Transparent Dreams Stained Glass & Beveled Glass

The Commission Process

Hello and welcome to my Commission Process page. Whether you're thinking about commissioning stained glass or commissioning beveled glass from me or from another glass artist or studio, this page should help you to understand the discussions that the studio and client engage in when deciding how a stained or beveled glass artwork will look and what it will ultimately cost. If you think I've left out anything about how to buy stained glass, please contact me.

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The Distance Factor:

If you live in or near Denver, Colorado, the process of commissioning stained or beveled glass would be different than if you do not. I meet in person with most clients within a 100-mile radius of Denver. Outside of this area, I could either [1] come to your home or office (or wherever the artwork would eventually reside) if the project is large in scope (at your expense), or [2] engage you in these same discussions by phone or email. For most of my Internet clients, working by phone or email is satisfactory and preferable. Either of these options works well for me. I have completed many commissions for residential, commercial, and liturgical settings, and I have had equal success with clients who live near me as with those who do not.

When a commission must be shipped to clients that do not live near my studio, there is a significant additional cost for sturdy crating and insured shipping of the artwork(s). This sometimes makes smaller commissions financially unfeasible to do when the client lives far from my studio. I am open and honest in advising clients of the feasibility of any commission. If I convey to you that the amount you wish to spend may be too little to cover all of the costs of the artwork you wish to commission (including shipping), my suggestion would be to try to find a local artisan that can accommodate your needs. My Craftsmanship page is a must-read for those who will need to or wish to find another glass artisan.

Factors That Determine the Cost:

The cost of a commission in glass depends on the size of the artwork, but even more on the intricacy of the design (the more intricate the design, the more time required to create the artwork). Occasionally, a certain color, type, or texture of glass may significantly influence the cost of an artwork. You've probably heard of cobalt blue glass... that's a glass in which cobalt is the element that produces the royal blue color you've always associated with the words "cobalt blue". Well, some pink glasses are colored with gold, and some other colored glasses are colored with other costly elements. Although choosing a more expensive glass such as these can affect the cost of a stained glass artwork after the design and price are submitted, [1] most of the glass samples I show clients fall into a normal price range and are accounted for in the price quote that accompanies each design, and [2] the increase in price from choosing an expensive glass is usually in the range of $20 to $50, not very significant when compared to the cost of my labor. Other factors that might affect a price quote are when a client chooses to include beveled glass, glass "jewels", or a glass that is expensive because its a hand blown glass. I always try to include all of the options that a client and I have discussed in every quote I give, but some options are chosen later in the commission process and require the cost of the artwork to be adjusted. In general, before I would quote you a preliminary estimate of the cost of the proposed artwork, I would ask you a series of questions that would reveal and prioritize your desires, needs, and constraints concerning the project. Once I have some idea of the style and level of intricacy you have in mind, I would give you a preliminary quote. Subsequent scale drawings that I would produce would each have an exact price accompanying them.

Here is some information that might help you to better understand the relationship between what you get and what it costs.

$90 to $120 per square foot For the very simplest of designs (based completely or primarily on straight lines, sometimes with a few simple geometric shapes or soft curves). Simple can be nice!

$120 to $180 per square foot Most of my commissions (residential and commercial) fall into this "mid-priced" range, including designs that are not-too-simple and not-too-intricate.

More than $180 per square foot There really is no upper limit for the most intricate designs... I have created artworks for $500 to $1000 per square foot. Unless you specify otherwise, I would assume that you aren't thinking of anything in this price range!

Let's get even more specific...

You can return to the "artworks for sale" section of my Gallery, where you will be able to view examples of artworks incorporating different levels of intricacy and the price ranges they fall into. This is a good place to start since even the thumbnail images are accompanied by prices.

Or, you can use the following links to go directly to pages that show artworks that fall into different price ranges. For example, Bevels w/ Blue, Concentrics, and Clearly Abstract are examples of artworks that fall into a $120 to $160 per square foot price range (although, in "Bevels w/ Blue," the wholesale cost of the bevels would be added on to the square foot price). Come On In, Colorful Entryway, Ribbons of Lace, and Lollipop Jungle #1 would fall into a $160 to $250 per square foot range. Art Nouveau, Giselle, Study for My Lady, and The Pantry would fall into a price range greater than $250 per square foot.

