Turn a photo into a buildable stained-glass pattern.
A reference is a starting point, not a pattern. The goal is to keep the parts of the image that matter while creating pieces that you can understand, cut, and assemble.
1. Choose a reference with a clear subject
Start with a photo or sketch whose large shapes are easy to see. Reduce visual noise before tracing: a pattern needs a readable silhouette, a few meaningful internal divisions, and a scale that suits the finished panel.
2. Trace the major seams first
In Glasswright, place the outer boundary and the large interior seams before chasing small details. Each closed region becomes a piece, so this stage establishes the structural logic of the pattern rather than merely redrawing the photo.
3. Read the pattern as pieces
Check for highlighted leaks and examine every small or awkward shape. Simplify details that will be lost at the selected size. Advisories are prompts for craft judgment; they do not replace the choice of technique, grinder, or saw.
4. Choose glass and construction
Assign swatches to see the composition as colored pieces, then select copper foil or came dimensions. Construction allowances affect the cutting outlines, so make this decision before you prepare your final output.
5. Print a test before cutting glass
Print at physical scale, measure a known dimension, and look at the pattern from workshop distance. A paper test is the cheapest time to catch a piece that is too small or a detail that does not read.