Design of the Month · February 2012
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"Four Designs by Jean Beaulieu"
Our friend and master artist Jean Beaulieu has introduced four wonderful new pattern books. He has graciously agreed to provide us with one free pattern from each book, so we have four patterns for you this month!
The desire to create stained glass pattern books of figurative designs was sparked by the urging of friends who shared my passion. My goal is to publish four or more books three times each year, spanning a variety of subjects. I hope to differentiate these pattern books from others by keeping my use of lines to a minimum. Too often patterns are overloaded with lines when artists attempt to follow the Tiffany method. The harmony and accuracy of lines is my obsession, and I hope it becomes contagious to those who follow my work!
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Bubble Family: This drawing (and all the patterns in this series) was inspired by the designs of the children of the Ste-Justine Hospital in Montreal.
Twice a year, as part of my work with street youth in Montreal, we encourage these children to draw,
and then from their drawings create stained glass panels for the hospital's Ronald McDonald House.
You'll surely have fun cutting and grinding the arabesques contained in this window. -
German Shepherd: I very much enjoyed creating this book of canine designs, and more such books will follow soon.
The task here was to make each dog appear as realistic as possible and to reflect the special character of each breed. With the German Shepherd,
the major challenges were in the teeth, eyes and nose. Precision work and attention to detail are essential to bringing such designs to life. -
Sunny Morning: A friend of mine keeps specialty roosters, and his passion for the birds served as the inspiration for this design.
The difficulty here was to avoid attaching meaningless break lines to the crest and tail just to make the pattern cuttable.
The blades of grass in front of and behind the rooster provides depth. You'll surely enjoy choosing the best glass to give luster to the plumage.
The tips of the feathers will give you a good challenge in your cutting and grinding. -
Promenade: The marine world was frequently the subject of my first stained glass designs.
With these colors I have attempted to capture the transparency of the water and the manner in which light enters the window,
but many alternate color choices would work just as well. Let your artistic side come forth as you create a window that displays the beauty of the underwater world.
Glass Eye 2000 has become indispensable for my design work. Whether it is for my stained glass, my paintings, my inlays or all of the work I do in marble and granite, all my drawings first done by hand are then transferred to this wonderful software. The friendliness of its interface and the nearly realistic rendering of designs should make this software a joy for all those who love stained glass or any other artform.
A major benefit for me is that designs can be transferred directly to a laser cutter, water jet cutter or any similar device, saving me a huge amount of time and effort. The cutting accuracy is unsurpassed. Glass Eye 2000 is a must for 21st century artists.
~ Jean Beaulieu
About the artist
Jean Beaulieu, artist and creator, painter for over 30 years, has exhibited in a dozen cities worldwide. He started doing stained glass eighteen years ago and decided to use the glasswork in the service of a cause dear to him: troubled youth. He is the founder of the MargiArt project which for the last ten years has provided stained glass instruction for these young people. This project inspired him to found les Ateliers Art-Go, an organization that oversees community groups in Québec City, Trois-Rivières, Montréal and eventually Vancouver and Toronto. Visit his website for more information (in French) on Jean Beaulieu and the ART-GO organization. You may also send him an email.
This pattern may be used to make one or more artworks for sale or personal enjoyment. This pattern may be printed for personal use only and may not be sold or given away in printed or electronic form.
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Each month we feature a project designed using Glass Eye 2000. Do you have a project to share with the world? Contact Dragonfly Software and your creation might be our next Design of the Month.