Friday, July 28, 2017

5 Pro Tips for Awesome Sinks and Large Bowls




Artists are the most generous people I know. We love to share our passion. We all want to make a more dramatic and memorable impression with our art. One of the bests way to accomplish this is to go bigger and make large scale pieces that stand out in the crowd. 

But going bigger can be scary. You must invest more time and material. And there are more design decisions to make. It’s a huge commitment and you want guarantees that the finished piece will exceed your expectations. Following are some fundamental tips that’ll greatly increase your success with all your fused glass artwork.  


1 Measuring the Slumping Mold

It seems trivial, but this is where most craftsman go wrong. Everyone wants to make the largest fused glass disc possible. They then measure the mold from the outer rim to the outer rim and cut their glass circles accordingly.  They wrongly assume the glass that rests on the top rim of the mold will follow the center of the fused glass disc as it slumps into the mold. The problem is the glass on the flat rim drags. 

Therefore, it does not fall into the mold evenly. The result is a bowl with uneven height in the side walls. A lopsided bowl can be avoided simply by measuring across the inside of the mold and then cutting the glass ¼ to ½ inch smaller than that measurement. Yes, the bowl is slightly smaller. No one will notice. They’ll be too busy admiring your beautifully crafted, uniform bowl with even side walls all the way around. 


2 Durability is in the Design

When going larger it’s important to design your art in such a way that the glass thickness is uniform throughout the entire piece of art. If you design the round disc with two glass layers on one side and four glass layers on the opposite side, you’ll have unbalanced mass. This can cause the finished piece of art to break due to the stress of supporting its own weight. Instead, plan your design execution in advance to ensure you have the same number of glass layers across the entire disc. Small accents pieces decorating the top aren’t a concern, provided they’re added in moderation. 



3 Let it Shine

The beauty of glass is its transparency, and the attraction of glass fusing is our ability to mix transparent and opal materials, to create various color combinations and an infinite number of intricate patterns. The wonderful thing about going large is the extended size of the creative canvas. With more room, you have more opportunity to expand your design ideas and make a dynamic statement. So rather than fumble through, take time to plan a well thought out design. Consider including pre-tacked or fused glass components for added interest. Mix both transparent and opal glass to increase visible depth. The possibilities are endless.  


4 Do Your Best Work

Don’t cut corners. No excuses. If you think to ask, “Should I recut or redo this?” My answer is, “Yes.” The more time and effort you put into each step will greatly improve the overall quality of your finished pieces. Fabrication and execution are equally as important as design esthetics. If you implement this approach, every piece you produce will be a masterpiece.  

5 Fusing and Slumping

Slow it down. Larger usually also means thicker. You’ll dramatically increase your firing success rate by slowing down both the fusing schedule and the slumping schedule. I fire my large pieces at 300 degrees per hour and hold several times on the way up to 1465 degrees to fuse, and 1220 degrees to slump. I anneal the glass at 960 degrees for 180 minutes, for both fusing and slumping, and then slowly drop the temperature down to room temperature. By being conservative with the firing schedules, I achieve consistently beautiful results every time. You can too! 


Excerpt from Make a Fused Glass Sink Webinar

For more in-depth information on making sinks and large vessels, join me for my next webinar. All the pro tips and tricks will be revealed. 

Let’s get together and make sinks in my Make a Fused Glass Sink webinar August 8, 2017.

I hope to see you there,

Check out my NEW Video!
Make Fused Glass Sinks

Happy fusing!
Lisa

For more tips and tricks visit: 

Upcoming Webinars & Workshop



Make a Fused Glass Sink Webinar
August 8, 2017



NEW Fusing for the Adventurous Webinar
September 5, 20147

NEW Fusing for the Adventurous Webinar
September 7, 2017



Fusing with Frit Webinar
October 26, 2017





Advanced Glass Fusing Workshop
November 14-17, 2017
4-Days, Hands-on, Wesley Chapel, FL


