Whimsical Stained Glass Standing Bird

1 week maximum
Grades 10-12

Standards:

Create:
HS Proficient
VA:Cr2.1.Ia
Engage in making a work of art or design without having a preconceived plan.

HS Advanced
VA:Cr2.2.IIIa
Demonstrate understanding of the importance of balancing freedom and responsibility in the use of images,
materials, tools, and equipment in the creation and circulation of creative work.

Respond:
HS Accomplished
VA:Re.7.1.IIa
Recognize and describe personal aesthetic and empathetic responses to the natural world and
constructed environments.

Connect:
HS Accomplished
VA:Cn10.1.IIa
Utilize inquiry methods of observation, research, and experimentation to explore unfamiliar subjects
through artmaking.

Objective: Students will construct free standing, stained glass birds out of reclaimed
glass parts and include details like legs, feet, and eyes using copper wire. They will
understand and practice the process of stained glass soldering. Students will also
make connections to the previous wire pin project and practice/incorporate both
glass and metal techniques and methods.

Resources: Handout

Materials: Reclaimed/Recycled Stained Glass Fragments, Copper Tape, Soldering

Iron, Lead/Tin Solder, Flux, Soldering Board, Tweezers, Copper Wire, Pliers, Sharpie
Markers, Cleaning Liquid & Cloth

Vocabulary: Copper Foil, Tin Edges, Burnish, Domed Bead, Flux, Iron, Lead/Tin
Solder, Double-Sided, Symmetry, Asymmetry, Overlap, Layers, Opaque/Transparent,
Monotone vs. Multi-Colored Color Palette, Assemble

Art Making Process:

1.) Pass to students class handout at beginning of class – talk a little bit about the
history of stained glass and its purpose back in the day. Students should keep
and refer to the handout/take notes on them during demonstrations, etc. (3
minutes)
 2.) Gather students at middle table and show teaching samples and student
examples of stained glass standing birds to pass around (2 minutes)
3.) Demonstrate how to pick a few different pieces of leftover stained glass and
then arrange them in the shape and form of a bird – (body, head, wings, etc.)
– must have a minimum of at least 3 pieces. (2 minutes)
4.) Next, show how to carefully take the copper tape and fold over the middle
and both sides of the edges of all stained glass components. (3 minutes)
5.) Using an end of a sharpie marker, model how to burnish all edges of glass
pieces on and over both sides of all edges. (3 minutes)
6.) Using the paintbrush, show students how to dip a tiny bit of flux to paint onto
the edges of all the copper tape. (2 minutes)
7.) Then show how to solder using the soldering iron by tinning edges first and
then dripping or adding solder bits little by little and smoothening out all
edges of all pieces. (All copper tape would be covered with solder for a
consistent look.) Model how to overlap pieces for wings and then flux and
solder where the tape touches the other tinned parts below. (3 minutes)
8.) On a different/next day, (in small groups) - show how to take some copper
wire and bend the wire using a round nose plier and a flat pier to design feet
and delicate eyes. Copper will solder onto tinned copper edges of glass
pieces. (Student work time for rest of class.)

Adaptations/Modifications: Allow students to use more than a minimum of 3 pieces

to compose their birds. Allow room for abstraction and for students to pick any type
of bird to represent and stylize. Encourage students to forge wire and add texture to
the copper wire legs, feet, and eyes (as well as any other additional details). Also
allow cellphone use for research, but emphasize the emotive and playful process of
inventing students’ own designs!

Assessment: Did students used reclaimed glass and not cut their own pieces to fit
their pieces together? Did students tightly burnish the edges of the tape on all ends
and over both sides of the tape? Does it free stand/Is it stable/Does it balance?
Overall craftsmanship and check for smooth soldered domes, no gaps between glass
pieces, effort and ingenuity of wire working for legs and eyes

Notes:
-Emphasize the importance of fluxing and tinning the edges of the copper tape
before soldering.
-Suggest students to play with symmetry/asymmetry (to help with overall weight
and balance of bird too)
-Carefully explain how to overlap glass parts and show where the soldering joints
would be to help students understand how that works

Connections: to previous wire project (forged pin) and use of pliers,

This lesson is a fun way to incorporate both glass AND metalwork.