Materials: glass, glass paint, paintbrush, paint-lightening

Industry sector: interior design

Controlled: analogue, digital

history: In the 14th-century innovative glass painting techniques and tools were used to create groundbreaking artworks. Badger hair brush was used to soften the paint but also to produce a stippled effect that was achieved with a pouncing of a dry brush onto the wet paint. Silver stain technique, that's very much in use today is another 14th-century invention that revolutionized the medieval glass painting artistry. Unlike classical glass painting techniques that were limited only to the inner glass, the silver stain was applied to the outside of the glass. This method was characterized by adding a compound of silver into the glass, that would once baked, change the color of the surface. Depending on the firing temperature and thickness of the application the glass would change its color from any shade between pale yellow and deep orange. It wasn't until the 16th century until glass painting colors that we know today appeared. These paints called enamels, made of pigmented metal oxides, ground glass, and a flux mixed with water and gum arabic or lavender oil can be fired directly on the surface of the glass. Enamels basically behave as any other paint, they can be mixed to produce an array of shades and applied with brushes directly on the glass. With the discovery of enamels, the artists could now use all colors from the spectrum on a single piece of glass which enables them to create a variety of shapes, forms, and patterns. For more complex designs enamels can be applied in layers and fired several times which provides a better sense of control, making the colors less see-through and smudged and more vibrant.