Glass Kanvas

Bit of an update....!

2009-05-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

Well it been a while since I've last posted. That's mainly because I'm so overstretched at the moment! Sadly, I've had to cut down on the amount of work I know produce as my other work commitments have really taken over. The upside to this is I'll now have more time to dedicate to producing new and exciting items as well as some very exciting new ranges, using new techniques i've been able to learn thanks to members of Crafteroo.

I'm now producing a range of stained glass items and i'm also combining handmade candles into my product list to compliment candle arches and tea lights i'm about to start selling- exciting. Anyway- just a brief note to say, i'm back- and now blogging 3 times a week!!

GlassKanvas.com is back online!

2009-02-24T18:46:00.000-08:00

After a long break Glass Kanvas is back online! I'm busy adding stock to it and it's a long process but it should be stocked to the brim over the next few weeks!

I'm adding a full catalogue of designs plus the bespoke ones such as Tapestry, Aurora etc that hall become my hallmark!

I'm so busy at the moment. As most of you who read the blog know, I also help run the Crafteroo Craft forum which is a lot more work than it looks! I'm also getting the dichroic glass tutorials site, DichroicGlass.co.uk back in full working order. Helen from Blue Fairy Designs is helping me out a lot with it, i'm sooo grateful! Thanks Helen!!

Another bit of news.... I'm going to be an author! I can't say too much at the moment, but... I'm currently working on 3 (yes 3) books! I'll keep you updated as soon as I know more but the first one is in the bag!

Crafts for Comic Relief

2009-02-07T13:19:00.000-08:00

The Crafteroo Craft Forum have teamed up with the UK Craft Auction site Folksy, to help raise funds for Comic Relief.

Organised by Kerry from PennyDog Jewellery, members of the forum have each donated pieces to a collaborative shop of handcrafted items. Folksy in tern, have kindly waived the fees for these items so more funds can go to such a good cause!

Please visit the Crafteroo Comic Relief shop here and help support charity work here and overseas.

New Crafts Forum

2008-08-03T06:43:00.001-07:00

A brand new crafts forum has opened it's doors

Crafteroo is a new forum, part of a larger site to be launched later this year. It's a place were anyone of any crafts discipline can get together and talk shop. It's brand spanking new so go and make yourself at home! The crafts forum is very much in the users hand and new alterations will be added to suit. The only rules are to chill out!!...No bitchiness, no nasty comments, no worries!

Save Money Using Ebay...without getting on seller's nerves!

2008-07-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ok...so the blog has gone a bit consumer crazy lately but I'm on a bit of a mission!
Anyway... there are plenty of bargains to be had on ebay. Everyone's heard of auction sniper tools...they lurke around auctions putting late bids on things and driving sellers crazy!

There is a way to save money using ebay another way... a bit sneaky...but it's a win-win for you and the seller!

First...hunt down items using spelling errors on ebay...using websites such as
http://www.auction-typos.co.uk

These are great sites to mooch around on as there are loads of items on there with simple spelling errors, meaning that prospective bidders can't find them, therefore next to no (or no) bids!

Next, take a note of the item details and hop on over to BigCrumbs.com . Buy the item at the bargain price you've found it at and buy it via the bigcrumbs site and recieve money back from it!
Win-win!

How to drive Traffic to your Ebay Store

2008-07-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

I've just written an article explaining how to drive traffic to your ebay store or shop. You can read it here .

Drive traffic to your ebay store.

No matter what you sell via ebay, we could all do with ways to boost traffic to ebay and therefore hopefully pick up a few extra sales. I'll add to it as needed so check it out!

Save money using Ebay with BigCrumbs.com!

2008-07-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this excellent site will I was tinkering around on the internet http://www.bigcrumbs.com/ . The idea of the site is simple. Shop and earn money back will you do so! The site works by giving you back some of the money the webshops pay to advertise. There's no tricks or gimmicks....think of it like coupons from a magazine!

Glass Fusing Kilns

2008-07-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've been very busy this weekend troubleshooting some new ranges i'm bringing out. I'll try and get some nice piccies on ASAP. When I get a mo i'll try and add some more glass fusing tutorials to the dichroic glass website too.
For the time being though, I've written a guide to buying a glass fusing kiln on ebay so have a look if you're interested!

Dichroic Glass Jewellery on Ebay!

2008-07-19T14:43:00.001-07:00

Check my latest listings on ebay!

Dichroic Glass Jewellery Making Videos!

