March 2013 Guest Tips and Tricks - Designing a Stained Glass Window

Designing a Stained Glass Window

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This month on the XaraXone, Frances (angelize online) gets to beautiful windows this month, without the need for Windex. Learn how to create stained glass windows that would be the envy of Louie Tiffany; all you need is Xara and a little while to follow the steps. Achieve a touch of glass this month—download the resource files and follow along.

Then post your windows here.

I have been waiting for this, hope I get time to work on it soon.

Angelize,

I have started the stained glass tutorial. When I open the tutorial, there is only one saved color on the color bar (sky blue). There is no other colors. Not sure if I'm missing something, but in number 7 you mention that there are a several saved and named colors, but I have only one.

Am I doing something wrong?:-O

I'm not sure why you have only the sky blue colour. You should have 8 named colours in total. 6 for the stained glass and 2 for the copper. I just downloaded the file from the Xone and all the named colours show up for me. Try downloading and opening the file again and Make sure to go into the options (either open the utilities menu and select options from the bottom of the list or Shift + Ctrl + O) and open the view tab and clear the check from delete unused colours and styles.

If you don't want to start over again from the beginning you should be able to transfer the colours to your existing document by creating a series of small rectangles in the new document one for each colour and apply the colours to the rectangles and then copy and paste them over.

Thank you Angelize

I had tried to download twice, and still no colors. So I tried again, but before I opened your file I cleared the check from delete unused colors and styles, and all the colors are there.

So, I hope to tackle it again tomorrow! :)

Francis is the background rectangle filled as one shape or by making individual shapes in between the branches and leafs and filling with the blue? :rolleyes:

Stygg

I recommend with all my talent and all my heart that everyone opens a new document, press Ctrl+Shift+O to get to Options and then on the View tab, UNcheck the "Delete unused colors and styles when saving".

I guess I'm a color fiend, and have been fighting Xara over deleting colors from the color line for about a decade! The Xara Group has a lot of good ideas, but deleting colors to save on file size isn't one of them. When this option is on, it's virtually impossible to share a color palette with friends and co-workers.

My Best,

Gary

Hi Stygg, the background needs to be separate shapes, otherwise when the transparencies are layered the bottom blue layer blends with the top shapes and I found the result isn't as nice. It's a bit more work, but it will give you good practice in working with the shape tool (or pen tool if you choose that)

Thanks for that Francis, just wanted you to clarify that before starting a very pleasing tut. The extra line work is no problem, in fact I find it very relaxing :cool:

Stygg

Thank you very much for the tutorial Frances ! After doing the tutorial (I didn't get the colours either, but that's solved via this thread :)), I experimented a bit with a pattern of my own. Here's the result.

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Guy that's lovely and very well done. I was hoping to see some original designs! :) but you are missing the reflection ;)

The reflection does more than provide visual interest, it anchors the window to the ground plane. Your window is beautiful and your background is nice but the window appears to be defying gravity! :)

Frances, thanks for pointing out the omission; here's version 2 ;)

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And a few more, including a belated easter-egg...

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Very nice Stygg! My you've been busy! One thing though you have been squashing your reflections and they don't look right that way. Try leaving the reflection unsquashed and just use the blur and transparency tools. I love the Egg design but the reflection is to strong for that surface. For the water reflections I 'll post an example later but try experimenting with a bitmap transparency. All in all though you have done a great job.

Frances, I am really enjoying this tutorial. I am having trouble with the shape builder. The smallest nib I have is 10 screen pixels, trying to add just a tad to a 6 pixel line is looking rough. Did I miss a key setting? Even using the pressure sensitivity it looks like a blob. Thanks for a great tutorial.

Richard

Quote:

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Originally Posted by angelize

Very nice Stygg! My you've been busy! One thing though you have been squashing your reflections and they don't look right that way. Try leaving the reflection unsquashed and just use the blur and transparency tools. I love the Egg design but the reflection is to strong for that surface. For the water reflections I 'll post an example later but try experimenting with a bitmap transparency. All in all though you have done a great job.

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Not my drawings Francis, I think you mean Guyke :D

Stygg

OOps! Sorry Guyke (and Stygg) :o I was in such a rush this morning!

@Richard (ber61): If you zoom in the nib will remain the same size on the screen and allow you to make smaller strokes. This works for the eraser too.

Thanks Frances for taking the time for your positive comments, and I will give it another try. Things like the squashing are hard for me as I only see properly through one eye (born like that) so perspectives are hard to do. I guess that's why I never can work out Gary's Stereograms, I'm looking forward to your tips on water reflection.
Oh, and no hard feelings on the name-switch...

Did my homework great tutorial learning lots I hope. Thanks again Frances.


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That is a lovely design Ber, I'm glad to see that this tutorial is firing up everyone's imaginations.

Thanks Frances really glad you like it. I try to follow and do all the tutorials, many thanks to all for sharing their knowledge. I may not post on all but I am doing them.

@ber61

That's a lovely design you did with the sailboat!

+25!

-g