Animals :)

[HensleyArtglass]

Animal#1

Elephant


1
First make a gather about 3/4 inch on samll diameter clear or color rod and let it fall until it droops down but still remains round (this becomes the body)


2
Let that gather cool until it no longer moves and then add four legs away from the handle (making the front legs a little longer than the back makes it look happier in the end i'm not sure why.) Add the legs by taking a rod of clear or color heating it white hot and attaching it to a small spot where a leg should be pull the rod to the thickness you want using your hands or gravity and melt them it off. Repeat four times and melt them off or add some to make the left and right legs even to each other and the back legs slightly shorter than the back if you want a half sitting elephant.


3
Punty up to it inbetween the legs if you've left enough room if not then on a leg then melt off the clear or color rod you used to make the body leaving enought to melt into a round head. Eyeball the size of the head making sure it's just not too big so the elephant doesn't fall on its face it should be lie 2/5 of the body size.


4
Heat up the head and a glass rod up then make a nice hot bond on the front part of the head closer to the top a bit than the bottom. Let that cool just a little then stretch the glass down first to make the shape of the head elongate slightly and to stretch the trunk out. Then quickly pull upward and curve the tip slightly so the trunk reaches up. It may sound wierd but once you do it you'll see it makes a trunk shape. (leaving the trunk reaching up makes the sculptures lucky so I'm told)


5
The tail is a small pull of clear or color on the but toward the bottom of the feet leaving slightly more color on the end so it has a small "tuft."


6
For the ears leave two small equal size lumps of clear or color on opposite sides of the top of the head then flatten them with tweesers or pliers usually. Then fold them slightly forward or back to give them a lifelike non mouse ear look.


Animal #2

Pig

1
Follow steps 1-3 of the elephant tutorial i know i'm cheating

4
Add a tail by getting a gather nice and hot and then attaching it to the but. Pull while still hot and rotate as it cools clockwise or counter-clockwise putting tension in the opposite direction of the rotation. This make a little swirly tail. The bonds direction indicates the tail direction happy tails point up.

5
The ears are made by attaching on one side of the head in the smallest point you can manage then pulling out and folding back on itself. Touch the fold to the head again then pull up slightly then to the forward of the pig to make a cute little ear. Pull into the flame for a more pointed ear. Then repeat on the other side

6
The nose is a small gather on the front tip of the head which you heat then smash with a paddle taking care to not heat the main head too much so theres a lip.



Bonus* Rose


1
Make a gather to be the rosebud of any color you want i used light elvis red


2
Fuse the gather to a rod of clear (or color) making the fuse the size of the stem you want to make


3
Make the stem by heating up roughly an inch to a good red color but not white hot so it has some resistance. Then slowly pull and move the clear rod up and down and if you have to pushing slightly to get a good stem shape and try to end up with the clear rod pointing away from the rosebud so it is a good handle


4
melt off the colored rod using the clear rod attached to the stem you just made as leverage. Then heat the tip or the rosebud red hot and use pliers or tweesers to twist the end to make it look like a rosebud.


5
Add three thorns one one each side and one on what you want to be the front. Do this by heating a green rod well and just touching it to right under the rosebud on the clear and pulling down. Then add one leaf on each side by touching the green to a side pulling away and folding the rod on itself (once or twice) to give it a veiny leaf look. Let it cool slightly and pull the tip of the leaf into the flame for a point when seperating it from the rod.


6
Add three or four thorns down the length of the rest of the stem


7
Seperate the stem form the clear handle rod by holding it with pliers or tweesers and add finishing touches.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

For a fun twist try giving the pigs (or the elephant) wings which I can explain if needed or changing the legs around on the elephant then putting it on a ball and/or platform to make a circus elephant.

I will add more like the penguin and maybe a mouse soon.

Have fun!
Sincerely,
Austin Hensley

[Hels]

Great! Thanks a bunch. I wondered how to make little animals! I'm going to try this soon.