2008-07-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

Beads By Lilli have given us the honour of being featured in one of their fabs jewellery making videos on You Tube.

Beads by Lilli's web store is jammed packed with jewellery making supplies and anything and everything beady- well worth the look! A few of their handy guides are featured on the dichroic glass tutorials site with more to come. They are excellent quality and make everything look so easy...although perhaps they are a bit more challenging to us lesser mortals!

Glass fusing tutorials!

2008-07-18T10:43:00.001-07:00

More tutorials have been added to the Dichroic Glass website-join up and join in!

Dichroic Glass How To and Glass Fusing Tutorials

2008-06-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Get your self over to the new dichroic glass forum and have a goosey at the latest glass fusing tutorials, lampworking how to 's as well as the latest glass art news and info.
There are monthly competitions and you can also submit glass fusing URL 's and lampworking websites to the monitored links section.
Get over there and take part!

Glass Fusing Book Reviews

2008-06-28T02:34:00.000-07:00

There's an ever increasing amount of books reviews now available on www.dichroicglass.co.uk .
Don't waste your money on books that offer you only pretty pics. Get a review and buy wisely!

There's a glass fusing forum on the site too to discus your opinions and ask any glass question you might have.

If you've got an Etsy shop, ebay shop or other glassy website, add it to the links section and shout about your fabulous work- join now!

A Big Thanks to Swirly Arts!

2008-06-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Lynsey from SwirlyArts who sent me this fab Chicken doorstop! Lynsey came to one of my glass fusing classes and noticed I had a need for the door stop so...taadaa!
I love it. Lynsey is a recycling fanatic! I found this out when she could resist using every single scrap of glass. Nothing went to waste!

SwirlyArts was fabric specialist and sells lots of eco-friendly goodies so check them out. Check out Lynsey's blog here too!

Glass Kanvas goes green!

2008-06-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

So, I've decided I'm way too wasteful with the packaging I send out. People don't really need boxes and boxes and boxes. My home is full to the brim of boxes of boxes and boxes of envelopes for the boxes, it's ridiculous!

From now though, all my dichroic glass pieces are going to be sent out in recycled packing, using recycled paper or if possible reusing envelopes! I'm sending out everything in bags that can be easily reused and recycled and i'm making my own protective packing for the pieces!
Every little helps!
TTFN

Glass Fusing Classes

2008-06-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

I've had a hectic weekend hence a lack of new posts for a while. I've been busy making alterations to the new glass fusing and lampworking forum , plus I had one of my glass fusing classes on Sunday.

I'm really pleased with the work people turned out. Really impressive for new fusers!

The people who came were great and really enthusiastic. I purposely keep the classes small because I have tendancy to baffle people initially. Keeping the numbers small means I can respond to confused faces quickly!
I think this will be my last class for a while. I'm just so busy, but I'll put the details up here again once I restart.

TTFN

Competition!!!

2008-06-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

I've started the first of Dichroicglass.co.uk 's monthly competitions. These competitions are open to anyone on the forum and to enter you only need to post a comment on it. To enter have a look at the Competition Post . Good Luck!

Glass Kanvas on ebay!!

2008-06-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

Mid season is a dry...dry time. Stock up now for Christmas then!....Bargains to be had!

Glass Fusing/ Glass Artists forum

2008-06-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

The new glass fusing forum is going well with nearly 6000 hits in just 2 weeks! Join up, drop in and say hello!

The new dichroicglass.co.uk site is a site for glass artists of all disciplines. The aim is to share information and increase the knowledge and profile of all our work!

We're looking for moderators to help out with the site so if you're interested join the forum and send me a message!.... Send the message to info@dichroicglass.co.uk

Glass Related Blogs

2008-05-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

I move a good mooch around the internet looking at all the beautiful work glass artists produce. Blogs are quite addictive too here's a few I love!

www.amazingglass.blogspot.com

www.gj-dichroicglass.blogspot.com

www.glassprimitif.blogspot.com

Take a look yourself!

Weeeell, what a week!

2008-05-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

Things have been so hectic this week that i've not known whether i'm coming or going! The new dichroic glass website and forum is only a week old and going strong! The site stats are really interesting to watch in the background...I can see where people are from and it's coming up some surprising hits...and some not so surprising!

Come and say hello on the dichroic glass forum and make yourself known!

Lee from Kilncare is now watching over the kiln/technical bit for us so all your kiln related queries will get answered by an industry leader!

I'll be starting the first of my monthly competitions this week also. Check out the website for details.

