Floral Compression Pendants and Marbles

Mary K · #1 2013-04-28, 7:47am

8/5/2017
So amazing to look at this very old thread I started....to see where my journey had lead me.
I have made some progress in 4 years, I look at this and I think, Gosh I sucked. Hopefully
I will feel like that again in another 4 years. Ha! please be sure to look at the last pages for my work.
And thanks for everyone who contributed to this thread, you all inspired me and you still do!

Feel free to show your Floral Compression pendants and marbles.
Please be willing to answere any questions about technique and colors used.
This is a study in Flowers in Glass! Here are some of mine!

This one is backed with Jackpot Frit from Magpie Glassworx, oh I love that Jackpot frit
you can sort of see the sparkle here, but in person, it is just amazing! Love, Love that Jackpot frit!

Eileen · #2 2013-04-28, 8:03am

Lovely work!

jhamilton117 · #3 2013-04-28, 11:37am

Would you be willing to write a tut?

AmorphousDesigns · #4 2013-04-28, 11:39am

really nice florals!

MagpieGlass · #5 2013-04-28, 2:02pm

Beautiful florals Mary.

And I'm glad you really like the Jackpot frit (which size do you like best?).

Have you played with the Andromeda at all yet. My first outting went to poo ... the second was better but so not what I was dreaming of.

Jeremy ... check out Ron Bearer, Jrs. implosion tutorial ... it's actually mostly compression style and tons of great color mixing tips and he is really great with support of additional information and help. (one of the add on pages was all goodies I was looking for). Here is the link to Ron's Tute: http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=183218

jhamilton117 · #6 2013-04-28, 3:25pm

Thank you much Laura

Mary K · #7 2013-04-28, 4:02pm

Hi Laura, I like the smallest size, but that's because I am using it as backround in my pendants. I have had some really pretty effects with the andromeda as a backround, in the medium size, it looks great behind a blue or purple flower, then followed with fine jet frit. I'll try to work some and get pictures.

Jhamilton I will work on writting a tut, but honestly, whether it is written tuts or the one's you get on CD's or even Utube, there is nothing that will help you more than an actual class with a good teacher. I really owe John Kobuki so much more than I paid him for the class I took from him years ago. ( don't tell him that, he might send me a bill!)
John is the very best teacher (I think) out there. If there is anyway you can ever take a class from him, do it. I had to fly all the way to Colorado to take the class, was taken in by a very sweet lady who also is an LE member, and stayed at her house, she even picked me up at the airport, God I hadn't gone on an airplane in over 30 years and I have lots of trouble going away from home, I'm not good that way, but I am so glad I did it.
My skill level has improved thru the years, and it's like riding a horse, you gotta just ride, no one can really tell you how, you gotta do it. Learning how to focus the heat, and how to hold the angle of the maria makes such a big difference in the results you get. I always suggest starting with something really simple, and practice, practice, practice, and then practice more. I melt glass 4 or 5 days a week, and things are looking up! I have been melting glass for about 10 years, and I never get tired of it. There is always something new to learn.
Thank you all for your kind comments.

MagpieGlass · #8 2013-04-28, 4:35pm

Interesting on the Jackpot ... I like the smallest size the best too ... at least so far. I'm bouncing around doing a bunch of things at once ... so haven't had an focused play just testing the frit grinds.

I'd post pix of some of mine but my computer tanked a couple months ago and I'm still using hubby's spare laptop. I have pixs backed off onto a cd around here somewhere.

galabuffalo · #9 2013-04-30, 11:44am

Hello Mary K.