One final noteworthy factor in pricing...

The price per square foot drops significantly as the total number of square feet rises.

This happens for two reasons...

It's much more efficient to do large projects than it is to do small ones. This is because some of the costs you will be paying me for are more or less fixed, regardless of the size of the commission. Examples of these fixed costs are [a] time spent talking to clients, [b] time spent developing designs, [c] time spent purchasing materials, [d] time spent shipping or installing the finished commission. To elaborate further on just one of these examples... I spend about the same amount of time buying supplies from my local wholesale supply outlet for a large commission as for a small one. So this cost is a smaller percentage of a big commission than it is for a small commission. Note: This also leads to another phenomenon: while more intricate designs certainly do cost more than less intricate designs, it often seems to customers like they're getting "more for their money" than with smaller or less intricate commissions. This occurs because once the fixed costs are paid for, all of the additional dollars invested by the customer go for time spent in the studio by me, the artist, and that time spent translates into intricacy of design.
The level of intricacy per square foot is generally less with larger commissions. Take a design... any design. Now double the size of the proposed stained glass commission. Does doubling the size double the price? No. That's because blowing up the design to twice the original size significantly reduces the intricacy of the design per square foot. The individual pieces are now twice as large, resulting in a design that has half as many pieces per square foot. For example, a design that costs $250 per square foot in a 2 foot by 2 foot size (4 square feet times $250 = $1000) might only cost $180 per square foot in a 3 foot by 3 foot size (9 square feet times $180 = $1620). The size went up by 225% but the cost only went up by 162%. A veritable bargain... Yes?

There is one more thing to consider about cost... The most helpful piece of information you can give me is the maximum amount that you want to spend. Knowing this allows me to subtract the shipping costs - for non-locals - and determine whether I can do what you want for the remaining amount. It also allows me to make informed suggestions on how to stay within that amount.

In my many years of doing this, it has become apparent that many people are hesitant to tell me the maximum amount they are willing to spend. I think it's because they're afraid that I won't show them any designs that cost less or I will show them a design worth less but charge them the maximum they said they'd want to spend. Other artisans or studios might do this, but I never would. One of the things I like best about what I do is that I do not have to manipulate or cheat anyone in the course of making a living. If you will trust me with knowing the maximum amount you'll be willing to spend, I will still make suggestions that could save you money, still do drawings that may cost less than your maximum, and - no matter what I design for you - I will never tack on an inflated price tag. So... decide what you want to spend, and then give careful consideration to your feelings about giving me that information. There is no piece of information that makes the design process more efficient.

Design Issues:

To expedite the discussion of your desires, needs, and constraints, begin to think and gather information about the following issues and questions. Any glass artist you commission will need information regarding the issues listed below in order to give you an accurate preliminary price estimate. READ MY LIPS -- I CAN'T GIVE YOU AN ACCURATE QUOTE WITHOUT YOU PROVIDING ME WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ISSUES, so please don't email or call me for a quote without having first gathered (written down) information pertaining to what you are about to read. Even knowing which of the following issues are not applicable to your particular situation is useful information. Doing this ahead of time will help by not forcing me to write out a list of questions for which you have given me no or too little input!

Here we go...

1) How many panels do you need, and what are the shape and size of each panel?

The number of panels you'll need is easy to determine. The shapes and sizes are a bit harder to determine. I will try to explain that in detail.

Most windows are square or round or rectangular. For square or rectangular windows, you can send me measurements. For round or other shaped windows, it may be necessary to make a paper template of the window to send me. This is because a round window is rarely perfectly round and an octagonal window is rarely a true octagon. If making a pattern becomes necessary, I will walk you thorough that by phone or email.

The sizes of the stained or beveled glass panels I will make for you will depend on the way you will mount them, so I will discuss mounting options before discussing taking measurements.

Mounting:

There are three basic mounting options, and each one has a picture below to illustrate what I am writing. All three options assume that the stained glass will be mounted on the interior side of the clear glass WITHOUT REMOVING THE EXISTING GLASS. This has the advantages of [1] allowing me to produce a cleaner looking window, [2] reducing the cost since I usually won't have to weatherproof (putty) the window, [3] saving you or I the sometimes impossible but generally difficult task of removing the existing clear glass, and [4] allowing you to remove the stained or beveled glass should that ever be a desirable option.