With all the hubbub with the dichroic glass website i've not forgotten either my dichroic jewellery website or ebay shop!

I've added lots more dichroic bangles...and more are coming over the next few days. I'm also adding lots of new dichroic ranges too-so think on!

DichroicGlass.co.uk-Now Online!

2008-05-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

The new Dichroic Glass Website is now up and running!-Come and say hello in the new forum or drop us a line if you've got something to share!

Ebay Changes

2008-05-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

I know this a bit of an obsession with me but ....have you checked the new feedback changes?!
My feedback doubled in one fell swoop! Another new addition is the fact that the negatives and neutrals are now linked....you can click on 'em and have a snoop why the customer left the negative score. It's actually quite funny!....Also check out other people's feedback, you can see the seller who previously were attacking customers with negs and also telling complete lies about them!....Maybe they're a good thing?..Well maybe not but they're a good laugh at least!

Exciting new glass fusing website-preview!

2008-05-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so i've had a few emails ths week asking where the tutorials have gone?

The answer is that i've still been doing them-but they're now going into the new dichroic glass and glass fusing website- Launching early next week!

The new site will be packed with news and info relating to all things glassy-with the emphasis on glass fusing! They'll be a tutorials section as well as forum to swap all of your tricks and know-how. A new links section is being added to get the details of your crafts out there an there'll be a website of the week, in which we'll spotlight an artist, supplier or resource website. Check out www.dichroicglass.co.uk early next week!

Ebay's been Credit Crunched!

2008-05-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Anyone who deals on ebay know how many changes it has gone through over the past few months. There have been price hikes, listing regulations added, feedback changes and a hell of a lot of disgruntled sellers!

I sell a lot through ebay as I repeat...well, repeatedly. This changes have affected me heavily as they have everyone selling either dichroic glass jewellery and other handcrafted goods-to the point that a lot of sellers have simply abandoned ebay altogether.

What ebay don't seem to grasp is that those who sell on ebay also buy via ebay-I myself, buy a lot of findings etc on ebay simply out of conveinience. As the sellers have packed up shop, this in turn has had a knock-on affect on our sellers all noticing a slump in sales.

A few months back, Ebay announced the restoration of visibility to the US and Canadian markets via ebay.co.uk. This change will have a similar affect in reverse on ebay.com. This means that items placed on auction on the UK version of ebay will be advertised on ebay.com also...for a fee of course! This change couldn't come soon enough for me as before the drop in visibility ,I was regularly posting 3-4 items to the US daily, after the change 2-3 per week.

Ebay have now also announced that this summer, the gallery listing-the picture that appears on the auction listing will be free , all summer!

This is unprecedented for ebay, and I can only assume it's due to the amount of people no longer bothering with auctioning item, coupled with people's strained finances at the moment.

Hopefully this incentive to list, along with access to overseas buyers will restore people's faith in ebay-myself included.

A big thanks to Dichroic Sparkle UK

2008-05-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

I must take this oportunity to thank Dichroic Sparkle UK, Tracey Mead for her help with a feature for the new Dichroicglass.co.uk website launching later this month.

Tracy kindly let me showcase her fabulous work on the site-it's first feature! I went to Tracey first because I was so impressed with the uniqueness and quality of her beautiful dichroic glass jewellery!

I'm sure you'll agree how amazing her work is-well worth a look!

It aint 'alf hot mum!

2008-05-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this form the comfort of the park across the way from my apartment. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology...plus a few wireless networks in the local office blocks I'm able to write outside! Here's the view from my apartment....I was getting jealous!

The British summer last approximately 23 minutes so i'm making the most of it while I can! Having a few kilns in my living room, it can feel a little stiffling in this heat!

I'm gathering news stories for Dichroicglass.co.uk and i'm testing as we speak so hopefully it'll be live and kicking in the next week or so. I'm also beefing up GlassKanvas.com. I offer wholesale dichroic glass jewellery accounts so get in touch if you're interested.

Ebay is picking up nicely again now. I've been mulling leaving it for a while. Although prices have come down I think that's largely down to changes that haven't had an effect yet. I've met a lot of lovely people via ebay so it'd be a shame to loose contact with them, I will keep a presence there even if it is reduced. While it's true some fellow sellers can be a little aggressive, most are lovely and I enjoy reaching out to them through this blog....Although one cheeky blighter writes all over the internet criticising plagiarism yet got the know-how on how to make their latest ranges from this blog! ....If they're shooting at you, you must be doing something right!

