Whattaya Think?
UNPUBLISHED RESPONSES
from SGN #67:page 1
page 2
page 3
page 4
page 5
page 6
page 7
page 8
page 9
page 10
page 11
page 12
page 13
page 14
page 15
WHATTAYA THINK? • SGN #67
QUESTION:
"Lots of beginners read this paper every issue. From your experience, what's the most helpful piece of advice you can pass along to them?"
next page >>
UNPUBLISHED RESPONSES • page 1
In answer to your question, what advice would you give to beginners – Practice! Practice! Practice! When I first started working with stained glass, I always had a project on the go. Try to do some every day – the more you do, the more confident you will become, and less likely to quit doing stained glass altogether. When I look at my early work, I could see that each new project turned out better than the last.
– J. Simmons
Since I am a raw beginner, here's some of the advice I've been giving myself:
• It's only a practice piece – the next one will be better and take half the time.
• Hmm... I guess there's a reason, after all, for cutting inside the pattern line.
• Be rigorous about cleaning up and keep the first aid kit handy.
• And most importantly... make your own rules about design and let the glass speak.
PS: last piece of advice - when Stained Glass News asks a question, RESPOND!
– Jenny Harrell
The best advice I can offer to a beginner is PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE. When I started, I almost gave up three times because of the soldering. It didn't seem to be getting any better, but I stayed with it because I really wanted to do this craft. Now I am really glad I did. I will never be a perfect solderer, but the good feeling you get with a finished product is indescribable. Have fun and stick with it.
– Betty Peterson
My best advice for beginners is to read Stained Glass News with a highlighter in hand. I have found highlighting information and hints to be very helpful. Oftentimes, it may not be something I need right then, but I'm sure I will someday. SGN does an excellent job of spacing ads and informational articles so you can go back later and cut out the articles. I have a loose leaf binder with clear pockets that I place the articles in according to topic. Because I also give classes my students find this very helpful. Sometimes you just need to say the same thing in a different way. Besides, it is not always having the answer to question, it's knowing where to FIND IT!
– Janis Barratt