pattern on the scale lines (after leading). Because the paint is thinner than leading, it did "run" a little, but because I used the tape tip it was so thin it didn't matter. I outlined the scales and then let it set for several days, then painted, as normal. I gave it to Jay this morning ( I couldn't wait) and to my DELIGHT, the first thing he said was "you can see the scales and veins in the fins".

What excites me about the Koi is that Laurie took a tip from the blog and applies it to the projects she is currently working on--and very creatively, I might add. Although I have used it for paint on intricate projects, I had not yet mentioned that technique on my blog, but she is thinking and applying the information on her own. Good job, Laurie. We can all learn from the beautiful Koi fish. I also love that you took a tattoo design and adapted it. There are so many sources for closed segment designs--coloring books, needlework patterns and my favorite--clip art. Keep an eyes open--designs are everywhere.  

I Love You Heart, Crocus and Ballerina Patterns - Rounds and Oval

I Love You Heart -  10" Round
Gallery Glass Supplies: 16440 Gold Glitter, 16423 Hot Pink, 16015 Ruby Red, 16002 Snow White, 16442 Hologram Glitter, 16076 Black Liquid Leading, 16216 10" Styrene Blank

I outlined the heart sections and even put a drop of 16442 in the top of each of the lace sections and combed it into the paint to give the heart a little style.

Crocus  - 10" Round

Gallery Glass Supplies: 16423 Hot Pink, 16442 Hologram Glitter, 16017 Magenta Royale, 16455 Sunflower, 16020 Amber, 16003 Cameo Ivory, 16008 Kelly Green, 16035 Lime Green, 16024 Ivy Green, 16014 Amethyst, 16457 Plum, 16081 Crystal Clear16076 Black Liquid Leading, 16216 10" Styrene Blank

I applied a line of Hologram Glitter along the edge of the petal sections and combed it into the paint to give the flowers some sparkle. It almost looks like dew on the tips of the flowers.

Ballerina  - 6"x9" Oval

Gallery Glass Supplies: 16002 Snow White, 16423 Hot Pink, 16017 Magenta Royale, 16014 Amethyst, 16081 Crystal Clear, 16076 Black Liquid Leading, 16215 10" Styrene Blank

Hearts and Ribbons Modular Method Gallery Glass Window

I don't like to go very long without doing a window makeover. And to stay in sync with our Valentine theme, I found a related design. This window happens to be in the larger portion of my bathroom. It looks out onto my neighbor's garage and so the view is not something to rave about--plus there are privacy issues--as you would expect.

I'm working on ave a post that will answer all your questions a detailed study of Modular Windows it will completely educate you. But generally, the first step is to do the hearts, birds and ribbon sections as CLINGS. Outline and paint them on the Leading Blank, let them dry, then peel them off and arrange in a pleasing design. Then outline the borders and dividing strips with Redi-Lead or make your own pre-cured leading strips (less expensive). Paint the Crystal Clear and Cameo Ivory directly on the glass

Study the Hearts and Ribbons Pattern and Color Keys for details about supplies for this window. For expanded directions of the Modular Method, look for Circle of Roses Modular Method Pattern and Instructions. It gives a complete step-by-step guide to creating your own wonderful Modular Gallery Glass windows.

Gallery Glass Supplies needed: 16003 Cameo Ivory, 1621 White Pearl, 16023 Berry Red, 16081 Crystal Clear, 16076 Black Liquid Leading or Redi-Lead, 16225 Tool Set