Isn't the world a small place?

2008-05-10T02:21:00.000-07:00

Doing this blog I get to see/pry where it's readers are from. The results are always quite surprising-Here's a screen shot of the last 2 days visitors. No-one's interested in Greenland! How rude! I'm busy adding bits to my dichroic glass jewellery website as well as my ebay store. Tryng to fit all this in whilst preparing the new site has been tough but thanks to the glorious weather this week i've not been too over stretched-everyone's outside!

Here's a few from my sundrop dichroic pendant range. These are all based on transluscent art glass-very summery! You can get one for every outfit...please!

As well as my ebay site which is my sale site, my website also offers wholesale dichroic glass accounts for resellers so just get in touch!

Dichroic Designs of Shaker Heights

2008-05-09T14:02:00.001-07:00

Oooo, I'm now featured on a great website based in the US. Dichroic Designs of Shaker Heights, a fab website featuring some truely beautiful dichroic glass jewellery. It's an honour to be among them!

Got that Friday feeling?

2008-05-09T01:22:00.000-07:00

Friday's here already and the weekend is upon us. Bank holidays really through me out of sinc with the week so can never remember what day of the week it is. The only clue really is the church next door rings it's very loud, very annoying bells on different days to alert me. Not just for me obviously. Friday's are practise night and tonight i'm looking forward to 4 hours on monotonous clanging from the novices. Can you tell i'm not a fan?

When the droan starts I normally put my ipod on to drown out the noise. One podcast I listen to regularly is Craftcast. It's a multi-discipline crafts show I download to tunes and is great for ideas and resources. It deals with so many fields that you're sure to pick up inspiration for your next venture. It's also good to reach out to the craft community from time to time.

With that in mind....stay tuned for a very special announcement from me and incywincy crafts about a brand new website for the craft community starting very soon!

I really must slow down with these websites!!

ttfn

Summer's Finally Here!

2008-05-07T04:08:00.000-07:00

British weather is a marvellous thing. One second it feels like we're in suburban Antarctic, the next it feels like the Algarve!

The sun is currently cracking the flags and everyone is out an about- hence no-one staying at home buying things from me!- Seriously, it's tragic!

I always notice a downturn in sales when it's sunny so i'm not too concerned-I'm enjoying the weather too much myself!

I'm busy adding to my website and getting things together for a bit of a relaunch. My main sales avenue is ebay and to be fair the whole site is fast going down the drain! So i'm going to concentrate on that -plus the new website!

At the moment i'm doing quite chunky designs with textured dichroic glass. It can be quite a pain using ths type of glass as the clear top you add can pull in, ruining the piece. Conveniently though, i've already done a how-to for the new site so it'll be easy for beginners to tackle using this glass after they read that....if they want. Not that i'm pressuring anyone or anything.

I'm also starting to reintroduce dichroic 'slider' pendants. These pieces are fused with a hole near the top so they'll 'slide' right onto chain etc. They're probably my favourite pieces as they're so thick and full of depth. The finished result can be so random after fusing! I get quite a few questions about these so i'll add a how-to on these to the site as well.

Anyway-it's too blooming nice to be stuck indoors next to the kiln so i'm going far a walk!

Enjoy!

Exciting New Dichroic glass and Glass Fusing website

2008-05-04T05:56:00.000-07:00

Exciting news folks!...Well relatively speaking that is. I'm launching a brand new website launching in late May http://www.dichroicglass.co.uk/ for everyone interested in dichroic glass and fused glass jewellery and art.

The site will combine tutorials, news from suppliers and artists, website reviews from both glass artists and suppliers plus a forum!

I'll be adding contact details here very soon so please get in touch if you've got anything to share in the world of fused glass.

I've been very quiet on the blog for a while as i've been so busy working on it and I'm hoping it'll be a great resource for anyone.

Competition Winner and New Glass Fusing Classes!!

2008-04-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

Firstly...Can I just apologise for the delay in announcing the winner of the competion. I've been working so hard lately that a few things have gone undone....but...as promised....the winner of the plate....is...Lesley... with Home Kanvas.....probably just as well because some of the entries were, well...interesting!....The competion winner can contact me via the website with the address details.
Next...following on from the first Beginners glass fusing glass, i'm holding the next one on..June 8th!....Like the previous one, it's going to be a small class ranging from the very basics of working with glass to using dichroic glass. We'll be making several projects including items of jewellery and a few items for the home. The aim of the class is to give you the fundamentals of glass fusing and going through the lessons you can apply them to any of the future project you want. Plus..i'll act as your 'remote tutor' after the class, so if you've got any questions or want impartial advice you can drop me a line!
Anywho...must go, the kiln's beeping!

