How to create stained glass art

By Creative Bloq Staff
published

Using Adobe Photoshop as her tool, Sara Forlenza has created stained glass art worthy of any church.

paladin stained glass window digital art tip

See how Sara Forlenza created the striking stained glass for her painting of a medieval paladin

I start by drawing the shape of my glass that will be included in an arched window. Then once Ive decided on the subject, I use a large, hard-edged brush to simulate the strips of lead that hold the glass together.

Once I have a finished drawing of the window, I move on to choosing what colours to use. Then I add a texture to simulate the irregularity of the painted glass. I flatten the layers, select my stained glass and insert it into the context of my artwork: in this case a fantasy temple.

paladin stained glass tips

Once I have the line art, I choose Multiply in the layer options, and add colour on another layer below it, so that the lead strips stay black.

I adjust the perspective and set the glass to a Screen layer. This results in all elements that are black taking the colour of the background, while everything that’s a light colour appears brighter – just what I need!

Paladin stained glass window

When transforming the image of the glass I take into account the perspective using Edit> Transform>Distort

Watch the full tutorial

Words: Sara Forlenza

Sara creates art for book covers, cards and RPGs. After many years with traditional techniques, she was introduced to digital art. It was love at first sight.

This article originally appeared in ImagineFX (opens in new tab) magazine issue 112.

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Creative Bloq Staff

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of six full-time members of staff: Editor Kerrie Hughes, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Deals Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Digital Arts and Design Editor Ian Dean, and Staff Writer Amelia Bamsey, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq. 

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