Is there a "Very Basic Sculpture Tutorial?"

[cadia]

I really need a tut on the most basic of sculpting techniques. Is there one on this forum already, maybe buried in an existing tut? Or can anyone please give some thoughts on how to apply a "gather" how to shape it once applied, and with what tools at what degree of heat ( both bead and torch) And if someone who uses HH could respond even better!! I've been making up my own techniques and it's slooow going!

Thanks!!!

[Dasi]

I think you would get more answers if you were more specific. Do you want hard or soft glass? On or off mandrel? this would be a start. Do you want to do figures of people, little animals, or murinni sculpture that you pull out?

I just rented a boro video from smartflix. They have many glass videos to rent and this could be a place to start. It costs very little and they have some really great tutorial videos.... You could always post here about one you were thinking about. Then people would tell you if it is worth renting....

[cadia]

Great Idea! - I've been looking for an excuse to try Smartflix.
Also I'm looking for on~mandrel, soft glass, and want to know techniques such as putting on a wing or other appendage or making a depression in the glass, basic how~to that could be applied to any sculpture subject.

[Parrotise]

PM'ed you!

[Mike H]

Hey Sally, Here's a very simple fish tutorial that Sharon Peters has on her website. If you can master these simple techniques you can apply them
in many different ways, just use your imagination.
Its all about heat control and vision.
http://www.smartassglass.com/fish_tutorial.htm

[Emily]

Jim Kervin's little book (booklet) about Sharon Peters is useful, too. He has a series of books about individual beadmakers and the one about Sharon focuses on sculptural techniques in soft glass. Because it's about Sharon, the beads are very very silly, but you can use the techniques to make beads that aren't based on ridiculous puns, of course. The big glass suppliers carry his books (Frantz, Arrow Springs etc.) They're under $20.

[AlaskaBarb]

A few things in two minutes or less.....

Use a good bead release that can take some moderate abuse.

Wear protective clothing. Sometimes appendages go kablooey.

Start really small. The principles are the same, but you won't waste as much glass -- and not so many pieces will fly around if it explodes.

Plan out the design as much as possible; put all your rods, stringers and tools within easy reach, where you need them (It's hard to keep sculptural pieces evenly heated while fishing around trying to find the right tool.) Don't ask me how I know that!

Both the gather and attachment point must be hot enough to fuse well -- i.e., enough heat to make the join fairly smooth, to avoid making a cold seal which could allow the attachment to pop off later. I try to heat each attachment point to glowing -- glowing but not flowing.

It helps to be selective in heat placement when doing sculptural items. (This might be a challenge on the Hot Head, but not impossible. I've seen Italian flameworkers make tiny components using relatively big soft flames -- but then, if you're born on Murano, glass obeys you, lol!) Learn how to work at the edge of the flame for details.

It's important to keep the whole base bead warm, but not so much that it deforms under the pressure of adding or manipulating sculptural elements -- unless that's the look want. If so, then watch out for the integrity of the bead release.

In the same vein, one has to sometimes gingerly get the heat to the base bead while avoiding the precious details you just worked so hard to make. That can be one of the most maddening parts of sculptural work. Those pieces have to be kept warm, though, so there's a real conundrum. When I need to heat up a delicate part -- a stamen or small petal, I blow directly on the flame to temporarily dissipate the heat.

Remember that the opposite side of the bead is getting cold while you're slaving away on this side -- don't neglect it.

Some artists have come up with good systems for adding appendages, limbs and facial details -- Sharon Peters comes to mind -- and those principles can be applied to things other than cats or cows. Block out (make) the main pieces, moving from largest to smallest, then progressing to finer details. You can keep a hippo's chunky body and legs heated fairly easily, but if you'd done the head first and included teeth and eyelashes if would be hard to heat the beast without melting off the little stuff, and then you just have a mess to fix -- so do those sorts of things towards the end.

Gently heat the whole bead, evenly, before putting it in the kiln, and make sure your annealing schedule ramps slow enough between annealing temps and stress point.

I don't know if it this was helpful at all, but I wanted to give you something other than a referral to a book or video. However, I do concur with those suggestions. Also, Scott Bandhu Dunham's Contemporary Lampworking I&II are all about sculptural work. Boro, but the principles are the same.

Happy melting. Have fun!

[cadia]

Great tips and site links everyone ~much appreciated!~Thank you Barb for the detailed answer and tips!

[Marcy]

Hi Sally,
I do a lot of sculpture. Check out my etsy shop and if you see something in there that you would like pointers on, pm/email/convo or whatever. I'm happy to help.

Marcy

[cadia]

Marcy ,
Love you beads on Etsy!
Very fun stuff!!
I was just lent a great video, which I need to watch many more times but I may get back to you with some questions Thanks!!

[Sue in Maine]

Sally!

I have videos & dvd's!!!! Borrow them!

Are you busy evenings Sat. or Sun? Not only will I loan the dvd's, my daughter sent me some of her dog's fur so I want to know how you did the fur felt ball thingy. We can help each other!

Sue, heading for phone to call you now!...

[Marcy]

Great, you just let me know.
And thanks for the compliment.
Marcy