I'm Back!!!!!

2008-04-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

Sorry it's been sooo long since the last post but I've been a little overwhelmed with work lately and answering emails something had to give!
What have I been upto?! Well firstly, I held my glass fusing beginners class and it went really well!....In fact I got quite jealous at some of the work produced! David, Harriet and Lynsey all picked it up really quickly and some excellent things got made....I expect to see one or two glass fusing rivals very soon!
As well as that I've been making room for some brand new lines...and i'm thinking big! Which means a new kiln!..yey! New ranges will include some wall art, platters and other homeware lines...and lets just say they take up quite a lot of room!
My third bit of news is still very hush hush.....but lets just say i've got a new website! It's going to be based on the blog but I don't want to say too much as the spies are out there!

Back tomorrow with more news....and the competition winners!!!....Ooo time for a new competition I think!

New Wholesale Dichroic Jewellery and New Designs!

2008-03-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

With my website still undergoing a spot of spring cleaning I thought I'd better get some new designs made as well as trial new offers on my ebay shop.
My auctions always start at wholesale prices but now i'm listing some buy it now wholesale packs. There'll soon be an option to buy packs of each of the ranges I offer. Great if you're a reseller or if your buying for groups etc.
In the meantime have a look at these new designs i'm selling. Dichroic glass rings and dichroic dog tag necklaces. Available from my ebay shop. I'll be adding lots more over the next few weeks as well as some very exciting new items i'm currently working on.

On an entirely different matter....my glass fusing classes are proving popular...One place left though! See my website for details! It looks like i'll be adding more dates soon also so check back for future dates.

I've not done a tutorial for a while so I'll blog back soon with a do's and don'ts of glass fusing. I get lots of emails as a result of the blog now, which i'm thrilled with, but I also get a lot of the same questions so i'll try and answer them all in a FAQ...drop me a line if you have a query you want answering.

TTFN

Simple Custom Dichroic Patterns

2008-02-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, quick tutorial!
I quick and easy way to make custom dichroic patterns...well when you don't have a lazer engraver or sandblasting unit to hand is etching creme. It's not as precise as either of those two but a lot less messy and it's a good way of adding writing to fused glass should you want to..I write like Daniel Day Lewis's right foot so it's not something I'd want...anywho...

First stage is to 'mask' areas you don't want etched. There are a couple of ways to do this. If you want to be precise you can use a stencil or even a sandblasting resist film to mask the dichroic....I think there's not enough time in the world to do that so I use 'sharpie' markers. They're quite effective..if you add a few layer they're even better! ...One cheating way of doing it is you use card making 'peel offs' to make quite a precise design.

I sketched a quick design using the marker...The key word here is 'sketched'. I did this simply for the blog so I wasn't really inspired at this point!

There's a lot of black here but remember to do the design in negative so the creme will take of the unmasked parts.

Here's the creme. You can use it do some interesting effect on glass but use it with caution! Remember to use gloves as it is caustic and wash you hands after use!...We wouldn't want this stuff reaching the parts that other beers can't reach!

This is the dichroic piece afterleaving the creme on for 5 mins....a bit rough and ready I know but it was just for show....and i'm not Picasso. Wash the glass thoroughly.

Here's the etched dichroic glass in a section of one of my jubilee pendants....purty ain't it!

And now for something completely different!

I'll be starting bi-monthly glass fusing classes from my home studio on 30th March. Details available from the website or you can email me at glasskanvas@hotmail.co.uk . I'm limiting the number to 4 so everyone gets a decent amount of attention so drop me a line fi you're interested!

TTFN
Phil

Spring Cleaning...and a very British Earthquake!

2008-02-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

Well, so much to talk about! It's been quite a hectic week all in all so blogging has been a bit on the backburner. Meetings with accountants and advisors are the boring bits of working for myself but very necessary...especially when, like me you can't remember my phone number let alone tax start date...or whatever was said at that meeting.

I'm also trying to knock some sense back into my website which because of other commitments, i've had to neglect for a bit. It'll be back in shape later this week with some very exciting new lines i'm working on...plus, i'm going to be displaying some dichroic glass by other artists! There's a small minority or glass artists who are quite hostile to other artists and sellers. I hope through this blog and my growing list of contacts I can slowly dispell that and get a sense of community that should be there!

