Air Bubble Stained Glass

[lynxster4]

This tutorial is available as a PDF. Click here to view or download it

@LionsDragon requested a tutorial on this after I posted an image in my gallery.

@TrevorOutlaw made a comment that it needed more scattered 'air bubbles' and I agreed.  So went my pursuit to see if I could accomplish it and make it better.

 

We will be making this:

 

                                           

 

Plugins  needed:

Dpy's AA's Assistant

Built-in Noise

Josh's Fuzzy Edge Detector

Red's Tone Angle Gradient

Pyrochild's Curves+

KrisVDM's Drop Shadow

BoltBait's Inner Shadow Selection

 

 

I'm using a shape that you can find in my shapepack, though any shape should work. I've tested it on a few. The shape is 'StainedGlass-Flower2'.  Here is the zip file. Shape-Curves.zip

 

Shape file (.xaml) goes into your shapes folder (ProgramFiles--->paint.net--->shapes).

The (.xml) goes into your Curves+ folder (Documents--->paint.net user files--->Effect Presets--->Curves+)

 

I'm using a canvas of 600 x 800.  Draw your shape, outline only, in black at 4px.  Add a new layer and color your shape pieces. Use magic wand at about 60% to select the pieces, go to new layer and fill with paint bucket any color of your choosing.  Continue until all pieces are colored.   ***USE SOLID COLORS ONLY!  GRADIENTS WILL NOT WORK!***

 

 

Do (2) AA's Assistant  (Effects--->Object).  Untick outline layer.  Duplicate your 'color pieces' layer.  On the top layer  Add Noise  (Effects--->Noise--->Add Noise)

 

 

It may look like you haven't done anything to the image, but you have.  This is the basis for the 'air bubbles'.

Still on the top layer, use Fuzzy Edge Detect at the settings below.  (Effects--->Stylize)

 

 

Still on the top layer, use Tone Gradient Angle at these settings.  (Effects--->Stylize)

 

 

Set top layer to multiply, opacity about 160.  Then use Curves+ at these settings.  (Adjustments--->Curves+)

 

 

Merge top layer down onto layer 2, leaving outline layer untouched.

On 'color piece' layer do Drop Shadow at these settings.  (Effects--->Object)

 

 

Duplicate the layer, set top layer to color burn, opacity about 75.  Create a new layer on top. On outline layer, select with magic wand all your 'pieces' (magic wand-shift), then select your new layer and use Inner Shadow Selection at these settings.  (Effects--->Selection)

 

 

Deselect.  At this point you may want to add layers for highlights and shading.  Set the (2) layers between 'inner shadow selection' layer and your colored image.

 

 

Add highlights and shading as desired. After applying, clean up the layers using the outline layer and magic wand. This great tip comes from @hippiechos and her great tutorial found here.

 

If you want to add a little extra 'ompf' to your 'lead', move the outline to the top and make visible (check it).  Use BoltBait's Bevel Object at approx. these settings.  (Effects--->Object)

 

 

Most of these plugin settings are very flexible.  The only one that isn't is the Noise.  If you add too much, you will just have a mess! 

 

Here are (2) quick examples of mandalas I made in an on-line generator.  I colored them myself and applied most of the above steps, except the drop shadow for the 'lead', as they didn't have spaces between the pieces.  It was thin black lines.  Not bad, I think!

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  I'd love to see what interesting 'stained glass' you can make!   

                         

EDIT:  Enlarged last two images

[AndrewDavid]

Thank you @lynxster4 for taking the time to show this old dog a new trick 

 

 

I tried it with a pattern I found on the internet rather than a shape. Took many liberties on getting the whole thing just right. My color shading didn't work as well as I hoped. Tried 3 different shades of red and you can only see two. I'm still very happy with the result. Tuts are so great to learn different plugins and methods. Saw many things during the process I hadn't seen before. Always learning. 

[ingwer]

Thank you lynxster for this wonderful tutorial! 

[Seerose]

 @lynxster4! 

 

Beautiful tutorial. Thank you very very much for your effort.  

 

Edited April 16, 2018 by Seerose

[lynxster4]

@AndrewDavid   I think that is very cool looking!      Tuts can teach you more than you know...

 

Thank you @ingwer!   I hope the tut proves useful for you.  

 

@welshblue   both of your examples are wonderful!     Yes, I have the isolate lineart plugin installed and it would be very helpful for coloring pages!  But I keep forgetting about it because it's in the Adjustments menu!!       I think if the 'glass pieces' are too small, the air bubbles will disappear.  Thank you for the comment on the green one!  