Option #1

Here, there is a quarter-round molding on the inside onto which the stained glass panel will be mounted. The illustration below show the molding to be wider than the thickness of the stained glass panel, but this is not always necessary. There only needs to be enough of a lip for the stained glass panel to sit on, and that lip could be less than the 1/4 inch width of the stained glass panel.

The stained glass sits on the quarter-round molding and is held in place with brads - tiny finishing nails - spaced about every 4 to 6 inches around the entire outside edge of the panel. A bead of caulk is then applied around the entire edge of the stained glass panel to block out any light coming in around the edge of the panel. Use white caulk for white window sashes, some shade of brown caulk to match a wood color, or a caulk call "dark bronze" to match the dark metal window sashes used today on many windows in commercial settings. Be careful to apply the caulk sparingly and carefully - especially the non-white colors - as a messy application can be difficult to clean up.

It is easy to see where the measurements will need to be taken for Mounting Option #1.

Option #2

Here, a decorative molding is used on the inside of the existing window. The stained glass panel will be mounted in the "dip" of the molding. It may be a lip-like dip, or just a smoothe depression in the molding, as shown in the illustration above.

The panel[s] are held in with brads, just as in Mounting Option #1. But unlike Option #1, the bead of caulk is optional in this type of mounting because the stained glass panel and the molding will overlap. This means that if you mount the stained glass tightly and precisely, no light should come in around the stained glass panel. You could still choose to use a bead of caulk with Option #2 if the panel does not fit tightly enough and light still peeks in around the stained glass panel, or if you simply think that it will look better to fill the slight gap between the stained glass panel and the decorative molding. This decision will probably depend on the shape of your decorative molding, so I would mount the panel[s] first and then decide if a bead of caulk is necessary. If so, use the info about caulk spelled out in Option #1 to select the right color and to apply it correctly.

Measurements for this type of mounting are a bit tricky, but simply decide where the stained glass will likely "sit" on the molding and measure the openings out to that point.

Option #3

This mounting option is usually possible only where the window is not yet built when the inclusion of stained or beveled glass is decided upon. Here the contractor who is bulding the window makes and third molding that will separate the stained glass from the clear glass. Although I have shown a quatrer-round molding in the illustration, any molding type is ok as long as the one separateing the stained glass from the clear glass is a simple rectangular molding.

The usual caulking is done to the clear glass, but the stained glass should need no additional caulking. If you are having this type of mounting done, have your contractor fully install and "finish" the middle molding with stain or paint to match the inner and outer moldings. The interior moldings should also be made and finished, but not fully installed, as you will install them after you have mounted the stained glass.

Measurements here should be made of the full opening size, or your contractor can provide you the sizes that were used for the clear glass units.

Once the proper mounting option is selected, use the following information for taking accurate measurements.

Taking Measurements:

Sizes can be approximate during the design phase, but if you are off by an inch or more, the final sizes could change the price I have quoted you. It's best to measure the full size of the openings as accurately as you can.

Final measurements will need to be to the nearest 1/16th", so if you can manage to do that at the start, it will save you the trouble of re-measuring later on. However, approximate measurements are fine too, especially where final measurements are difficult to take such as in windows that are located high up. Also, where the side of a panel is more than 12", multiple measurements will need to be taken, as the openings are often not a true rectangle (clarified in the third illustration below). If you're giving me approximate measurements, one measurement per direction will suffice).

For hanging artworks that will not fill an entire opening or window, give me the full size of the opening or window as well as the size you think you want the artwork to be. This way, I can comment on how I think the proposed size will fit aesthetically into the window or opening and whether I think it should be hung centered or off-center.

For artworks that will fill an entire window or opening, either [1] measure the full opening and tell me that this is the full size of the opening, OR [2] measure the size of the visible glass and tell me that this is what you have done.

If there are multiple openings that make up a single artwork or setting, measure the spaces between the openings or between each of the visible glass panels.

