S | 4 | Low-Poly Stained-Glass
Over the next several class meetings, you’ll design and build an original low-poly stained-glass piece in Adobe Illustrator. Blending the traditional storytelling and color of stained glass windows with the modern, geometric facets of low poly art.
Project Idea
| Driving Question | How can we blend the modern aesthetic of low poly art with the traditional craft of stained glass window design using digital tools? |
|---|---|
| Learning Goals | Apply the Pen tool’s corner and smooth points to construct geometric facets; use Join, Simplify, Shape Builder, and Pathfinder to refine and combine paths into a finished composition; apply a resolved color palette that supports the piece’s meaning. |
| Project Summary | Students design an original stained-glass window using low-poly geometric facets, built entirely from vector paths in Adobe Illustrator, starting from their own 4.1–4.3 planning work. |
| Major Products | A finished .ai file and exported portfolio image. Optionally, printed or vinyl-cut window clings showcasing the artwork. |
| Making it Public | Published to each student’s portfolio website. Shared with classmates in a gallery walk. |
| Key Project Documents | General Rubric for Individual Projects (see Resources > Rubrics) |
Project Path
Intro (~15 min, Day 1)
- Recap the historical/cultural significance of stained glass windows and the geometric, faceted nature of low poly art (from 4.1’s analysis).
- Essential Question Brainstorm: What stories or emotions can be conveyed through geometric art?
Research & Set Up (~45 min, Day 1)
- Create a new document matching the settings above.
- Begin translating your 4.3 concept sketch into vector facets, using the Pen tool techniques from 4.2 and the path-refinement tools from 4.4.
Organize (File Management)
- Ensure that Google Drive for Desktop is syncing to your computer.
- Create a Project Directory (Folder) in your Google Drive
Google Drive/My Drive/Digital Design/YYYY-MM PROJECT NAME - Try to keep all of your project files for this project together, so your work is not interrupted due to technical issues.
Storing all your files in the /Downloads folder in your computer is a BAD idea. If any of these files are lost/deleted you will have to reconnect them. Put them in your project folder directly. This will also be helpful in the event of any computer issues.
- In your project directory, maintain subdirectories for every category of resource you will be using.
| YYYY-MM Project Name |
| 📁 Graphics |
| 📁 Sketches |
| 📁 Photos |
| 📁 Notes |
- It’s also good to include directories for related files
| 📁 Project Files |
| 📁 Exports |
Develop (remaining project days)
- Continue building out your composition, facet by facet, referring back to your color palette from 4.3.
- Use Join, Simplify, Shape Builder, and Pathfinder to keep your paths clean and to combine smaller facets into larger, more resolved shapes as your composition develops.
Structured Peer Review. Once your draft has enough facets built out to read as a composition (even with some gaps), you’ll do a full Plus/Delta peer review pass with a partner:
1. Prepare
- The Draft: Ensure your work is exported or ready to view. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Placeholders for missing pieces are okay!
- The Plus/Delta Chart: Create a simple T-chart on a piece of paper or a digital document:
- Plus (+): What is working well? (Strengths, clear storytelling, strong technique).
- Delta (Δ): What should be changed or improved? (The Greek symbol for “change”).
2. The Review Process
- Silent First Pass: Experience the work all the way through once without speaking. This allows the reviewer to experience the “flow” of the piece.
- Second Pass: Go through it again, but this time, the reviewer should jot down specific notes in the Plus and Delta columns.
- The Golden Rule: Feedback should be Specific, Objective, and Kind.
- Bad: “I didn’t like the ending.”
- Good: “The ending felt abrupt because the music cut off before the reporter finished speaking.”
3. Giving Feedback (The Reviewer)
- Identify the “Pluses”: Start with what is successful.
- Suggest the “Deltas”: Instead of just pointing out a mistake, offer a solution.
- Example: “The transition at 0:45 is a bit slow; maybe try a simple cut instead of a dissolve.”
4. Receiving Feedback (The Creator)
- Listen Without Defending: It’s tempting to explain why you made a choice, but for now, just listen and take notes. If a peer is confused, a general audience likely will be too.
- Ask Clarifying Questions: If a note is vague, ask for the exact timestamp or location: “Can you show me exactly where the audio got too loud?”
5. The Revision Plan
After the session, look at your Delta column and prioritize your edits:
- Level 1 (Critical): Technical errors (missing audio, black frames, typos).
- Level 2 (Message): Pacing issues or confusing sequences.
- Level 3 (Polishing): Color tweaks, fancy transitions, or extra effects.
Use your partner’s Delta notes to prioritize your remaining build time. Critical fixes first (broken paths, missing facets), then message/composition issues, then color polish.
Implement (final project day)
- Finalize your composition: adjust colors, refine remaining rough facets, and double-check for stray anchor points with Simplify.
- Write your artist statement: a short reflection on your design process, the meaning behind your artwork, and what you learned.
- Export your finished piece as a PNG for your portfolio:
When you're finished, export your design as a PNG image for your portfolio.
1Open the File menu. Choose Export, then Export As…
2Choose PNG as the file format. Check the box for Use Artboards.
This crops your export to the size of your artboard (the page). Always check this box.
3Set your export options, then click OK.
Publish your work to your Google Sites Portfolio
- Create a new page on your Google Sites Portfolio to catalog your work.
- Your work should be exported in a web-safe format in a manner that allows for the work to be embedded without requiring Google Drive permissions
- Your work should be accompanied by a detailed project description
- Submit the published portfolio page to your LMS (Schoology)
Reflect (final project day)
What was the biggest technical challenge in building this piece, and how did you solve it? What would you do differently if you started this project over?
Group discussion: share one challenge and one thing you’re proud of with the class before the gallery walk.
🗂 Organize: Put your peer review Plus/Delta notes and your written artist statement in your binder. Save your finished .ai file in the Project Files folder of your Digital Design project folder on Google Drive. Save an exported image of your piece for your portfolio in the Exports folder of your Digital Design project folder on Google Drive.