Karen Godin 13 May 2006

2. Depending on the design I have in mind, I usually find it easier to cut most of the glass that I plan to use BEFORE doing anything else.

I use special glass cutting tools to score, cut & "break" the glass.

I rarely plan out a design on paper - just envision it in my head & go from there.

In this project, I was commissioned by artist, TIM KLINE, to produce glass "sails" to be integrated into one of his functional art wind chimes or sun catcher creations. Tim draws on nature for his inspiration, so that guided my colour choices...and design.

I wanted glass that had a fluid feel with colours that you'd find in the ocean.

p.s. This is Tim Kline's portfolio link... http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?ArtID=25328

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

3. The tools of the trade include: a glass scorer/cutter, a rubber based bar (whose technical name escapes me at the moment) to guide the score, breakers (large & small), glue, ruler/tape measure, pen & cutting surface.

And, of course .... a kiln.

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

4. Once I've cut most of the glass needed for a project, I begin arranging the pieces in the design that appeals to me, cutting them to size as I go along. I use a base of clear, fusible glass (but could use a coloured piece if desired).

Tim is going to hang these pieces as diamonds, so that is how I arrange the design. I don't glue them on until I'm happy with the way they lie.

The cuts have to be quite precise, or there will be big gaps in the finished piece - NOT a desired result!

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

5. Now, I glue all the pieces to my base glass. Once this is done, the piece is ready to be fired.

However, I wanted to experiment with a technique using GLASS FRIT, which is essentially ground glass. It comes in FINE (requires mask), Med & Coarse grains. I like the Medium & Coarse variety best.

I've used the Coarse in my Red Sun Coasters & enjoy the textured effect. In this case, I'm NOT looking for texture because it's probably going to be an outdoor piece & will be easier to clean if flat - so, I've chosen med grain, in an seaweed green colour.

I mix it with glue to make it easier to apply and use a tool (no idea what it's called) to place it.

Frit is sold by the ounce (~$2/ounce, if I remember correctly)

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

6. The result I'm looking for is to blur some of the harder edges where they connect in the design. I want to accentuate that fluid, watery effect.

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

7. Once I've completed a piece, I set it aside to dry, and move on to the other pieces in the set.

Sometimes, I will do several pieces simultaneously, but because this was a new design, I wanted to be sure of the result before doing the other pieces.

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

8. Now that I've completed all my pieces, I am ready to fire the glass in the kiln.

This picture shows Tim's 3 "sails", as well as a couple of other pieces I did using the same glass.

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

9. So, these are the finished "Sails". The dimensions are 8x8, 6x6 & 4x4. I'm looking forward to seeing how Tim chooses to integrate them into one of him amazing creations!

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

This is a close-up of one of the sails to better show the effect of the frit in the transparent glass.

I'm very pleased with the results!

I invite you to peruse my portfolio at your leisure! =}

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 13 May 2006

This is good stuff Kid! Thanks for showing this. We need as many tutorials that we can get here.

Thanks again my friend.--Denny ;{

Wendy Bandurski-Miller 13 May 2006

now that was cool Karen i loved looking at this..... you explain your process really really well.....

thanks for the time and effort of taking the photos as you worked.....it helped me understand ........

clever work.......

Pete Miller 13 May 2006

I have some questions....

What kind of glue do you use?

is a glass kiln different from say a pottery kiln?

and what would something like this cost to have you make? (if you dont mind me asking)

very cool stuff....... fascinating!

Terry Bassett 13 May 2006

Thanks for taking the time to put that together Karen.. It was a very interesting and informative read! :-)

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

Pete, I believe that a glass kiln mainly differs from a pottery kiln in that it has a heating element in the lid of the kiln as well as the sides. You can fire glass in a pottery kiln, but would have to experiment with temperatures & increments, etc...

The glue is nothing really special - Elmer's School Glue works well - I like the clear, blue gel kind ;)

Cost is a tougher one to calculate because one has to factor in materials, time, experience, etc... Also, the first time I try a design, it always takes me longer to figure out & plan.

But, to give you an idea of pricing, I would compare it to my other projects (in terms of glass used, effort made & time spent). These three pieces are the equivalent of a set of coasters ($100)& a large clock ($80) = $180 for all three pieces.

Kathi Perry 13 May 2006

Great tutorial Karen. It was interesting to see how you make your glass pieces, as I had no clue :) Thanks for posting!

Maddison Jamison 13 May 2006

That's really interesting Karen! It really helps all of us have a better understanding of how you come up with the designs and how it all comes together into such great pieces. I have a couple of questions too.

How or what do you write on the different pieces with? I noticed that some pieces are personalized or have words on them. Is that done before or after the firing?

Pat Merewether 13 May 2006

This is very interesting - such creative work! I had an intro to stained glass class years ago and loved it - made some pieces that are still around - but I really had not place to work on it - it's not a kid/pet friendly medium (media?) - so nice to see your tutorial - helps understand all you do - thanks!

Tim Kline 13 May 2006

Hi Karen, Thank you SO much, both for the sails, and for the excellent tutorial. You taught me a lot there~ very interesting. So much work! And expense! Can't wait to get my mitts on these. (Now I am already worried about drilling them!) Terrific!

At least one of them will be for something like the wind chime in this image. (Maybe.) Tim

Karen Godin 13 May 2006

Maddison, I discovered a special kind of paint that can be fused right into the glass. It's a pain in the behind to work with because it's somewhat inconsistent, but it allows me to try different things ... and to sign all my work!

Tim, I'm looking forward to giving these to you in person next week! I can't wait to see what you do with them!

Linda Eades Blackburn 13 May 2006

Wonderful Tut Karen. Thanks.