The following drawings may help to clarify taking measurements. The important part is to convey to me what you have done. For example, tell me what mounting option you think will work best for you, and what measurements you are giving me as a result. If you take "opening size" measurements, make sure that I know that. Or, if you are taking "visible glass size" measurements, be sure to tell me that.

In the next illustration, all measurements near the end of a side should be taken within 1 - 2 inches from that end (even though it may appear not to be the case in this drawing). Also, these same rules apply to horizontal and vertical measurements. When you give me multiple measurements, be sure that I will be able to correctly understand what you are giving me. For instance, write something like, "The vertical opening size measurements for Panel number 1 are LEFT: 18 and 1/16 inches, CENTER: 18 and 2/16 inches, and RIGHT: 18 and 1/16 inches, and the horrizontal opening size measurements are..."

2) Do you want the design to depict something (a representational design) or not (a non-representational design)? Examples of representational designs would be flowers, animals, people, scenery, a family crest, a favorite sport, a cultural event or icon, a company logo, etc. A non-representational design would be a "pure" design in a style such as art nouveau, art deco, southwestern, country French, prairie style, mission style, etc.

3) How much privacy do you need to achieve in these windows? Complete, partial, or none at all required.

4) How much daylight do you want to come through the artwork? Some glasses reduce the light coming in quite a lot; other glasses reduce the light very little or not at all. Is this a place where you want lots of daylight so you never have to turn on interior lights during the day? NOTE: The amount of daylight and the amount of privacy are totally independent of one another... some glasses such as textured clear glasses (used in Clearly Abstract or Bevels w/ Blue) allow all the light to come in, but provide varying degrees of privacy from partial privacy to complete privacy.

5) How much color or lack of color do you want? Artworks can have any amount of color from totally colored glasses to totally clear glasses, and any combination in between those good-looking extremes. How much color will look best for the setting you have in mind? Do you want the light coming in to be "white light," in other words, uncolored light? Too much colored glass (especially bright colors) can sometimes give the interior space a church-like feeling, coloring the walls (especially white walls) too much. One very popular solution to this is to use some amount of textured clear glass, such as the main background glass, and use colored glasses sparingly or use glasses with muted colors. This is not to say that glass artworks cannot be mostly (or totally) colored glasses. It just means that these are the considerations that come into play when deciding on an art glass look. I try, in all cases, to take in what the client wants and find a way to accomplish their desires in an elegant and tasteful way. Stained or beveled glass art can even be completely colorless, using all textured clear glasses (with or without beveled glass). See my gallery page for examples of all of these variations, from colorless to some color to a lot of color to completely colored. If you want to send me info on specific colors, go here to see the codes for a number of colors that show up well on computer monitors. This information will help me to add proper colors to designs I create for you. And don't worry, the final glasses we choose for the artwork will be much more lively, having many variations in color and texture (no computer generated colors could ever adequately convey the beauty of real glass).

6) Do you want to match anything? Many aspects of the environment can be incorporated into the artwork, including the architectural style, interior design style, wallpaper, tile, fabrics, color scheme, outdoor landscaping, etc.

7) Where and how will the artwork be mounted? Hanging pieces come ready to hang with plenty of braided wire and eye hooks to mount into the top of your window's sash (larger/longer hooks may need to be purchased if the window sash is plaster or wallboard... the crucial aspect is to insure that the threads on the screw part of the hooks get up through the plaster or wallboard and into something solid [usually wood] above).

Artworks that fill an entire space are mounted in a more permanent fashion. Mounting in an interior transom or on opening in a wall or above a half-wall (that is, all settings that are not in an actual window to the outside environment) pose no special problems, and mounting can be achieved in almost any manner that the client wishes.

Mounting stained or beveled glass panels in a window to the outside environment brings up the question of whether or not to remove the existing glass

8) What do you wish to spend? Although some people object to telling me this up front (before they get a quote from me), it can be VERY helpful information. Knowing what you wish to spend helps me to suggest ideas in your price range that will be unique, elegant, and able to achieve your other functional and artistic desires. Although I prefer to have a rough idea of the acceptable price range before beginning to create designs, I am also comfortable working with clients who would rather I give them a more "spontaneous" price quote after gathering as much other relevant info as possible.

