[Winter Lights Festival]Get your Glass on (e'rrybody)

by **Flicker** on February 6th, 2011, 9:48 pm

The morning of the forty fourth started the stained glass competition with little ado; Kaden, the man announcing the contest, was as excited as everyone else to get to work on a submission. These creative souls would get their reward when their work was showcased in front of the entire mountain. The Stained Glass Gallery was open and full of helpers having finished setting up glass stations moving on to setting up for the next day’s events. Just barely peeking in, the sun hit the beautiful glass set into the walls, giving participants plenty of inspiration for their own smaller endeavors.

Kaden waited behind a desk, and as everyone filtered in and the group seemed to swell as large as it was going to, he stood and jingled a small, intricately engraved bell. The sound emitted at a volume that wasn’t possible from such a teeny tool. Its ringing harmony brought the gathering to a hush at the same time people started filing up behind him in a bouncy throng.

“Good morning, I’m excited to put down my responsibilities for the day to compete with you all. Behind me stand the master glass artisans in Skyinarta. Each unskilled participant can come choose one to work with. Friends, acquaintances, strangers, it doesn’t matter. They’ve agreed to kill two elk with one stone by competing and helping even the most unskilled do so as well—no matter the caste,” he gave a somewhat dark look to the crowd. “Everyone has a fair and even opportunity here, understand?

After you’ve figured out your partnerships, you may pick a table and start sketching out your designs. When you’re ready to create, all the materials necessary are organized off to the side here. On each table is quill, ink and parchment, everything else you’ll have to grab. We foresee no problem with supplying all contestants with tools. The only limitations are that you must have your work submitted by dusk tomorrow and that it must be within two and nine square feet. The winner will be determined by votes cast after each piece is showcased in light tomorrow night.”

Kaden immediately turned and pointed at one of his good friends, an elderly lady renown for her skill in stained glass. “Sorry everyone, rank hath its privileges,” he remarked with a grin, letting himself be led off by the hand toward a workstation by her. This was one of the few events the Valintar allowed himself to compete it, so it was one of the rare times that he dropped his reserved role as leader and let himself mingle freely.

With that unorthodox start of ceremonies, the competition was on! The work tables were there, the glass cutters, the panes in more colors than anyone knew the names of, solder, everything.

Secret :

by **Ronin** on February 11th, 2011, 9:35 pm

Ronin entered the work areas with renewed vigor. The pain of his recent incident with the Endal was starting to subside and he had finally decided on a design. Ronin was still disappointed that he would not be able to work with his master this year, but he was relieved to know that other expert glass workers would be there to help him. He walked over to an older gentleman, perhaps in his late forties. The man was simply standing in the corner watching as everyone hurried around to partner up with the most notable glass blowers. He scoffed at how so many flocked to just a few when there were many who were just as talented as those whom everyone knew.

At first the older man didn't even notice Ronin approach him.
"Excuse me, sir." Ronin said respectfully.
"Hello, son. I suppose you are looking for a partner, aren't you?" The man asked.
"Yes, I am. And I would be honored to have you guide me through this competition." Ronin smiled, trying to crack through the man's rough exterior.
"My name is Ronin, I am an apprentice to one of the Avora, but he has fallen ill and couldn't compete today." Ronin added.
"Hm.. I guess you seem capable. Do you have a design in mind already?" The other man said plainly.
"Oh, and I'm Vord."
"Yes, I have a design. I can draw it for you if you want." Ronin's excitement was poorly contained. but Vord didn't mind too much, it was the Winter Lights Festival after all.

Ronin and Vord made their way over to an empty table. Ronin quickly grabbed the ink and quill and a piece of paper. His drawing was rough, as he wasn't a skilled artist, but it conveyed the idea he had in his mind. Vord took a long look at it and rubbed his chin slightly in contemplation.
"Alright, it looks doable."
He said as he flipped the paper over and started writing on the other side. Once Vord was done he handed it to Ronin, and he looked to see what it was. It was a list of all the supplies they would need to complete the piece.
"Go over there and get these things. When you come back we can get started."
Vord said as he pointed at the tables of supplies.

It took Ronin nearly half an hour to find all the things on the list and get around the other competitors to get the items. Struggling to hold all of it, Ronin often bobbled and dropped things, this caused him to have to go back for some of the stuff twice. When he finally had it all he returned to Vord and placed the heap on the table in front of him. Vord picked through the supplies, seeing nothing missing, he handed some tools to Ronin.
"Get started on the frame, and I'll start staining the glass. When you are done you can cut the pieces and I'll help you attach them to the frame."
Vord said while pulling out the supplies he needed and walking toward the batch oven.

