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tuffydog
2006-11-01, 2:01pm
Does any one have any pointers or a tutorial on realistic starfish.Thanks

Tink
2006-11-01, 2:25pm
I sure don't. But it's been on my "learn to do" list for two years now. I've spent that time browsing the web and snagging images of real starfish that I feel would translate well to glass.

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Firelilly
2006-11-01, 4:06pm
Oh! Why have I never learned to scuba dive? Those pics are fab! That red starfish is just crazebo!...Never knew something like that even existed.

Lil

Rose Leslie
2006-11-01, 4:09pm
Those are cool photos. I should do the same in keeping some photos of what I'm wanting to do. Just don't do it though. Will start to. Thanks for the inspiring photos.

hulagirl
2006-11-01, 4:16pm
Maria Grimes (Garden Path Beads) makes some beautiful starfish. Mine are crappy. Wonder what her secret is. I just can't shape them to my satisfaction. *sigh*

Heather/Ericaceae
2006-11-03, 10:13am
I make star beads, and my process could probably work for a starfish look, depending on the colours chosen.

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27051&stc=1&d=1161620759

http://i17.ebayimg.com/05/i/08/18/a8/d5_1.JPG

Here's a version of the mini-tut I shared in the Gallery:

My star beads have a hole running through the horizontal arms, with a single point facing up and two points facing down. This makes it balance well.

I start with a bicone. I make *really* deep dimples, since I won't be able to fix them easily once the bead stops being "rollable". When I'm happy with this start, I flatten the top of the bicone slightly.

Then I add the two bottom "legs" by spiralling the glass on very hot and slow so I don't trap bubbles. I heat-smooth each layer bit by bit and added extra to the middle to make it puffy-looking and to weight it well for hanging. Then I added the top "hat" in the same way. I DON'T heat the horizontal points much, because I don't want to lose the dimples. That's why I pre-shape it as a bicone.

Once I have the shape roughed-in (and looking pretty blobby and stupid at this point!), I form it better using a pair of flat-tipped tweezers bent into an angle (my home-made star pliers!). I don't have a picture of my own star-tweezers but I think you can get the idea from looking at an Arrow Springs star masher:

http://www.arrowsprings.com/assets/images/Star_Masher_Detail_TN.JPG

I made a "home-made" version that is just tweezer mashers bent out at a similar angle.

http://www.arrowsprings.com/assets/images/Tweezers_Mashers_TN.JPG

They're my favorite tool - I also use them for pulling, pushing and shaping glass, because they're like a double-sided bent spatula - and when one side gets too hot I can just flip it over and keep going! As star pliers, they won't work for pulling points out of flat glass, but it's great for shaping a lumpy "arm" of glass into an even point.

I add a tip to each end of the original bicone and fill in the edge of the dimple to hide the indentation from the front and back. Once it looks like a star I add surface decorations. Finally, I heat the tip of each arm and pull them into even sharper points using a cold-fused punty... Voila!

Hope this gives you some ideas... I'm sure there are lots of different approaches, but this works for me. :) -Heather

Janetda
2006-11-03, 10:54am
Wow! Thanks for the info Heather. Your stars are beautiful.

Emily
2006-11-03, 1:30pm
Oh! Why have I never learned to scuba dive? Those pics are fab! That red starfish is just crazebo!...Never knew something like that even existed.

Lil

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They come in blue, too.

(I really wanted to link you to some of the gorgeous pictures that Judy Carlson --jujeebeads -- and her husband Roger take, but they've revamped their gallery and don't have much up right now.)

daffodildeb
2006-11-03, 5:46pm
There's one kind (basket star) that "blooms" only at night and looks like a weed, or soft coral. Very interesting, but you could easily miss them even though they get to be 3 feet across--they're that well disguised.

I love scuba diving, especially at night, but I don't get the chance but every other year if I'm lucky...:pout:

monarae
2006-11-04, 11:26am
A marine image library http://www.imagequest3d.com/stock/index.htm