The suncatcher offers a choice of background tones and Auto, which uses the palette Tedooo chose for your photo. Amber & rust and Honey & cream warm a room; Cobalt & ice and Sea glass cool it; the rest sit between. The tone changes the background, not the portrait, and you can try every one free before you approve.
What does the background tone change?
The glass behind the portrait. The portrait keeps its own colours, drawn from the photo; the tone sets the run of colours, light to dark, that the background pieces are cut from.
You see each tone as a swatch on the create page, light to dark. Amber & rust runs through amber and rust; Cobalt & ice through cobalt and ice; Forest & gold through forest green and gold. The tone is chosen on the create page, before the design is drawn, and it can be changed and redrawn as many times as you like. Only the suncatcher has tones; the ornament's background comes from the drawing.
What are the tones?
They run from warm to cool to neutral. These are the tones the designs on this site were drawn with; the create page shows the current list, named the same way.
| Tone | Colours | Where it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Amber & rust | Amber and rust | A warm room; the classic suncatcher glow |
| Honey & cream | Honey and cream | A pale room; the lightest, softest tone |
| Ember | Ember red | A bold, warm piece that reads from a distance |
| Forest & gold | Forest green and gold | A green or wood-panelled room |
| Moss & bark | Moss and bark | Earthy, muted; good with a brown or tan coat |
| Sea glass | Sea glass, teal and mint | A bathroom or kitchen window; cool and light |
| Cobalt & ice | Cobalt and ice | A blue room, or a strong contrast with a gold coat |
| Violet & dusk | Violet and dusk | An evening window; cool and deep |
| Rose & plum | Rose and plum | A soft, warm pink; suits a white or grey coat |
| Slate & silver | Slate and silver | A grey or white room; the most neutral |
Which tone suits which coat?
Pick a background that contrasts with the coat. A black or dark coat stands out from Honey & cream, Sea glass or Slate & silver; a gold or pale coat stands out from Cobalt & ice, Forest & gold or Violet & dusk.
The pieces on this site give a fair spread: a black cocker spaniel in green and gold, a golden retriever in rose and gold, a white cat in blue and gold, a doberman in amber and rust. In each case the background is the colour the coat is not. A brindle or multi-coloured coat is easier against one of the quieter tones, Moss & bark or Slate & silver, so the portrait does the talking. If you cannot decide, leave it on Auto and look at what comes back; then try one other and compare. The photo guide covers the other half of the drawing.
What does Auto do?
Auto uses the palette Tedooo chose for your photo: the drawing picks the background colours to suit the portrait rather than you picking a tone first. It is a good place to start.
Auto tends to pick the contrast described above on its own. The reason to choose a tone instead is the room: if the window is in a blue kitchen or above a green sofa, you may want the glass to agree with it, or to argue with it, and that is a decision only you can make. Run Auto first, then a tone, and keep whichever one you keep looking at.
Can I change the tone after seeing the design?
Yes. Change the tone and run it again, as many times as you like; it stays free until you approve one. No charge is made before you check out, and no glass is cut before the payment clears.
What you cannot do is change the tone after approving, because the approved design is what we cut; so try the tones before you say yes. The glass in each tone is the same kind of glass, fired at the same 1,465°F, and holds its colour the same way; the materials page explains why the colour does not fade. Try your own photo in a tone on the create page.
Questions this leaves
Does the tone change the price?
No. The price depends on the piece and the size, not the tone. Every tone and Auto cost the same at the same size: the suncatcher is from $89 for the 20 cm whichever tone you pick, and the live price for each size is shown on the create page once the design is drawn.
Can I ask for a tone that is not listed?
The tones and Auto on the create page are what we offer. If you have something particular in mind, describe it in the AI touch box beside the photo, or say so in a message; if the drawing cannot get there, one of us will draw it by hand instead.
Will the colours look like they do on screen?
In a window with the sun behind it they look richer than on a screen, which is what buyers most often say. The design on the create page is drawn as if lit from behind, so it is a fair guide, but glass in real light does more.