Ronin did as Vord said and started working on a frame. Based on his drawing, he bent thin metal strips into the shape of his design. Ronin had done this before with his master, but the curved shape of the flames was something he struggled with. It was over five hours before he had finished the frame and Ronin has thoroughly worn out by the end. Regardless, he walked the frame over to Vord. Vord was just removing the last glass pane from the fire, his face now covered in sweat and smoke. Ronin carried the panes one at time from the furnace to the table while Vord examined his frame to make sure there weren't any flaws. Ronin marveled at the great color Vord had gotten in the glass. To think, just hours before these colors were simple compounds of Iron, Gold, Selenium, and Copper. His thoughts were interrupted by Vord's voice.
"Very good, I haven't seen a frame like this from a novice such as yourself in quite some time."
This was the first time Ronin saw Vord smile and he felt quite proud of himself.
"Thank you, sir. I just hope we can finish it on time." Ronin thought about how long it had taken him to build the frame, and hoped it hadn't set them back.
"Don't worry, we're right on schedule. We might even get some sleep tonight."
Vord reassured him with a pat on the back.

The next step was to get the glass cut. Accurate cuts could make or break a piece like this, and Ronin knew the outcome of his glass was in his hands at this point. He grabbed the diamond tipped cutter started to score the glass. He was careful to cut thin straight lines at each of the measurements. Vord watched carefully, giving him constant instruction and reminders. Ronin was tired, but he did his best to keep his hand steady. Ever so slowly, he scored each and every piece they needed. The glass was fairly thin so he didn't need to use anything bigger than the little cutting tool. Now came the test, he had to break the glass and hope it cracked along the lines he had cut. He didn't need Vord's help breaking the glass, as this was something he had done plenty of times as an apprentice. To his astonishment, with Vord's help, he has cut all but two of the pieces correctly. And luckily, they had extra glass in those colors. It took little time to remedy his mistakes and they were on their way.

"Time for the grinder" Vord said. So Ronin started collecting up the pieces of glass and followed him off to the grinder. Together, they ground down the edges of each piece until the were perfectly smooth. This process took a long time but Ronin found it rather boring. Regardless, he stayed vigilant not to make a mistake. After what seemed like forever, the would done smoothing out the pieces and it was back to the work table to get the pieces ready for assembly.

Next, they would have to attach thin copper leaf to each of the pieces of glass and then solder them to the frame. This was a process that Ronin needed much help with. He had only done this once and that had turned out to be a disaster. Vord was more than willing to help with this part. With each piece they would test to make sure it fit in the frame properly and then Vord would overlay the copper onto the glass. They did this with each piece, no matter how small. While Vord was doing some of the last pieces, Ronin began heating the iron rod that would be used to heat the solder.

Vord insisted that Ronin be the one to solder the pieces to the frame, despite Ronin's objections. Getting a single line of solder along each joint was something that could make or break the look of a piece. It was also something Ronin didn't trust himself to do properly. If he held the rod too close to the solder he could make the line to thin and the pieces could fall apart, but too far apart and he would end up with little dots of solder and not one consistent line. Against what he thought was his better judgement, Ronin took the solder wire and the heated metal rod and began melting the solder onto the copper. Vord watched for a short time, but seeing Ronin's difficulty he decided to help a little. He placed his hand over Ronin's and guided it at the right speed and distance from the glass.

This painstaking process took them well into the night. When they were done Ronin beamed with pride at his work. He had bordered the piece with blocks of Red, Green and Gold. In the center he tried to depict the battle between the cold outside and the fire of Priskil. He did this with red and orange flames on the one side. These licked across the center of the piece and into the light blue and white of the winter and snow on the other side. The piece measured just over four feet by six fear. It was the best piece he had ever made and he had high hopes for it in the competion. Vord, smiled silently as he watch Ronin bask in the pride of his work.

By now it was quite late and they both turned in for a little sleep. The next morning they returned and Vord got right to work on his piece. Ronin assisted in any way Vord asked, but he had much less to do with this work. This was Vord's piece and Ronin would only hinder the master glass worker in trying to finish it quickly. They both turned in their pieces at about four o'clock that day, and waited for the judging to begin.

OOCSorry, I know the picture isn't very good but I hope it gives a general idea of what I was going for.

by **Feyra** on February 11th, 2011, 11:25 pm

Feyra entered the Stained Glass Gallery brimming with excitement. Her mind was full of idea for designs, all of them of different colours and difficulties. She spotted a master she’d previously studied under and watched as the woman moved to a table with a young student. A frown creased her brow; she was silly to think that she’d be able to make a panel on her own in the allotted time. Sure, she could probably make one, but it would be clumsy and unrefined, and most likely late.

With the realisation that she should probably find a master to work with, she focused her attention on the loose grouping of experts. One caught her eye and gave a smile. Feyra slowly approached him, and he spoke before she had the chance.
"I suppose you’ll be wanting a partner then?"
Slightly taken aback Feyra nodded. "Yes, yes I would. My name is Feyra."
The man nodded, "Very good." He then proceeded to move towards a table, and Feyra followed suit. The man began to organise things as soon as the reached their station, handing the paper and quill to her. "My name is Aon. I presume you have a design already?"