9) Where do you live? I can't give you an accurate quote without knowing if you are local to me and I will be installing the artworks myself, or you live somewhere far from me and I will need to get an accurate quote from my shipper. I cannot give an accurate quote without a zip code!

The Design Phase:

Once we have begun to answer these questions, you must decide if you like the mental picture I am painting of what I will make for you in exchange for the ballpark price that I am quoting you. If so, your saying "okay, let's proceed" will send me to my computer to design one or more exact scale drawings of the ideas that we have discussed. I do not charge an up-front design fee for small to average sized commissions. I need only your sincere verbal commitment that I am the "chosen artist" before I will invest my time in the design of your project. I charge a design fee up front if the commission is large or complex. In that case, I would quote you the exact design fee, which you would pay prior to my beginning the design phase. This fee would be subtracted from the final price quoted for the project.

(This seems like a good time to remind you that EVERY DESIGN I SHOW A CLIENT IS MY COPYRIGHTED POSSESSION AND MAY NOT BE SHOWN TO ANY OTHER GLASS ARTISTS OR STUDIOS WITHOUT MY EXPLICIT CONSENT.)

I design on my computer, allowing me to post your design[s] to a private web page where you can go and see them. The design process includes making changes to the drawings (or producing new designs depicting altogether new ideas) until you are totally satisfied with the "final" designs. Each design will always be accompanied by an exact price and a description of the particulars relating to that design (bevels, other options, etc.). For commissions near Denver, delivery and installation would be included in the prices quoted. For commissions not near Denver, all quotes would include either [1] remote delivery and installation [that is, installed by me], or [2] shipping to your location [and installation by you or by some professional contractor or glazer near you]. On any project where I am not the installer, I will always be willing to consult about the installation with you or whomever will be doing the installation.

Once a design is selected as "final" (that is, no more revisions are necessary), we would concentrate on the selection of the glasses (colors and textures). While many clients trust me to choose that actual glasses [after we have fully discussed their wants and desires in that area], I could send you samples to choose from, or direct you to a local glass wholesaler or retailer so that you can see larger examples of available colors and textures. At that point, I would also look at my schedule and give you an accurate time estimate for completing the commission.

Just below is a sample design I did recently for a client who found me on the internet. She was authorized to act on behalf of a kindergarten class somewhere in the midwest, and they had $500.00 to spend. Their school emblem is a comet, but they only had some too-simplistic clipart to copy. So, we opted for an artistic and colorful comet that I would design. I also had to incorporate the school colors, which were green and purple, and the artwork had to have some appropriate lettering that she sent me:

This design is also an example of something I get asked to do often: LETTERING. Corporate incentives, wall art installations, personalized gifts, company logos, religious art... these are all examples of the many stained glass projects that might require lettering. Lettering can be done in three ways, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. They are:

Option 1 - Doing the letters in pieces of glass. An example of my work showing this can be seen here. This is the most expensive way to do lettering because it is the most labor-intensive. It also has the drawback of having to break up the background pieces of glass into shapes that can be cut, resulting in additional leadlines that can sometimes overpower the look of the lettering. This is not usually a problem with large lettering or with most of the simpler fonts, but it can be difficult to do well - and therefore expensive - in artworks that are small, in artworks where the letters themselves are small, and in artworks where the font is complex or script-like. The situations I just listed can even make it impossible to do the lettering this way, or price it out of the client's budget, or produce lettering that would not be effective because of limited read-ability caused by the letters themselves or the need for too many background lines.
Option 2 - Sandblasting the letters into flash glass. An example of my work showing this can be seen here. Flash glass is two thin layers of glass fused together into a single sheet of glass. Most often the two layers are one colored layer and one clear or white layer. By sandblasting through one layer, the other layer can be seen. For example, the word "Porsche" seen at the link above uses a red-on-clear flash glass. This method has the advantages of being permanent like Option 1, and that more fonts than Option 1 can be done with this method. It is also less expensive than Option 1, but not much so.
Option 3 - Using a sign shop to computer-cut the letters from sticky vinyl.I am doing more and more of this, and I am recommending it for more and more projects because its use has been so successful. It's great for small artworks because fine detail is possible without background leadlines overpowering the look of the lettering. Two other advantages are that almost all fonts are possible and that the lettering can be done in many colors besides black. This kind of lettering is not totally permanent, which is a drawback to some and a plus to others. Sure... you want it to be "permanent" for the next 60 years, but after that who will really want to own a stained glass artwork that thanks Great Great Great Uncle Harry for a job well done? Vinyl lettering could stay on for 60 years, and then it could be removed, giving new life to a beautiful stained glass artwork that no longer thanks whats-his-name. Or, it could be ideal for a sign in a shop that might not stay in business forever. Then, too, it could function in a new way after serving its original purpose. The drawing of the comet, above, utilizes vinyl lettering. In this situation, where the budget constraints of the kindergarten class ruled out the other possible options, the need for lettering could only have been done with this option.