You’ll love the incredible creative momentum you gain from the in-depth concentration of working uninterrupted for four full days!
Here’s what students are saying about the workshop.
Your knowledge, easy teaching style and down to earth approach are just wonderful and I can learn so much more about glass by working with you.            -Barbara

I have been inspired by you to work more in my studio!           -Dana




Creative Slumping Webinar
January 18, 2018
https://www.glasspatterns.com/glass-patterns-quarterly-store/category/172-glass-expert-webinars-no-traveling-required.html?page=2




Advanced Glass Fusing Workshop
February 6 – 9, 2018
4-Days, Hands-on, Wesley Chapel, FL


5 Reasons Why YOU Will LOVE this Workshop!
1 One-on-one instruction
2 Step-by-step guidance to develop your own design style
3 Individualized project program - make what inspires YOU
4 Four full days of hands-on creating and fusing
5 Unlimited possibilities

Friday, July 21, 2017

Take Your Work to the Next Level!




Upscale Fusing! 

What is upscale fusing you might ask? 

Upscale fusing is the mindful use of your artist strengths to elevate and refine your personal fusing style. It means going beyond the ordinary to create energetic, original art. It’s the intentional exploration of unique design possibilities, coupled with cutting-edge techniques, that when combined produce dramatic stand-out art.  


There are three key elements that increase the visual intricacy and elevate the value of glass art. Pattern, texture and a focal point. Include any one of these gems, or better yet a combination of these, and you’ll have a winner. 

Here are some easy ways to add pattern. Consider laying streaky glass out in different directions. Or, make your own pattern by alternating two or more high contrast colors. Slump glass strips over a mold. Then turn them on edge to create a unique design. Once you start thinking this way the ideas will flood in. 


Adding texture is simple. Texture can be visual or physical. Visual texture can be achieved by using fusible glass with a texture or pattern. At the full fuse temperature, the actual texture will be smooth but the impression of that pattern remains adding increased visual interest. Add physical texture by fusing the project on a fiber paper pattern or on fiber blanket. Physical texture can also be achieved by tack fusing the project together. 


A focal point anchors the viewer to your art. It increases the time the viewer spends engaging with the work. Consider including an object that stands out and your work will too. Even abstract pieces benefit from some type of defined subject matter. A unexpected splash of color or a dramatic change in the direction of the design flow make pieces far more interesting. 

For more tips, join me Tuesday for my, Upscale Fusing Webinar and learn how to tastefully blend various cutting-edge techniques to add dimension and volume to your work. 

With the pros secrets revealed, you’ll be on the fast-track to developing winning  combinations that’ll get your work noticed!

Excerpt from Upscale Fusing Webinar

Check out my NEW Video!
Upscale Fusing with Lisa Vogt

Happy fusing!
Lisa

For more tips and tricks visit:  

Upcoming Webinars & Workshop

Upscale Fusing Webinar
Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Join me Tuesday and learn how to tastefully blend various cutting-edge techniques to add dimension and volume to your work. With the pros secrets revealed, you’ll be on the fast-track to developing winning combinations that’ll get your work noticed! 

Register here: 


Make a Fused Glass Sink Webinar
August 8, 2017


 NEW Fusing for the Adventurous Webinar
September 5, 20147


NEW Fusing for the Adventurous Webinar
September 7, 2017




Fusing with Frit Webinar
October 26, 2017
 
 

Advanced Glass Fusing Workshop
November 14-17, 2017
4-Days, Hands-on, Wesley Chapel, FL



Here’s what students are saying about the workshop.
Your knowledge, easy teaching style and down to earth approach are just wonderful and I can learn so much more about glass by working with you.            -Barbara

I have been inspired by you to work more in my studio!           -Dana


Creative Slumping Webinar
January 18, 2018


Advanced Glass Fusing Workshop
February 6 – 9, 2018
4-Days, Hands-on, Wesley Chapel, FL


5 Reasons Why YOU Will LOVE this Workshop!
1 One-on-one instruction
2 Step-by-step guidance to develop your own design style
3 Individualized project program - make what inspires YOU
4 Four full days of hands-on creating and fusing
5 Unlimited possibilities