Love the pendents the second one is marvelous. I have been doing compression marbles obsessively for the last 6 months. I have developed some control over the implosion of the color in the marble but I can not figure out how to make the leaves in the back of the flower look like leaves. Do you have any advice to share. Kobuki gets those really nice leaves and I am seeing them in your work.
Here is a recent flower for example. Hate those leave unable to control a real form.

istandalone24/7 · #10 2013-04-30, 12:04pm

poke the center of each "leaf" you add with a tungsten pick or a butter knife.

you want it to look like this { not this [

galabuffalo · #11 2013-04-30, 2:15pm

thanks istandalone, but that does not work, seem like it should but no, especially as you get to the leaves which are further out on the maria, a different kind of distortion happens.
The image above shows exactly what you are suggesting. I have tried many variations on this all failures. I am looking for that maple leaf pattern that you can see in Mary K. second pendant and in most of the leaves in Kobuki's flowers.

galabuffalo · #12 2013-04-30, 6:30pm

Greetings again,
Here are two more examples. One shows exactly the best I could expect using istandalone's method, still far from the maple leaf pattern I would like. The other shows what happens with just using eight arcs for the leaf cane no picking. note how the center gets pulled in to form a vee.

Any help / suggestions to get me past this frustration.

Much appreciated
Thank you

GlassAlias · #13 2013-04-30, 9:03pm

Judging by the blue one above, it looks better. Some of the leafs look like you poked in the wrong direction but they have imploded/compressed out nicley towards the edge of the flower. I think that you will nail it in time, because the flowers look very nice.

deb tarry · #14 2013-05-01, 7:14am

Have you tried a 'v' shape for your leaves it might be more of the shape you are looking for. Make your 'v' shape and give the point a little pull with the pick at the point for a even sharper look.

caliglassguy · #15 2013-05-01, 8:02pm

What colors did you use for the petals and leaves for the first one pictured? I love the ghostly type leaves they look really gorgeous.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mary K

Feel free to show your Floral Compression pendants and marbles.
Please be willing to answere any questions about technique and colors used.
This is a study in Flowers in Glass! Here are some of mine!

This one is backed with Jackpot Frit from Magpie Glassworx, oh I love that Jackpot frit
you can sort of see the sparkle here, but in person, it is just amazing! Love, Love that Jackpot frit!

Mary K · #16 2013-05-02, 1:54pm

Hey Martinez, I used to live there when I was in my 20's, on Alhambra Blvd. Right across from the High School.
On that first pendant, the staymens are ruby 4 covered with indian green then covered again with jet, and pulled thin.
First layer petals is MP plum thin line and then thin line carmel on top of plum.
Outer layer petals is Green Morado, thin line.

You can get that ghostly look with lots of the silver colors, and the MP plum by itself will do it nicely too.
One note: twist the plum tightly for petal cane. Gives it a really natural look.

Mary K · #17 2013-05-02, 2:42pm

Here is a diagram of placement for lines and dots for pendant with
2 layers of petals and leaves.

Black ink represents glass, red ink represents tooling.
I try for a tiny dot in center of maria then surround it with 5 dots.
then 5 more tiny dots spaced between first 5. That creats a kind of a
star shape, with the dots. Can you see it?

Using your dots as refference, lay 5 fine lines evenly around center dots.
They can just be straight lines.
Heat to just barely melt in, then GENTLY poke center dots with small
pic. not a lot just a touch. Too much and it will go like for a jelly fish.
Then I use an exacto knife, I have 4 of them with different size blades in them, use a small one here, and just barely score the middle of each of
the 5 lines. Then go back and drag your small pic in the line you made
with the exacto, drag it outward away from center, heat the area, small
focused flame, drag, go around till it looks like this:

Then lay second thin line

score drag etc repeat

third line, that will be your leaves.
score drag center then add light scores as shown,
that gets that edgy leaf look.

I use biggest exacto blade on leaves,
all my exacto blades are just square, not pointed.
Basically what I hope everyone notices is that the top
drawing is what you lay on in thin lines of glass.
This last drawing is what you should look like before
you compress. The Pendant that is.
sometime I partially compress the petals then add leaves,
play with it and post what you get.

galabuffalo · #18 2013-05-02, 7:02pm

Very cool Thank you can't wait to try it.
Much appreciated

caliglassguy · #19 2013-05-02, 8:18pm

Thanx Mary K for the awesome description of the floral pendant instructions

Dragonharper · #20 2013-05-03, 2:51am

Good thread. I'm going to try some compressions today, I havent done any in over a year.

