Hello. I might try drawing the crow shape and placing the paper under clear glass. Fill in your drawing with your glass and when you are happy with it tape over the top of your glass bits and lift them. Back butter it all with your glue and place it in place on your board.When your glue is set up pull your tape off.

I would think it will be easier to do your crow in smaller pieces to get the shape.

I worked on mosaics for a couple of years with only wheel nippers. I did not have a clue how to use a glass cutter.

Thank you shades! I'll try that!!

I started cutting stained glass today. WOW! First off, I've come to learn, I was not scoring the glass correctly. My glass would very rarely break on the score line and I really couldn't even get a straight line unless by accident. I attibute that to both me and the cheapie Harbor Freight glass cutter. After watching some helpful youtube vids, I ordered a slightly more expensive oil cutter online and will get a pair of nice wide pliers. They make it look so easy!

The wheeled nippers are nice! I think I'm getting the hang of them...kind of. But I only have luck with them on small pieces or just 'nipping' edges. I'm starting with large sheets of glass so have to break those down, my background is all triangles so if I can get straight even geometric cuts right off the bat, I'll be very happy!

Also does anyone use running pliers? Are those something I should get? Or will normal regular old pliers be fine to help break after a "good" score?

OH OH OH. The running pliers are so worth it. They are inexpensive for all the glass you will save. They are built to break the glass on the scores. The jaws are slightly curved so it runs the break along the score.You squeeze slowly That could be your whole problem.

I used cheep cutters for years.About 2 dollars each wood handles and they work great but do not work as long as the oil cutters. It is more about the proper angle and you will know when you hit it. Some cutters force you to cut at the proper angle. Also not too much pressure. That took me time to learn.

I do not put the oil in the handles as you are supposed to. I just dip them in a small dish(candle holder) of oil and wipe off the excess. I never got one that did not leak and too much oil is a pain. Not enough and your cutter dulls. Dirty glass will also dull your cutter. Cold glass is hateful.If it is cold in my room I use a lamp or one of those rice packs you heat in the microwave or just hold my hands on the glass until it warms a little.

Also breaking pliers are supposed to be held with the flatter jaw to the bottom. They seem to work best for me if I grip the piece with rubber tipped gloved hand and put the breaking pliers(not running they are two different things) on the smaller bit of glass I want off and pull with a slightly downward and away motion verses crunching.

I use this for straight lines. There is a small lip on it that hooks on the bottom edge of the glass. I still have my cutter swing away from it once in awhile. You are supposed to run your cutter down the edge to keep it straight.

Also when making lots of slices on a piece of glass it is helpful to start breaking on the scores with your running pliers in the center of the sheet of glass. This reduces the tension on the whole sheet of glass. So if you have 12 lines scored break on the 6th line then 3rd lines of each piece and so on. Your breaks will cooperate with you. And if you are wanting to cut squares to cut triangles from. Score your glass sheet on one side and then turn it over and score the other side the other direction making the squares. Break it the short way first them break the strips into your squares. Then place your wheeled nippers corner to corner in the center of each square for your triangle.

Hope this helps. I am still learning.

SHADES!!! Thank you!!!!!! I'm pretty sure I was pushing down way too hard on the cutter to score (broke a few just scoring), then I'd run along the score a few more times! haha, later learning JUST DO IT ONCE! I suppose I assumed the 'deeper the better'. My cutter then lost it's little wheel and broke hahaha. So just ordered the oil one.

I had a frustrating day. :)

THANK YOU so much for the info! I will definitely get the running pliers!

YES just do it once for sure. Lightly. You want to hear that sound like ZIIIPPPPPP And you will know when it is right. your brain will go Yep that was it.

I am sure others here know much more about cutting glass than I do. I really am just learning myself. All I used for a very long time was the wheeled nippers.

Same applies to them. If you want to cut squares from a large sheet. Cut it in half with the nipper as close as you can . then that piece in half and so on until you get to squares. then corner to corner. You will end up with surprisingly well shaped squares. I did this whole trunk top mostly squares with nippers even though I had the glass cutters by then.

When you do use the nippers. Lightly put them to the glass like you are going to cut then straighten them to the left some this makes a straighter cut. Any angle in the wheels cuts a curve into the glass. I tend to use these curves to go around curves but most prefer a straight edge.

All good advice. I learned last winter that cold glass will not cooperate. I was working on a large project out on the back porch and the glass would splinter and break randomly. Brought it inside and let it warm up a little and it broke along the score lines as nice as pie. I use a Toyo pistol grip for scoring and a tool that looks like pliers called a Fletcher for snapping glass along the score line.