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Very little has changed in stained glass crafting from the time of the Middle Ages.

About the only thing that's really changed has been electricity for the modern soldering iron and the stained glass cutter.

The origins of stained glass date back to early 12th century religious architecture, where artists used glass to pictorialize stories from the Bible.

At Franklin Art Glass Studios in German Village, just south of downtown Columbus, the tradition of working with stained glass continues.

But for a larger commission, which would include quite a number of windows, we'll make scale drawings, usually an inch to the foot, and from that it will be presented to a committee or study group for approval.

From the presentation drawings, we make the actual cartoon that has all the artwork and any shading that might be done on a traditional painted window, and from there we make two copies of the original cartoon, one to be.

Cut up for patterns, the other to be a working drawing to actually put the window together on.

From the beginning and cutting glass, it's important to block the piece out first.

That is to lay the pattern on a piece of colored glass that you want cut from.

It's important to cut as accurately as possible because if the piece is slightly larger, the piece side it won't fit into place.

The pieces of cut glass are given to the artist who paints detailing needed to define the subject.

Stipple it the points of the bristle.

To touch the glass here through the paint, causing those little dots.

We'll get back to you in a minute.

The painted pieces of glass are carefully placed in a kiln and fired at around 1250 degrees Fahrenheit.

That's good, that's good.

After the glass is removed from the kiln and cooled, it's ready to be glazed or leaded up.

The cartoon becomes a template and the pieces of glass are assembled with strips of lead.

The lead joints are soldered together on both sides of the panel.

How do you move that saw?

Finally, the piece is sealed with a waterproof putty and cleaned.

Color in a stained glass window is really everything.

Also, our eyes go to the light and to shadow.

So we see that contrast very predominantly as we see color.

It is something I think affects everyone real strongly, whether they see the light coming through the glass.

I think that's what I try to do, and that is to paint with light.