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Master
the
Art of Stained Glass
Learn
How
to Make
Stained Glass Windows
or other Stained Glass Artworks
with
Precise Control
Over the
Medium
To
watch a video on YouTube composed of actual clips from
this set of DVDs and
to
read
comments by people who have purchased this set of DVDs, click
here.
NOTE:
the music track on the YouTube Video is
NOT
on these DVDs.
Sorry if you find it distracting.
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Testimonial:
I
LOVEthe
DVD’s! I can’t get anything else done for
watching them….I am almost finished with #1 and cannot wait
to
get to the next disc. As you speak, I think of questions and
then
in the next breath, you answer them…..it seems we think a
lot
alike. Thank you so much for putting all your time and effort
into this
set.
Sincerely,
Angela
D.
New
London, MO
OR... maybe
you're a total
beginner, looking for your first stained glass class. But you're wary
because you've heard that many local stained glass classes are as
focused on selling you your tools and supplies as they are on giving
you masterful instruction in the design and the crafting of stained
glass and beveled glass artworks.
That's
where I come
in...
I've
spent seven years (not 24/7, of course) producing a set
of DVDs that encompass all that I have learned about making stained
glass and beveled glass. I am almost completely self-taught, so the
methods I teach on these DVDs are the end product of all the
trial and error challenges that I have faced as a full time stained
glass artist for over 45 years. I present the material in a way that
both the beginner and the advanced stained glass artisan can
learn from it. I teach the physical processes from start to
finish, including how to rectify mistakes that occur along the way. I
talk about how to evaluate why mistakes occur and how to develop
techniques that will reduce the number and frequency of mistakes. In
short, these instructional DVDs are a resource that one can view again
and again, and learn something new each time. And most importantly, I
present the one aspect
that I feel is irreplaceable... the attitude of striving for
perfection that underlies everything
I do in my studio and everything that I have learned, and without which
few people will truly master the art and craft of stained glass.
Am
I a "master" of
this craft? Although I am much more humble in person, this web page is
my sales pitch for getting you to buy this video set, so I will
unapologetically
state that I think I have, indeed, mastered the art of stained
glass. I hope that looking at my online gallery
will
give you the same impression.
IN THESE DVDs, I
teach the entire process from design through installation. I fully
cover
both copper foil and lead came (the 2 methods of holding the glass in
place). And with lead, I teach both [1] using paper patterns, and [2]
building on top of a drawing. Although I cover copper foil fully, I
spend more time on lead in these DVDs because lead is as crucial to
some designs as copper foil is to others, and being a commissionable
artist means knowing both in order to give each client the very best.
While lead is harder to master than copper foil, once
mastered, lead is quicker and cheaper than copper foil.
Also, lead can be more versatile; it can achieve a number
of unique looks that copper foil cannot. (An example
would be
my artwork here).
In
my day-to-day
work, the method I use most (and therefore teach most on the DVDs) is
using paper patterns to shape the individual glass pieces. I have
perfected this to the point that I NO LONGER
MAKE MY PANELS ON TOP OF ANOTHER COPY OF THE DRAWING. The
actual
lead construction (or copper foil construction) is done on my
work table alone, not on a pattern, and my panels come out the
right size and shape consistently WITHOUT ANY RECUTTING and ALMOST NO
REGRINDING of the glass during the construction phase. If that's hard
to believe, go here1 or here2 or here3 to see photographic proof
that it's true. In
this set of DVDs, I am
teaching the attitude and the techniques that have allowed me to
achieve this degree of precision.
Although you would, at first, learn to build on top of a second
drawing, your final goal would be precision equal to
my own.
But
to be clear, I
also teach the use of lead came WITHOUT cutting individual paper
patterns. There are (far fewer) times when this method is
most appropriate, such as when combining beveled glass with other
colored and/or clear textured glasses.
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| Master
the
Art of
Stained Glass |
$220.00
-
Including
Shipping within the United
States - |
$240.00
- Including
Shipping to Canada
or Mexico - |
$255.00
- Including Shipping
to Everywhere
Else! - Europe,
Africa, Australia,
Asia, South America,
Etc. - |
Ok...
let's talk
about the price.
Two hundred and twenty dollars sounds like a lot, doesn't it? You were
probably hoping all this would go for less than half that amount. Right?
But before you decide NOT
to buy my DVDs, stop and think about what
you'd be getting for what you'd be paying...
The typical stained glass class at a local stained glass studio goes
for about $150 - $200. And what do you get for that? Usually, you get 8
to 12
weeks of once a week meetings for 2 to 3 hours. In that time, the
instructor tries to help all of the class members to complete one or
two projects. The teacher may also spend a significant amount of the
class time
cutting larger sheets of glass into smaller ones that students can
handle, weighing out lead and solder for purchase, and ringing up the
purchases of both tools and supplies for each and every student in the
class. The teacher also spends time going around the class and helping
each individual student. That all sounds great, but it's not time spent
TEACHING YOU!