I'm going to post slightly bigger versions of the last two images...I may had made them too small...detail does get lost.

 

@Seerose   that is just perfect!     A purple rose.....

 

And a 'thank you' to @toe_head2001   @dipstick   @Eli  and @Ego Eram Reputo  for reps!   

[Pixey]

Ingenious way to use those Plugin's @lynxster4 in your latest tutorial to make stained glass.  I really enjoyed making this - many thanks

 

 

 

[lynxster4]

That is just wonderful @Pixey      Love the subtle shading!  That could hang in anyone's window for Halloween.  

 

 

 @welshblue   Don't become OCD about this like I am!  I'm fascinated by stained glass.  I now have 10 different techniques to make stained glass.

I really like your above example; awesome lettering.  My 'air bubble' technique, I'm sure, could be used in a lot of different ways!   

Please take a break and pay attention to your wife...

 

Reps tomorrow...I'm always out....

[Woodsy]

Something different!

[lynxster4]

Oh, that is so cute!  @Woodsy        You used the bubbles as their bubbles!   Very clever!   Nice work....  

Rep you tomorrow!!

[lynxster4]

I was going to post this in my gallery, but it rightly belongs in this thread.

 

Here is an image that I thought came out great.  And I got to use @Ego Eram Reputo's  WovenPhoto plugin!  Do you like my woven concrete strips?  

 

The highlights and shading really set this off.

 

 

 

[Ego Eram Reputo]

A beautiful merging of textures!

[Seerose]

 Dear @lynxster4!

 

This is for you. I hope she likes you. 

 

Edited April 16, 2018 by Seerose

[lynxster4]

17 hours ago, Ego Eram Reputo said:

A beautiful merging of textures!

 

Thank you EER.  I'm so glad you like it!   

 

3 hours ago, Seerose said:

 

This is for you. I hope she likes you.

 

Seerose, Seerose, Seerose.....I love it!!      Bart and I go way back.  It's an inside joke between me and my oldest son.  Thank you for sharing it!   

 

And sincere thanks to @hippiechos and @Djisves for reps!  

 

Edited October 26, 2017 by lynxster4

[Seerose]

 @Lynxster4!

 

My son has almost everything with bart simpson belongs to it, and if I had somewhere what struck immediately bought. We love him. 

[mottoman]

Excellent tutorial @lynxster4 I will be doing a take on this very soon. Thank you for taking the time to write it.  

[lynxster4]

Thank you @mottoman      I look forward to seeing it!   

 

Thank you @barbieq25 for the rep!  

 

Edited October 28, 2017 by lynxster4

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Link to PDF added.

[lynxster4]

That is just beautiful @welshblue    Would love to have that hanging in my window!  

 

This tutorial is a bit addictive, isn't it??   

[mottoman]

Unticking outline layer gave me this result:  Also Edge detect (fuzzy) although installed .dll where it should go, is not showing up in paint.net 4.0.19 using windows 10 fall creators update.

[Pixey]

@mottoman - that happened to me too when I did the tutorial, so I tried the link by @Maximilian for v3.5.11 and I put it in the Effects Folder and it worked for the latest version of paint.net

 

 

Fuzzy Edge Detect for PdN 3.5.11.zip

[mottoman]

Thanks @Pixey that version worked.  Sadly this is all I could come up with, I got lost at some steps and certainly got lost when highlights and shading were mentioned. I also couldn't remove the thick grey line no matter what.  Will perhaps try again another time.

[lynxster4]

Nice outcome @mottoman     I posted a Dropbox link in the tutorial instructions for the current version of Fuzzy Edge Detector.

Josh's link on his plugin page isn't linked to the right file!

 

I referenced hippiechos' tutorial on highlights and shading and provided a link to it...it's in the tutorial.  It's simply adding (2) separate layers, naming one 'highlights' and setting the blending mode to 'color dodge' and naming the other one 'shading' and setting the blending mode to 'color burn'.  Using shades of grey and the paintbrush tool, you will be able to highlight or shade parts that you desire to make them stand out.  I don't know what happened with the grey lines, but your bubbles came out good! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

[LionsDragon]

YES!! Thank you, @lynxster4! I know what my next project is going to be....

 

 

[lynxster4]

You are so welcome @LionsDragon!   You've piqued my curiosity....can't wait to see...hopefully you will post it!  

[lynxster4]

Josh fixed his plugin link for Fuzzy Edge Detector.  I'm removing the Dropbox link in the tutorial post.

Thank you @Joshua Lamusga!