Lisa Vogt Art Adventure Blog: Frit is Small But Powerful!

Meet Rocco, a spunky little French Bull Dog

Frit has many different applications that can transform ordinary fused glass pieces into extraordinary pieces of art. All it takes is a little forethought when designing your artwork, plus a steady hand and an eye for the extravagant.

Frit is ground fusible glass. It’s available in a variety of sizes including: power, fine, medium, course and mosaic. Each size has its own special characteristics and uses.

Powder is great for filling in tight spaces and for a smooth appearance. Fine gives fast, even coverage and leaves a slight grainy look to the art. Medium fills larger areas well. But it can leave tiny gaps that allow the color of the base glass to show through. It leaves a granular pattern that resembles beach sand. Course is great for filling in large areas, but it also leaves spaces. I usually fill those spaces in with medium frit of the same or contrasting color. It’s also great for creating design accents and details like the dots on the dogs muzzle. Mosaic gives you fast coverage on large areas. It leaves a more stylized pattern that can resemble the veining in marble. I often use the different frit sizes in combination to achieve the specific look I want.

I love frit for its versatility. While sheet glass offers striking solid colors, frit in contrast can be used to make subtle color changes and add dramatic shading. The resulting artwork has a surprisingly beautiful, painterly quality that surpasses craft and lingers on the threshold of fine art.

Adorable pets and majestic animals are some of my favorite subjects for my fused glass art. Animal faces can be difficult to render using just sheet glass alone. The end result can be flat and lifeless. But with the application of frit, I can add highlights, shadows and intricate details that give the subject personality and bring it to life.

Meet Rocco, a spunky little French Bull Dog.

From the beginning the plan was to use frit to render this dog’s face. Frit would give me the flexibility to build the color gradually and add contours as needed to fill out the pup’s head.

Let’s build this little guy.

I started with a cute digital picture of the subject. The image is imported into the Glass Eye 2000 computer design program where I draw over the picture. Once the outline is done, I test different color combinations until something fun comes together. Then I move into the fabrication phase.

The first step is to cut the base layer. This project is built on an 8” x 8” piece of white glass. Then the blue background is cut to size using a full size paper pattern as a guild. I selected a high contrast, solid blue color for the background to frame in the dogs face and to contain the frit.

Wherever I want strong control over the line quality, placement and color of a specific detail I cut the glass according to the pattern. The position of the eyes, nose and chin are critical. If they aren’t in the right place it throws off the symmetry. This can result in a bizarre, alien looking creature instead of an adorable pup. Here, I cut the blue background, eyes, nose, chin, ears and collar. I then grind the cut pieces to improve the shapes and remove any sharp edges. I clean and dry the glass then glue it to the white base with a small amount of fuser’s glue. At this point, I wait for the glue to dry so the pieces don’t slide around when the frit is poured on the glass.

Frit tools: I use a plastic spoon to apply the frit. Small, dry paint brushes are used to move the frit around and to blend the hard edges where two colors meet.

Once the glue is dry, fine yellow opal frit is poured on the white base. Shadows and contours are created with medium size, dark blue and black frit. Orange frit is added to round out the dog’s head and body. The strong colors are then blended with a dry paint brush to soften the hard edges. Pink frit is applied on the forehead and between the eyes for added interest and fullness. Medium bark blue frit dots it placed on either side of the nose for additional detail.

The assembled glass is fired to a full fuse temperature. The fused glass is then glued into a black frame fitted with a hook for wall mounting.

Pet themed designs are always fun to make. And drawing this type of pattern on the computer is easy. Remember, your drawing doesn’t have to look exactly like your pet. Give yourself credit for trying and enjoy the unique spin you can put on your own artwork.

This small format, 8” x 8” project is the perfect size to try this frit technique. There’s just enough space to get comfortable with frit without getting overwhelmed. I hope Rocco inspires you to give it a try. You’ll love the process and the results.

Quick tips for working with frit:

Don’t be skimpy. For strong color saturation and solid coverage, pile the frit up as high as the cut glass. If you are asking yourself, is that enough? Add more.

Use both transparent and opal frit to create contrast and increase visual depth.

Be meticulous about the cleanup. Brush any stray fit off the cut glass before firing.

Here’s the link to the software I used to draw this pattern.

Glass Eye 2000 Design Software for Glass

https://www.dfly.com

For more artistic tips and creative tricks for getting the most out of your frit please join me for my Fusing with Frit Webinar, September 20, 2018.

Keep creating. You’re doing great!

Happy Fusing!

Lisa

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Upcoming Webinar

Fusing with Frit

September 20, 2018

https://www.glasspatterns.com/glass-patterns-quarterly-store/product/1228-fusing-with-frit-with-lisa-vogt-september-20-2018.html

Upcoming Class

Someday is here! What are you waiting for? You’re in your prime. You’re at the peak of your interest in glass fusing. Take the next step and raise your artwork to an exciting new level of sophistication. This rare opportunity only comes twice a year. Don’t miss your chance to work one-on-one with an accomplished artist in this advanced technique, artistic awakening and skill building workshop. This is the turning point experience you’ve been waiting for.

Advanced Glass Fusing 4-Day, Hands-on Workshop

November 6-9, 2018
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Join me for this intense workshop held in my private studio.
Wesley Chapel, Florida, 4-Day, Hands-on, Class size is limited.