I know all of this because I used to teach for a number of different
local studios. It was very frustrating for me because I longed to
TEACH, but was forced to handle all of these other matters. And since
the studio's primary goal was to make money - not only on the fee for
the class, but also on the sales to students of the tools and supplies
- the studio owners made sure I understood that those parts were as
important as the teaching itself.
Read the letter below from a student frustrated with her local class,
then I'll come back to finish the
discussion of price...
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Testimonial:
Dear
Mark
I
just wanted to let you know that I received my set of the DVDs.
So far
I have been able to watch the first two and have
throughly enjoyed the
information. It is comforting to know that someone else
has employed the
same methods that I have had the instinct to try on my own. I
dropped
my last community education class out of frustration. I was
rushing a
project to complete the class and therefore made several
mistakes. My
teacher did not understand why as a beginner I would be so
worried
about near perfect cuts. She was teaching the rest of the
class ways to
fill ugly large gaps in copper foil so they could complete
their
projects. So it is a comfort to be able to refer to your set
to get the
right answers.
Christine
L.
Aliso Viejo, CA
.
So
back to
pricing...
When
I
taught for these
other
studios, I doubt that I ever got to teach for more than 45 minutes if
it was a 2-hour class, and 75 minutes if it was a 3-hour class. That
means that in 8 to 12 weeks I was able to teach for as little as 6
hours, and no more than 12 to 15 hours even in the best of situations.
And people would readily pay $150 for this much instruction, never
realizing how little instruction they were getting for their money.
Now
let's
talk about
the other
Videos and Books and DVDs that teach stained glass. I don't want to
talk specifically about the efforts of anyone else to teach you stained
glass, but I would invite you to follow up on the other options you can
find on the Internet - as I have done - and DO THE MATH! You will find
that when you calculate the cost per hour of teaching, there is no
better deal than this one!
These
two
reasons - the
lack of good
instruction at local stained glass studios and the disappointing focus
and cost of materials available online - are EXACTLY why I decided to
undertake the arduous task of producing these DVDs. There is an
incredible gap to fill... beginning students looking for quality
instruction and intermediate to advanced students looking for anything
that will help them to move beyond what they've already learned. These
are what made all of the effort I've put into making this set
worthwhile.
And
back
to the cost... do the
math and you will realize that more than 40 hours of instruction by an
artisan who has won awards for his design AND his technique in a format
that you can watch over and over again until you have gotten every
nuance of learning out of it.... all of that is a BARGAIN at $220.00.
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Debating
Whether to Buy These DVDs or Take a Class Near You?
A
face to face class gives people an interactive experience, and some
people like that part a lot. If the social aspects of getting out and
meeting new people are part of the learning experience you're looking
for, then a class may be right for you. People who gravitate toward
taking a class like the ease of getting all of their starting tools
from one source, the studio offering the class, as well as their
ongoing supplies of glass and lead and solder, etc.
Other people don't require this social aspect and would be just as
happy learning on
their own. These people won't mind searching for local and
online
places to buy tools and supplies, and they will eventually find out
where they can buy at wholesale prices, saving a lot compared to
students who go on buying from their teachers at retail
prices. For these self-starting
learners,
I cover buying tools and supplies in the first chapters of the first
dvd... also constructing a suitable place to work. While you
are
waiting for your DVD set to arrive, try to locate someplace online that
will sell to
you and/or someplace(s) local to you (one retail and
one wholesale, if possible) that will sell to you. You may need to
acquire state and local tax licenses and/or fulfill minimum purchase
amounts in order to establish an account at a wholesale supplier.
Although
I think my dvd set is the best investment
of $220 that a person could make in learning stained glass, it is not
everything that a true student of stained glass will eventually want to
know. So, I always encourage communicating with other artisans
of this
craft
as well. Even
if you
buy this set and learn stained glass from me,
you will eventually want interactions later on with other
local or online stained
glass people. This can be achieved by finding a guild or association
near you, starting a meetup for like-minded
people, chatting online at linkedin, yahoo-groups, google groups or
other stained
glass chat
pages. Eventually, you will also (I hope) want to learn some special
technique (like fancy soldering or working with mirrored glass -
something that is not part of my artistic style and so not a
part of these DVDs).
What you WILL get from me is the ability to control the medium with
precision. What you will do with it, only time will tell.
( If you're still
thinking of taking a class, I strongly suggest that you familiarize
yourself with the information on my web page - Good
and Bad Stained Glass Craftsmanship - and use that
information to decide who might be the best teacher near you.
)
And here are the actual menus for
all 8 DVDs:
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DVD
1
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DVD2
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DVD
3
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DVD
4
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DVD
5
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DVD
6
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Note:
the next two DVDs have a
bunch of chapters on bevels. I do not make bevels, so I do not teach
how to grind and polish bevels. These chapters are devoted to using
custom-made or ready-made bevels - both geometric shapes and "clusters"
- in leaded panels. These chapters also devote a lot of time to
building
leaded panels on top of a full size cartoon (no individual paper
patterns). I use this method less often, overall, but it is
still
the best method sometimes when
using bevels.
