There are few art forms in the world that have the mystique of stained glass. If you travel around the world, you will see breathtaking examples of stained glass throughout the world. It doesn't matter if you are in an old victorian home, a school, or a religious building, you can see wonderful examples of this spectacular art no matter where you go and where you are. Fortunately, this art form has stood the test of time as many artists continue to tradition of creating spectacular art pieces. One of the reasons that holds people back from learning this art form is that they think it's more difficult than it actually is, which is completely easy to understand. But, once you begin, its a very easy artform to get the hang of. Here are some of the tools needed to get started with a basic project.

One of the first thing you need to create something beautiful is the stained glass itself! Spectrum Glass is the standard in the glass industry. It's the most widely used glass and for a good reason, it's quality and is easy to work with. They also come in a wide variety of textures and colors so you always have a lot to work with. The other advantage to using Spectrum is that most pattern software programs that you can work with have spectrum glass loaded in, so you can design your pattern using the available colors from Spectrum.

The next tool you'll likely need is a good stained glass cutting tool. The name is somewhat misleading because the tool doesn't do the actual cutting, it only scores the glass which you will break eventually. You can spend a little or a lot on a stained glass cutter and they will vary in size and shape. You basically use the traditional ones for your standard cuts, but you can also get higher end cutters that can cut cirlces, are easiler to work with, and ones that have different sized blades.

A stained glass grinder is another lifesaver that most artists will invest in relatively quickly after they've started their first project and determined they are in it for the long haul. You can get some basic models that are for starters for under $60 dollars and they work really well. The purpose of the grinder is to smooth out any rough edges right after you've broke the glass with a rough cut. While it's not exactly necessary to have a higher end stained glass grinder early on, its a nice thing that most artists will invest in off the bat.

Other than those tools, there are some minor supplies that you probably want to pickup when you progress. A good option might be to check out buying a newbie's stained glass starters kit and then you get the whole lot of tools for one low bargain price, they will give you everything you need to begin. Once you start getting a little farther down the road, you can check out some cool tools like the ones that are put out by Morton Glass Works. They have a number of tools that make the glass artists life a little easier. So there you go.When you see those churches and impressive works, its easy to get intimidated, but remember that everyone has to start somewhere!