Turn Old Windows into Works of Art
Found an old window at a garage sale or saved a keepsake from your grandparents old farmhouse and want to turn it into a sentimental piece of art to hang on your wall? Old windows are becoming a popular decoration piece to hang in almost any room where guests and family gather.
In the sample above, graphic artist Barb McCandless turned a photograph of the Girardin family cabin into a vector graphic. From there we engraved the vector graphic rendition of the cabin directly onto the glass in the window to create this nostalgic piece. We then applied black vinyl to the back of the window and overlayed grey vinyl on top to create a 3-D effect.
With an old window, the options are endless. Combining engraving with vinyl, or even using colored vinyl to create your own unique art allows you to bring together color schemes, favorite expressions, family mottos, and memories in one unique work of art.
In this piece, type, color and art blend together to create a simple, but elegant family conversation piece. Remember when we used to gather here and look through this window? Memories are what drives a lot of window art. Windows from family homesteads, cabins, barns, kitchens, porches, doors and other places can help pull the family traditions and memories together into one piece of art.
Old windows aren't the only art pieces adorning family living rooms these days. Old barn doors, wooden logs and slabs of siding from the old family place can be engraved or have old family photos printed on specially treated metal, wood or ceramic pieces and mounted on the wooden piece to create a custom, one-of-a-kind, family memorabilia.
You don't have to be artistic to create a stunning wall hanging, but here are some simple caveats to make your piece more attractive.
1. Photos: If you want a photo etched or printed, start with the highest quality photo you can find. We can scan good quality photos, however a high resolution digital version in a PNG or PDF file is preferred. We can also work with CDR, Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator files, but a PNG or PDF covers a broader base and allows us to import your file into a wider range of programs to create the digital affect you are seeking.
2. Resolution: The results will be best if you can supply us with artwork scaled to the size you want it at no less than 300 dpi. Higher resolutions, 600 dpi and 1200 are good. You can alway take away pixels, but you can not add them. Bigger is also better. When you scale your photo, say turning a 2X3 into a 10x12, you will loose resolution and your photo will not be as sharp when you enlarge it. Anything below 300 dpi or those faded old 2 inch by 3 inch family photos, even with extensive editing, is going to be fuzzy and out-of-focus. So if you want a large family photo, the higher the resolution and larger the original picture, the better your results will be.
3. Contrast: For best results for an engraved or printed photo, your photo should have a high amount of contrast between the subject and the background. We can lift a subject out of a background if the color density and contrast is great enough that your subject doesn't blend into the background. Engravings where the background density is close to the subject will turn into a black, or white engraved blob. Think of your photo as a negative as you try to visualize the results when engraved.
4. Expect our artists to have to redraw your artwork or photo if you want a quality vinyl or engraved version and don't have vector artwork.
5. If you have a window you want engraved or vinyl applied to, a clean window will save our staff time and you labor costs.
6. Keep in mind that in order to etch on wood or glass, we have to be able to fit your window or door into our laser bed. Please keep your object to a width of no more than 31 inches. If you have questions or a large object, call us to discuss your project. We would be delighted to discuss your project with you.
7. Allow for frames .... trying to etch too close to a frame results in the arm of the engraving machine bumping against the frame. This can not only dent and ding your frame, but also stop the laser from engraving, creating an incomplete engraving. We recommend that engraved artwork be centered well away from frames. We can look at your window and based on the height of the frame will be able to tell you where an etching can be placed and give you a recommendation as to size of the engraving.
8. Engraving: All glass does not engrave the same. Glass with pits and bubbles may not engrave smoothly or consistently. Rounded glass is extremely difficult to engrave. The same principle applies to warped logs or pieces of salvaged wood. Also old wood may have soft spots which cause it to engrave deeper in some areas. Rough wood will not engrave consistently. High areas in your surface may engrave deeper and low areas may not engrave at all, so keep that in mind when deciding what you want engraved on your piece.
9. Applying color to Wood Engraving: Most woods look fabulous with engraving. Engraving either shows the natural color of the wood, or depending on the type of wood, may burn into the wood giving the engraving a rich dark burned color. We can add color to plaques or wood fabricated in house as the wood we buy has a protective sealant on it that keeps ink from bleeding into the wood. We cannot fill untreated wood with ink or color filling as bare wood will absorb the color. If you bring a piece of coated wood in, please know what product the wood was sealed or coated with. Some coatings give off toxic fumes when engraved or can catch on fire.
10. And finally --- less is more. The simple designs with 3 or fewer elements and one main focal point are as a rule the most attractive and easy to look at. Too many family memories crammed into one piece can make your art dizzy, confusing and less pleasant to look at. As you think about your piece, think of what you want to stand out. What is the most important part? What means the most to you and what will mean the most to your family or friend?