DVD
7
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DVD
8
testimonial:
Hi,
Mark -- Last weekend I started a small piece of glass to try out some
of the techniques you've demonstrated in the CDs -- specifically, using
a paper pattern glued to the glass (I've been trying to cut corners by
tracing the pattern pieces onto the glass), cutting the paper pattern
with sharp scissors rather than pattern shears (this is a foiled
piece), and the rotation in breaking glass.
I feel very
successful! I was able to cut the glass much more accurately than in
the past, and had very little grinding to do. AND, I wasted very little
glass by summoning the courage to put the pattern pieces closer
together.
The rotation
for breaking the glass (not yet second nature, but I see how it will
become that) yielded much sharper points and makes the breaking much
easier. Oh, and I used tapping the glass successfully to remove glass
on deep inside curves, thus also preserving the points.
So, there you
have it. "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."
Savannah L.
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- in
the interest of full disclosure -
NOTE
#1: I may have
"mastered" the art of stained glass, but I was an amateur
videographer when I shot these videos. While the lessons contained in
these DVDs are very high
in educational content, they are very low in formality. Unlike
most of the other stained glass classes available in a video format, my "classes" in stained glass
are ad-libbed by me as I work. They are not fully scripted, nor are
they shot on a soundstage. You're
basically sitting with me
in my garage-studio while I'm working and teaching about what I'm
doing. All I have edited out are the boring, in-between parts, with the
goal of packing everything I could teach into the final set. If you
need to purchase professionally produced program
material, you might
want to shop elsewhere. But, if you can handle the informality and lack
of
perfection inherent in a production by an amateur
videographer, then you will not be disappointed with this purchase. If you want to see sample
clips from the DVDs, visit the
YouTube video I made.
NOTE
#2: I was told that
these DVDs will work in Canada and the United States,
but that different "zones" may make them unuseable in other places
around the world. Please make sure that your DVD player will support
DVDs meant for marketing in America before you make a purchase, as I
will not be responsible for purchases that do not work correctly
outside of the US and Canada.
(So
far, I have
shipped sets to Canada, England, Ireland, Norway,
China, Greece, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany,
Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, South Africa,
and Malta with no apparent problems.)
any questions? email me here
Testimonial:
Mark
-- I received the DVDs in the mail on
Thursday, and began watching them yesterday. I'm VERY pleased.
This is what I have been looking for -- something I can really sink my
teeth into. I appreciate the "informality" -- I prefer to think of it
as authenticity -- and your "thinking out loud" as you progress through
the stages. I'm resisting the temptation to watch the DVDs from end to
end this weekend, as I do have other things to do, but it's hard.
Well done!
Sheri
G.
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Ready
to make your purchase? Excellent!
There
are two
ways to purchase these DVDs...
1. Personal Checks or Money
Orders
(USDollars only please)
This is the SLOWER method because I
will not ship your DVDs until your check has been fully processed by my
bank. If
this is the method for you, send a check made out to "Mark
Stine" to: |
Mark Stine
2900 S.
Kearney St.
Denver
CO 80222
Be sure to include a FULL MAILING
ADDRESS, an EMAIL
ADDRESS, and a PHONE
NUMBER. I will need all of this information in case I
need to contact
you about your payment or shipping information. I
will send you a confirmation email once I have received
your payment and another email once your purchase has been shipped.
And
remember to pay the proper amount to
cover
shipping.
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2. Credit Card
Payments via PayPal
- PAYPAL
is a
totally secure
online method for
making this purchase.
- YOU DO NOT NEED A PAYPAL ACCOUNT.
- When
you click on one of the links below, you will be directed to a PayPal
web page
specifically for making
payments to
Transparent Dreams Stained Glass.
- Be sure to include a FULL MAILING
ADDRESS, an EMAIL
ADDRESS, and a PHONE NUMBER
in
the spaces provided, along with your credit card
information.
- Paypal
will not give me your credit card information; they
will only email me once your payment has been completed. The rest of
the
information I may need in case I
need to contact
you about your payment or shipping information.
- Once I
have received notice from Paypal that your payment has been completed,
I
will send you an email confirming your payment and telling you
when your purchase will be shipped. I ship 99% of the DVD sets within
24 hours.
Please
select the link below with the proper shipping costs
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$220.00
$240.00
$255.00
(See the brightly-colored pricing
info above if you've forgotten which price
is right for your location.)
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OH
NO... Not
more
testimonials!
Mark-
I'm
on
the third DVD of your set and they are well worth the money and the
wait. They are as informative as I had hoped they would
be. I am learning so much in the way of saving time while
being precise. I am a perfectionist and it was costing much
in time to create as I was taught. I'm relearning through
your DVD's and getting rid of a lot of bad habits learned in stained
glass classes. Thank you so much. This has helped
me so much.
Terri
B.
Mount
Shasta, CA
Hi Mark.
Just
letting
you know that I've received your dvd box set and after watching the
first 3 I'm very happy with the way you've put it together -
informative and detailed. I've learn[ed] more from watching these 3
than any class i've taken. Well worth it and thanks, Andy.
Andy K.
Galway, Ireland
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