Lisa Vogt Art Adventure Blog: February 2018

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

5 Reasons to Draw Fused Glass Designs on the Computer

Afterglow by Lisa and Joe Vogt

One of my favorite things about glass fusing is how easily I can jump right into construction with little or no planning. If the mood strikes, I can design spontaneously looking only to the materials for inspiration and come away with a striking new project. This artistic freedom usually produces loose, freestyle patterns I love. But sometimes, I want more intricate images or designs that develop slowly from concept to construction. When that’s the case, I draw my designs on the computer.

Initially, it’s time consuming to draw on the computer. But there are several advantages and reasons you might like to give it a try.

Why design on the computer?

1. Drawing on the computer greatly expands the range of your design complexity. It’s easy to draw unique compositions you might otherwise be afraid to try. You can import a photograph of a herd of horses for example. You can then draw over the picture including as much or as little detail as you want. Say you like one horse more than the others. It’s easy to copy and paste that one horse several times, customizing the design to meet your vision.

Once you’ve put in the effort to draw the first horse, you can repurpose the drawing for any number of uses. Maybe you want to make a piece with only a horse head. The computer drawing is quickly edited and resized for a totally new project.

2. It’s easy to test unusual color combinations on a computer-generated pattern without any waste. I’m much more likely to use a wild color palate if I can see it in advance of cutting any glass. This feature alone, has awakened an all new level of artistic expression for me.

3. Create an image library. As a commission artist I’m frequently asked to make the same or similar designs. Often the design is driven by regional themes. Tropical herons, dolphins, coral reef, and beach scenes are popular subjects with my local clients. My commission work is one-of-a-kind. I don’t make the exact same design twice. But I do borrow elements from previously drawn designs for new patterns. I take a heron from here, a fish from there, sea oats from another design. The elements are resized and regrouped to make a new original design.

Having an inventory of designs is a great way to accumulate popular images you can recycle over and over to make fresh, new compositions.

Clean, clear deigns are a powerful sales tool.

4. Clients have trouble imagining what a design will look like based solely on a verbal description. It’s easier to have a meeting of the minds and ensure customer satisfaction with a color rendering. I email the designs to my clients for review and approval. And if they want to make changes, they can be done quickly on the computer before I’ve invested labor or materials into building the job.

5. I use the Glass Eye program from Dragonfly Software. It’s intended for drawing stained glass patterns, but it works equally as well for fused glass patterns. I draw small simple projects as well as huge, complex commissions with the program. For the small pieces, I print a full-size pattern and build directly on that. For large scale works, I print a scale version of the design to use as a reference. Then I draw the full-size pattern by hand with a pencil on paper.

You don’t have to be a professional glass artist to benefit from expanding your design approach. Whatever your skill level, beginner to advanced artist, you’ll find the time spent learning how to develop designs electronically is valuable. It’s an investment in yourself that’ll enhance your artistic style.

You got this!

Lisa

Except from my Fused Art Design video DVD.

http://www.lisavogt.net/shop.aspx?id=40

Get a behind the scenes look at the fabrication of Afterglow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q32028RiPDM

Dragonfly software, Glass Eye 2000

https://www.dfly.com/index.html#.WnNvyOdOk2w

Follow my blog for more tips and tricks!

Artist Website www.LisaVogt.net
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhOifd7wukk
Facebook www.Facebook.com/LisaJVogt

Author Website https://lisajvogtcom.wordpress.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/lisajvogt

Let’s get together and fuse glass!

Upcoming Classes and Webinars

Glass Craft and Bead Expo 2018

April 4 – 8, 2018

Las Vegas, NV

https://www.glasscraftexpo.com/class-list.php

It’s time to get excited about the Glass Craft and Bead Expo, coming up in April. I’m offering four favorites and one new class titled, Fire and Ice. Seats are going fast so make your plans now to join me for a week of friendship, fusing and fun.

FR-18 - Breaking Through – Making Exhibition Quality Artwork

SA-22 - Fire & Ice, Hot Techniques for Cool Projects

SU-01 - Fusing Art Design!

I’m looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and meeting new glass fans. I hope to see you in class.

Upscale Fusing Webinar

April 24, 2018

Register here: https://www.glasspatterns.com/glass-patterns-quarterly-store/product/1192-upscale-fusing-with-lisa-vogt-april-24-2018.html

Incorporating pattern and texture to elevate and refine your fusing style are the focus of this in-depth webinar. Join me and learn how to tastefully blend various cutting-edge techniques to add dimension and volume to your work. With the pro's secrets revealed, you'll be on the fast-track to developing winning combinations that’ll get your work noticed!

Inspiration! Confidence! Knowledge!

Advanced Glass Fusing 4-Day, Hands-on Workshop

May 8-11, 2018

Join me for this impactful workshop held in my private studio.

Wesley Chapel, Florida, 4-Day, Hands-on, Class size is limited.