She gave him a nod and took the paper, before sketching down her favourite design. When she handed it to Aon, he scrutinised it for a brief moment and then gave a curt nod. "Very good. Now, materials."
Together the two headed over to the supplies and gathered up all the necessary equipment. It took some time, as Aon seemed to be very selective about the materials he used; each item was thoroughly examined.

Upon their return, laden with equipment, Aon immediately sprang into action.
"You can make frames yes?" Feyra nodded and grabbed some metal strips. Seemingly satisfied, Aon collected various materials and set off, presumably to stain the glass they’d need.

A frown worked its way onto Feyra’s brow as she worked. Getting smooth curves out of the metal was something she’d always had trouble with. Sure she could bend the metal into a curve easy enough, but it would usually turn out flawed, with kinks or bends that she just couldn’t remove. This time, she worked slowly, gradually easing and shaping the metal how she wanted, referring to her drawing more times than was probably necessary. It took her a good 3 or 4 Bells, with Aon’s interrupting her every so often to enquire on colours, or to see how she was getting on.

When she finally placed the last of the strips into place, a happy sigh escaped her. They were the cleanest curves she’d ever bent, and she was proud of herself. She looked round for Aon, and he motioned to her to help him carry panes. She was thrilled with what he had produced, and was especially excited about the panes they would be using for sky. She voiced a concern to him on the way back to their table.
"I’m afraid that bending the strips has given me a shaky hand. I don’t know if my cuts will be smooth enough."
Aon smiled."Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll be more than adequate for what we need."

Even so, Feyra insisted that Aon watch her closely. Her hand was slightly shaky, just as she thought, but with time and care, her cuts grew finer. Pausing for a moment, and placing her cutter back on the table she looked at Aon. He was skilfully cutting the smaller sections of glass they would need. She marvelled at how he cut with speed, while maintaining the precision of a slow and careful hand.

The grinder was something that Feyra was more comfortable with. When their cuts were complete, Aon helped her carry the panels over, and watched intently as she began to smooth the first piece. Once finished, she held it up for his inspection, and smiled when he gave her a nod. Aon took the smoothed piece and carried it back to their table, and Feyra watched for a moment as he began to cut copper strips. With a short thought as to the time, she resumed the monotonous task of grinding.

She had no idea how long it had taken her, but she did know that she could feel the very first hints of tiredness. Steeling herself, she carried the last of the glass to the station, and set them near Aon. He had finished cutting the copper strips, and was waiting for her to measure the panes against her drawing. Satisfied that they were cut to size, Aon began to attach the copper leaf to them. The role of apprentice and master was reversed here, with Feyra helping him. She was still unsure of her skill level when it came to this very delicate process. The last time she had tried on her own, she had messed up the thickness; she just couldn’t keep it even. Needless to say, it was a failed project.

Soldering, however, she was slightly more comfortable with. Aon connected the first couple of pieces, showing her properly the best way to maintain thickness and a steady hand. She refused to solder the larger pieces together though, knowing without doubt that she would mess up on the long lines of solder needed. She managed to connect the smaller pieces of glass together quite satisfactorily though, and Aon gave her a pat on the back.

Night had fallen by the time their piece was complete. Feyra was surprised, as she’s chosen a relatively simple composition. As she gazed upon their handiwork, she worried that it was too simple. It measured approximately five feet by four feet, and the eagle they’d depicted gazed fiercely up at her. She marvelled again at the quality of the staining Aon had done. The sky panes were each a slightly different shade of blue, and even each of these panes had a subtle pattern to them. Almost like the wind had blown swirls into the glass. She smiled. Even if it was a simple design, she was proud of it. She’d presented something that was sacred to the Inarta peoples, and even if she didn’t place, she knew that she had done well.

"It’s high time you returned home Feyra, your eyes are starting to close."
She nodded and bid farewell to Aon, trudging back towards her lodging.

The following day, she watched in awe as Aon completed his own glass pattern. It was far more intricate than the eagle they had created previously, yet he finished it much quicker. She shook her head. She could only dream of being as skilled as he one day.

The two handed their pieces in together shortly after the fifteenth bell, with Feyra attempting to peek at the other entries. Aon quickly told her to wait till the judging, and so, with an ever so slightly disgruntled look, she wandered away to find somewhere to wait.

OOCHopefully, I've done everything right!
It's not the best picture at all, but it gives a general idea of the shapes and basic colours of the glass. I tried to describe the texture in a way. With the sky panels especially, they have a marbled sort of pattern, as it's supposed to try and depict wind. I just couldn't do that with my editing program.