Large Lantern

This Large Lantern was a commission piece for a girl’s second-level school in Co Waterford Ireland. The school was a new building replacing a much older construction and did not have a chapel. The board had designated a room within the school to use as a place for prayer and contemplation. This is where the lantern would provide a focal point and create a pastoral atmosphere.

The Design Elements

A lantern this large wasn’t something I had made before but I would always tackle anything that comes along. That to me is the whole point of doing commission work. It takes you out of your comfort zone and stretches your skillset. The first idea I had was for a cross design which I would place on opposite sides. As for the other two sides, one was to house an opening for a candle, so I created a simple frame top and bottom. Leaving the final panel in which I placed the oak leaf. This was one of the school’s symbols and worked well with the other elements so completed the design.

Large Lantern Oak Leaf section of stained glass lantern, green leaf and amber background — Oak Leaf Section

The Construction

I made cardboard templates of the four sides and top and bottom sections and drew out my designs. Using 1/4 inch lead came I put together the two cross-sections and the oak leaf section. I then cut out the top and bottom pieces and attached 1/4 inch “U” came to the sides of all the sections. All the lead came was then cleaned with “0000” steel wool before soldering. The red and amber are WaterGlass, the blue glass on the top is Rough Rolled and the oak leaf is a piece of Kokomo. A small brass finial finishes off the top.

Large Lantern Opening Section of stained glass lantern, amber colored glass. — Large Lantern Opening Section

Large Lantern with Koi Fish panel behind — Large Lantern with Koi Fish

Koi Fish & Blossoms

This Koi Fish & Blossoms is a panel that I have wanted to produce for some time. I used to watch a show called “Miami Ink” which featured some amazing tattoo artists. Some of the larger back pieces would be of Koi Fish. This provided me with the inspiration for this panel. I would have loved to have learned how to tattoo but for one reason or another, it never came to pass. Yet I did learn how to produce stained glass at the relatively young age of 24. Well without giving too much away it seems very young to me now.

There is an awful lot of symbolism in Oriental Art so I did some research on this before embarking on my design. One of the main things I concentrated on was the water element. I had a vision of creating a splash effect, the only way of getting this was to have my Koi swimming downstream. This left some “empty space” at the top of the panel which I filled with Cherry Blossoms. The pink of the flowers fitted the color palette and to add a bit of meaning I worked seven into the composition.

My Design was now complete. The Koi Fish which represents perseverance, luck and prosperity is centerstage. Surrounded by Cherry Blossoms which serve as a reminder of how fleeting life can be.

Stained Glass Pattern Information

The pattern for this Koi Fish & Blossoms panel is available in the pattern store as a PDF file. The original panel size is 36 x 18 inches which can be scaled up or down using the printing instructions included in the PDF download.

Downloadable PDF pattern prints actual size 36 x 18 inches ( 916 mm x 457mm ) across ten pages. Instructions are provided for enlarging the pattern to your required size when printing. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to print this pattern.

copyright information

Koi Fish & Blossoms Stained Glass Pattern. © David Kennedy Designs 2010. All rights reserved.
It is illegal to distribute this stained glass pattern online or in hard copy without written permission from David Kennedy.
Please do not post or distribute this stained glass pattern on other websites.

Koi fish & Blossoms PDF

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