Mary K · #21 2013-05-03, 6:54am

Cool Roy! Hope to see lots of pictures on here! If they don't go right,post em anyway and I'll try to help you see where you went wrong if I can. Want to see everybodies pictures! Aren't pictures hard to take? Glass so hard to photo, yet some do it very well, not me.
I added a little info on exacto blade size at end under last diagram.

Liquidsand · #22 2013-05-03, 12:27pm

Thank you Mary!
I just tried some floral compressions the other night, inspired by the pics posted by you and istandalone in other threads. I've done lots of frit and dot implosions and compressions but never tried the florals. They came out pretty weak. I have to get better at stringer control on the Cheetah. I'm accustomed to the Lynx. All my lines ended up too close together. I guess starting with a bigger maria would probably help, but I was trying to stick with a smaller finished product. The advice about picking and raking will help.
I'm wondering if you do anything in particar to get that color bleed on the petals, other than layering? Do you ever use a "twisty"?
Martha

Dragonharper · #23 2013-05-03, 12:45pm

Unfortunatly my kiln malfunctioned and all I have for today are puddles.

VooDooVixen · #24 2013-05-03, 2:52pm

some are done with frit, dot, and petal shaped. I am really excited to try out some of the new flower types that were posted earlier in this thread! It's been challenging figuring out how to shape different types of flowers.

galabuffalo · #25 2013-05-03, 4:05pm

VooDooVixen nice work, that is a beautiful blue what color glass is that?

Mary K · #26 2013-05-03, 7:44pm

Miss Vixen your website is Fab!
Those cabs look nice on metal, nice job.
And "Yes!" to the twisty question. I love twisties, but
they are brittle and fussy so you must take care when making
small diameter ones. Make only a small one, you will have more control,
and the whole darn thing won't get broken on your bench
before you use it.

Ok LiquidSand do this, and post picture please.
Make Floral as in my diagram, LEAVE out the first layer of
petals. Just space there, more room to get comfortable
with this technique. Then do leaves. Like this:

That be what this is. One layer petals. For these petals
I lay down really thin layer of Loki and even thinner layer
of MP Violet Hue. Yum. Love that color combo.
That also gets that veil like edge. Silver color.
Some colors are easier to control in stringer than others.
To learn new techniques, find the glass that works easiest
for you, with your torch. Then practice.

deb tarry · #27 2013-05-04, 8:08am

here is a link to a bunch of flower compression/implosion marbles that I have posted in the marble room towards the end of the post there is some flowers made from twisties Liquidsand. the trick with using them is to twist as you are laying them down.
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=236926

Mary K · #28 2013-05-04, 2:44pm

I just so not good at twisting as laying it down, so I just pretwist. someday I'll get to where I can twist as i lay it on, but, for now happy to do what I am doing. Your work is beautiful deb tarry.

deb tarry · #29 2013-05-04, 7:16pm

I do twist before hand also but as I am laying it down I twist it some more and it just seems to tidy it up even more not really necessary but I like it.

Liquidsand · #30 2013-05-05, 5:02pm

Mary,
I will try it with just one row of petals. A big part of my problem is struggling to control the heat on tiny stringers with the Cheetah, and ending up with really globby, shapeless lines. I've only been using it for a few weeks and I was on the Lynx for 8 years before that. If I get really determined I will re-attach the Lynx and have a go. Really wishing for torch-side quick connects.
It occurred to me that I might try it as an implosion on a bubble. That allows for a lot more real estate. Does anyone do it that way, or is the effect all about the compression? Also wondering if you go for a particularly thin or thick maria.
Well I should just go find out for myself, huh? Off to try both ways...right now! And thanks for the color tip, I just so happen to have Loki's and Violet Hue on my bench right now, for a little while longer at least.
I'm guessing the "bleed" I was referring to must come from layering one line of stringer over the other, and it is just part of the magic that happens with boro - why we love it so much. And it is probably about experimenting and practicing until you hit on the right color recipes.
Deb - I love the MC Escher twisty florals! It almost looks like infinity loops piled on top of each other. And the realistic flowers are really impressive. I almost never get that intentional in my approach. I tend to just "throw color at the canvas".
I will post some pictures in the near future of tonight's effort.
Thank you for your suggestions.
Martha