From Concept to Tactile Art: The Stained Glass Phoenix

Ever wondered how we turn an AI-generated idea into a physical masterpiece? It’s all in the technical details. Here is the step-by-step process of our latest project on 12x12" clear acrylic:

Step 1 AI-Powered Vision: We started with Gemini’s Nano Banana to generate a vibrant, stained-glass phoenix. The goal: high contrast and bold lines that look stunning when backlit.

Step 2 Digital Refinement & Scaling: After a high-fidelity upscale, we meticulously cleaned the artwork, removing AI artifacts and the watermark to ensure a flawless canvas.

Step 3 Mastering the Vectors: Precision is key. We converted the art into vectors using Image Trace, allowing us to manually clean every "glass" pane and perfectly define the black lead joints.

Step 4 Engineering the Texture (The Spot Channel): To mimic real stained glass, we didn't just print flat colors. We isolated the black joints and created a dedicated Spot Color channel named "WhiteUnderbase." By applying an Overprint Fill, we instructed our UV printer to build up layers in these specific areas.

Step 5 The "3D" Lead Effect: By printing this heavy white base only under the black lines, we created a raised, tactile texture. This gives the piece a realistic "soldered" feel while keeping the colored panes transparent.

Step 6 High-Fidelity Output: The final art was exported as a zero-compression PDF, preserving every detail for a sharp, vibrant, and translucent finish on the final 12x12" acrylic sheet.

Step 7 The Print: The print was made on the Catalyst Aventra UV printer. We used the Aventra Artist color profile, set white to “Channel Based” generation and select 5 layers of white.