And here is the photo of the completed comet artwork, including the custom design, the school colors, the frame, and the lettering.

The Contract Phase:

Before beginning the project, I would submit a final drawing or invoice that would state all of the glasses chosen, specialty options to be included, and the methods of construction to be used. Also included would be the date of completion, the method of delivery and/or installation, any applicable taxes, and the terms of payment. This final document, once signed by both the client and myself, would serve as a binding contract, protecting the interests of both parties. For relatively small commissions, the web page where I have posted designs for the client to review usually serves as the "contract", and we proceed with mutual trust rather than a signed formal contract. Anyone not comfortable with this has only to request a signed contract, and I will gladly comply.

My "terms of payment" are [1] for local commissions: 50% down and the balance upon installation, and [2] for clients whose artworks are shipped to them: 50% down and the balance just prior to shipping the artwork(s). In the latter case, I post an actual photo of the completed artwork to the client's URL, allowing them to see that the work has, indeed, been completed as per our contract. Once I receive their final payment, I ship the artwork(s) immediately (insured, of course). The only time the terms of payment would vary from the above is when a commission is very large and would warrant multiple interim payments. In that case, the terms would be spelled out completely in a formal, written contract that would be signed by both parties.

Go hereto see a page I posted recently for a client who wanted a free-hanging artwork depicting her show horse named "Time to Dream." Here again was the desire for lettering, only this time the client chose sandblasting. You will see that her web page contains the initial drawings I did from her input, the terms of our contract, and a photo of the completed artwork that I added to the page after I had completed the artwork. Once she saw that the artwork had been completed, she sent me the final payment. Upon receiving the final payment, I immediately shipped the artwork to her (well crated and insured, of course). Nowadays, I also offer electronic payments (credit card or bank transfer) through PAYPAL, an immediate payment option with guaranteed security. This option costs 3% more as I don't think it's right to figure it into all of my prices when some people pay by check and so should not be charged for that service.

Remember:

If you intend to get quotes from glass artists or studios who live in your area or from other glass artists or studios on the internet (other than myself), proceed carefully! There are a lot of studios and individuals who produce poor craftsmanship and/or who only "borrow" design ideas from books and other non-original sources. Usually, for the same amount of money spent, you can get an artist or studio who develops original designs and produces precision-crafted artworks. You just have to spend a bit more time interviewing and choosing (from an educated place) the artist or studio that will create your artworks. I, for instance, offer only my own original designs and my craftsmanship is the very highest quality. The craftsmanship is a particularly essential aspect to be aware of. Poorly crafted glass may start to show structural problems within a few years. Well-crafted work should last almost indefinitely with no structural problems. Poor craftsmanship also looks sloppy and disjointed up close. Well-crafted work looks clean and precise. See my Craftsmanship Page to get the quick education you will need in order to tell good craftsmanship from bad.

So there you have it... Feel free to contact me [1] when you want to discuss further the wondrous possibilities of a custom designed artwork, or [2] with questions that I may not have answered adequately here. I welcome and reply to all those who contact me.

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$90 to $120 per square foot	For the very simplest of designs (based completely or primarily on straight lines, sometimes with a few simple geometric shapes or soft curves). Simple can be nice!
$120 to $180 per square foot	Most of my commissions (residential and commercial) fall into this "mid-priced" range, including designs that are not-too-simple and not-too-intricate.
More than $180 per square foot	There really is no upper limit for the most intricate designs... I have created artworks for $500 to $1000 per square foot. Unless you specify otherwise, I would assume that you aren't thinking of anything in this price range!