Day 3 was way too brief and I only got to make four beads. The focus was layered dots. This is really an amazing exercise in that you get such a good lesson in volume control. All those stacked dots make it really easy to understand a square bead. And heating between the dots is as vital to rounding up the bead as heating the dots themselves. I've always heard, "Heat where you want the glass to GO!" and this day showed me that in volumes. Also, heating without marvering... elongates the dots. Mine are ovals...
Day Four -Got off to a really bad start... My bead got all wonky as I tried to melt the glass for a smiley. I got frustrated and I know myself well enough to know not to play with fire when things start this way. It's better to do something else.
Still, I really like the look of the smiles from the top vantage point... These "boomerangs" are a design element I like and have since dreamed of!! What would happen adding opposing dots of the base glass near opposite end of the boomerang... I think it would make a nice S shape. Worth exploring ....
Day Five - I got to make a few smileys before I had other obligations. After several more failed attempts at these.... I had to break the rules. I KNOW we are not supposed to use tools but I quickly found I could not melt my smile in correctly without marvering that top layer of base-colored glass! So... I used the glass rod as a "tool." I've decided smileys are advanced bead making! I'm still not totally happy with the ones I'm showing here but they do make me smile and I think that's one of the points!
Day Six - Oh No... I lost my sizing! Reviewing beads from previous days... I had gotten HUGE and way off scale. Hey, I like big beads and I cannot lie!
But this is also a size exercise. Remakes were in order. I HAD to rework some of those smileys that I thought were fine! ARGH! So what do I so when I start??? I zone out and look down and ... have HUGE volume of glass on my mandrel! ARGH! Determined not to have another wonky nuttin on my hands, I made this...DON'T LAUGH:
Finally, I was able to make more smileys... Here they are with the wonky boomerang from above:
Just a reminder... there's a huge album of glass beads I'm GIVING AWAY with purchases!!!
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4 comments:
those are great!! I only made four dot beads last weekend. I hope to get time again for another batch.
Jamie, Can't wait to see what you make!!! So glad you are doing this!!!
Peggy talked one glass artist into making buttons, which said artist (Jenny Newtson) now sells at button shows. The ones Peggy likes best at the paperweights, but they're also the most expensive. I mention glass buttons in that they are in demand. The ones that are made by artists such as yourself are called studio buttons, and if you ever get a following, you can look for repeat business. Here's a link to the CA Button Society: http://www.cabutton.org/2014_Show.html
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