Register here: http://www.lisavogt.net/products.aspx?id=480

Exceed your expectations! In this intense, 4-day workshop you’ll utilize the many advanced techniques today’s successful glass artists are using to elevate their work from craft to fine art. This all-new program is ideal for ambitious glass fusers ready to go bigger and explore more in-depth kiln forming techniques.

Something new! Check out my new writer’s blog.

Lisa J. Vogt

Writer – Instructor – Artist

Relationships fascinate me, and so I have a new blog dedicated to the weird and wonderful ways we interact with each other.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Business Savvy for Artists

We artists thrive in a fantasy world. We live inside our heads. Our minds are filled with visions of dichroic butterflies, iridized unicorns and molten adventures. In contrast, the rest of the world’s great minds are firmly anchored in reality. Their perceived value of success is driven by meeting the requirements of functionality, time clocks, budgets and deadlines.

Yes, we create art. We want unrestricted freedom to go where inspiration leads. But if you hope to sell your art to a mass market, you’ll have to meet the bean counters’ expectations for professional trade practices. To do that, you must learn to treat your passion like a business.

You ask, is it possible? Can abstract creatives, like myself, tame our wandering minds and think practically, even linearly?

The answer is, yes you can. Here’s how.

Listen.

Really listen to your buyer, client or whoever wants to purchase your work. Think of them as creative partners. I know this challenges your sense of artsy superiority and bruises your steadfast ego. But, an impulsive stretch in inspiration enhances design development and takes creativity to new heights. Trust me, your artwork will be better for it. Take your buyer’s ideas, add your own flare, and you’ll exceed everyone’s expectations.

Show and tell.

Offer to draw a scale rendering of the proposed artwork. It doesn’t have to be a museum quality painting. A simple pencil drawing will do. This ensures a clear meeting of the minds. It’s far easier, and less costly to make changes on paper than it is in glass.

Get the price right.

Pricing can be tricky. Especially with the rapid changes in the availability of glass and other materials. I factor enough into a bid to buy twice as much glass as needed to build the project in case there’s breakage. I then calculate the time needed to build the art and double it to figure my labor costs. Then I add a little padding for any unforeseen expenses. These different sums are then added to give me a sale price for the artwork.

Details.

Provide a simple but clear contract. It should include the date, the names of all parties, the sale price of the art, the cost of installation or shipping if applicable, the payment terms, and anticipated completion date. I add a few extra weeks to my expected completion date. This is a buffer in case there are unexpected delays. You can always deliver early. But delivering late, without a reasonable explanation is unprofessional.

Once we agree on the design concept and the color rendering is approved, I collect a 50% deposit. The balance, installation (or shipping, if applicable) and tax are collected on completion of the job. I also include provisions for unexpected problems such as availability of material, or equipment malfunction in my contracts. In other words, what will happen if the glass you need is back ordered, or your kiln breaks mid-firing? My contracts state that I’ll notify the buyer of any issues as soon as possible and supply them with a new estimated delivery date.

Stay in touch.

Send progress reports and share process pictures of the art as its being fabricated. Let the buyer know how the project is progressing. Even with the aid of a drawing, non-artists have trouble visualizing the finished art. It doesn’t help that glass looks flat and lifeless in color renderings. Fortunately, the actual finished artwork sells itself because it looks richer and livelier in person.

Another reason to supply process pictures is so the customer can redirect you if the art is unexpectedly not what they envisioned. It’s important to catch any hiccups in the client’s conceptual expectations early.

It’s inconvenient to stop the work flow once you’ve started. And the last thing you want to do is invite novice opinions or make changes mid-stream. Often, all the client needs is a visual confirmation that work is progressing as planned. Or it’s a matter of explaining that slight variations are to be expected in hand-made, custom art. The extra effort of following up is not lost though. It builds confidence in buyers and greatly increases the number of satisfied clients.

Over my 30-year career as a commission artist, this single courtesy has saved me from having to do total re-builds, at my expense, on several large commissions.

Deliver only your best work.

You’d be surprised by the number of not so perfect pieces in my studio. Sometimes, due to no fault of my own the glass doesn’t turn out as intended. Don’t risk that embarrassing moment on delivery when the client points out the imperfection and loses trust in you. It’s better to call and explain the delivery will be delayed. Say you’re not satisfied with the quality of the artwork and you’ll only deliver your best work. Clients understand that custom made, one-of-a-kind pieces take time and precision. In this situation, they truly appreciate your honesty, integrity, and attention to detail.

Be respectful of set deadlines.

This is not the time to flip out and pull the eccentric artist card. Don’t take a job if you can’t fulfill it in the set time-frame. Outline how long it’ll take to complete a job and then follow through. When estimating the time, be sure to include time for ordering and shipping materials, as well as considering other unrelated business obligations that’ll require your attention.

Most artists find fulfillment in selling their art. But it takes more than talent, skill, and beautifully crafted artwork to be monetarily successful. It requires strengthening and building strong business practices. Just like you developed your design side, develop your professional side. The great part is, a practical business plan is easy to put into practice. It increases efficiency, which gives you more time and opportunity to be creative.