If you look at the start of any beautiful glass piece, it always starts with a basic stained glass patterns. And while seems logical, many people do not know were to start when looking for a design. I'm glad to say, though, that you can find a design with just a little imagination and by keeping your eyes open. It just takes a bit of imagination and some drawing paper.

Some people purchase pre-made stained glass designs from a craft store or online retailer, however, it is not necessary to go to this extra expense. Inspirations for stained glass patterns are everywhere. Anytime you need some inspiration, simple start taking notice of the different art and shapes that surround you everday and you will start seeing new ideas for your glass patterns. Perhaps your grandmother loves to quilt and has a variety of quilting books. Quilt patterns create wonderful stained glass design. You might even have some piece of art that is around your house that you might be able to convert into a stained glass piece. All you need to make sure is that it's easy to trace and it isn't too detailed, then it can be difficult for you. The obvious benefit of this is that you will have your own unique pattern and you can make changes as you want to improve your artwork.

Once you have chosen your subject matter, the next step is to copy it onto tracing paper. Make sure you have some light coming into the room so you can make this job easy on yourself, or at least have a light around you so you can get a good trace. Holding it up to a window is another low-tech method that often works well. After the tracing is complete, have your image transferred onto two sheets of heavy paper (a card stock will work well). Save one of these in a file, in case you would like to reuse the stained glass pattern. You might be able to give back to the art world by making your free stained glass patterns available to other people that are looking for ideas The other paper should be color marked and cut into pieces so that you can begin cutting the glass for your design.

Don't get discouraged if you can't find the right design for the project you have in mind. Just take a stroll around your neighborhood for some inspiration and then create your own. A well thought out stained glass pattern is the road map to a work of art you will enjoy for years to come. You need to keep in mind that a good glass pattern is just as important as all the stained glass supplies that you have in your shop.