[Ekkie]

Thanks Austin. This is a great tutorial. Do you have any pics? I am very visual and find it difficult to work without diagrams or photos.

Thanks again
Jenn

[HensleyArtglass]

I'll try to make some picture tuts tomorrow if I can temporarily enslave a friend. If I can I will put these on and a few more there's tons of different designs for simple animals.

[Marie C]

Thanks for the tuts. I, too, would love pictures. I'm a very visual learner and it really helps me to see what you're doing.

Thanks, again!

Warmly, Marie C

[GlassChick]

Love this tutorial, but want to see the finished product too!

Lynn

[Carols Glass]

I'll be looking for the pics!

[ziggys]

Ditto on the pictures. I would love to see yours.

[tt4st]

Thanks Austin! Your sculptures are very cute and I am going to try making the little elephant.

[Michelle Walsh]

Excellent!!

Thank you!

~Michelle

[SunDoorBeads]

I know I am being wishful but could you make these out of BE or Moretti? I have not tried much scuplture work but I don't think my minor with my one oxycon is stong enough for any boro. Thanks!
Michelle,
www.sundoorbeads.com

[SunDoorBeads]

Oh and great tut I am in love with TINY things!!!
Michelle
www.sundoorbeads.com

[theglasszone]

Originally Posted by SunDoorBeads

I know I am being wishful but could you make these out of BE or Moretti? I have not tried much scuplture work but I don't think my minor with my one oxycon is stong enough for any boro. Thanks!
Michelle,
www.sundoorbeads.com

Michelle:

I've not tried this particular method - but something similar - and I'm going to bet these can be done with Moretti 104...the sure-fire secret, I would guess, would be to keep flashing the glass in the flame to keep it warm so that it doesn't shock!

I'm going to give the rose a try - if I'm successful (working on a Hot Head w/MAPP and 104 glass), I'll be sure to post!

DeAnne in CA

[HensleyArtglass]

I've seen it done with soft glass on a hothead before I just don't know kind of soft glass it was. As for keeping stuff hot I guess I just figured everyone would already know that (slaps himself in the head.) Thanks for adding it I've made tons of the animals and roses and as with everything else practice makes perfect.

Sorry for the delay and as always have fun!

[ziggys]

Hey Austin, Thanks so much for making this tutorial and post pictures!!! It really helps me out. After I get started with these, I'm hoping it will be easier to figure out how it's done on my own.

I just realized I REALLY need a book that has animal pictures. Duh!

I'm going to try this with 104 glass. Though Boro is sounding more and more appealing.
Will let you know how it goes!

[Carols Glass]

I finally saw these pictures, they are great! Thanks so much for all your time and effort put into doing this.

[beadbroad]

This is great! Thank you for putting in the effort and sharing so generously.

[Karen Hardy]

Fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing!!!

[myrdlebp]

Where has this been hiding? I swear I have gone through pages 1-to date when this place bores me to tears!

Thank you sooooo much! I just love the rose bud! I am a frustraited Dollhouse lover as well as a glass freak!

[Reenie]

Wow...I just found this too! I'd love to see this in book form or something to have at the torch. The 2nd pic in the elephant is kind of blurry so I don't know how you turned it for the legs.
I love the rose bud!
You can make many small sculptural work with soft glass. Effetre, Vetrofond is fine and Bullseye is a bit stiffer. I only work soft glass and I've made one horse and a few little critters but nothing like this!!!
Can't wait to try. Thanks for sharing!!

[kebira]

...make way....spam bump coming thru........Nikes my ass!

By the way, Austin, beautiful job on the tutorial. Thank you for your time and effort.

Kevin

[Kristen]

Nice job...its so much easier for me to visualize with pictures...very cool

[Llama Girl]

Thanks so much for the tut and the great visuals!

Looking forward to seeing if anyone has tried this with 10 glass!

[Aretz]

I gotta try that rose next time I'm at the studio...