Anyway. I usually end up working late through the week so was up for the dramatic earthquake that hit Lincoln in the early hours of this morning. When I say dramatic...I mean a few bits of masonry came down in some village (ok, so they landed on someone which must of hurt), but it was hardly the end of the world. I've had curries that looked more threatening..and with the same wobbley effect. Still it proves how luckly we are in Britain to not be at the mercy of nature as much as people in other parts of the world are...although walking down the sea front outside my apartment is like an assault course at times!

Very exciting news this week is that my work is feature on http://amazingglass.blogspot.com/ .

Which is indeed an honour to be among such great work! Check it out and add it to your list off faves!

TTFN

...back tomorrow hopefully with a mini tutorial of making custom dichroic patterns!

Competition and Gossip!

2008-02-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

Just a short one tonight-i'm bushed!
Ok, so the ebay strike is underway!....Nothing has happened though! No change whatsoever and the sky has not fallen in...which is always nice. I'm hoping it forces sellers to be a bit more customer focused and not so bitchy about other sellers. It's definately not as attractive a place to base a business anymore but that has been the case for almost a year now and nothing looks as though it'll change.
I've had more grief from competitors than customers in the past six months. When craftspeople like me make the same items, from the same material some sellers honestly think their work is pioneering and all others, forgery! They get so bent out of shape ...one once started a smear campaign via blogs etc which was quite funny as the spelling was rather...erm...irratic.
Doing this blog I hope people feel they can ask questions and i'll try and respond in as open a way as I can.
Here's a few new designs...domino dichroic pendant and textured glass pendants.

These are quite a contemporary shape, with a double bail...they look great on a choker! There's a load more on my ebay shop.
These are more from my textured dichroic glass jewellery range. They're very tactile and I guarantee they will get lots of admiring looks from the magpies in the office.

Competition!
I'm giving away this fused glass plate from my dichroic glass website. It's the first of a new selection i'll be putting on soon. It's eight inches square with a slight curve and will look great on any table.

For a chance to win just help me answer the following question in the comments section..
I'm producing a new range of glass jewellery and home accessories based on this style pattern.
What should I call it?

The rules!
Competition ends 26th March and answer will be picked at random from a selection. All inappropiate answers and comments will be removed as nesessary. Postage will be paid for and the prize will be posted within 7 days of the competition close. No replacment will be available in the event of loss or damage whilst in transit. The prize cannot be exchanged for cash alternative. Entry not limited to the UK.

Dichroic Glass Fusing Books

2008-02-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

People quite often ask how I started glass fusing. I think when people look at fused glass pieces what they mean to say is 'How Can I Make this?' Well I had the same reaction when I first looked at dichroic glass. I've always loved working with my hands. I studied Architecture but preffered making models than working out how a building stays standing. The office was never for me! I worked a series of jobs with no future before I decided to just go for it and work for myself. The last one was in a jewellery shop which I kind of liked but hated my boss! He sold fake goods and took exception when I refused to rip off the people who ventured into the shop. I used to practise making fused glass at night when I got home. The final straw in the last job came when my boss got so annoyed that I was making more money selling my pieces in a local hairdressers than he was in his shop. I can't really remember if I was fired or walked out... it was probably a good thing!

Anywho...the point is...the ways I learnt was with 3 things....trial, error and this book.

This book, Contemporary Warm Glass by Brad Walker, was so helpful in starting out. It answered all the little queries I had about kilns, firing glass and techniques. I bought this before I bought my first kiln which was a very good idea because before reading this I had no idea what a kiln shelf was let alone shelf primer....I though I could melt any old glass! There's several tutorials in there that'll give you basic techniques that you'll keep refering back to time and time again.

The link to Amazon where you can purchase it is on the right hand side of the blog. I genuinely recommend this book to any glass fuser!

The next book I'm going to recommend is this-

Kiln Formed Bracelets, by Jayne Persico...again the link is on the right hand side of the page.

This book is my new favourite! I bought this book when I wanted to learn how to make the dichroic glass bangles that are now a feature in my shop and this book tought me everything, from what kiln to use, to how to size the bangles correctly. It's got loads of tutorials from some very unique dichroic canework to making dichroic watches. Again it's one book I keep on reffering to!

TTFN!!

GlassKanvas on Cuteable.com

2008-02-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

GlassKanvas was featured on Cuteable.com this past week, how exciting!
It's a great honour because the work featured on the site is so beautiful I have to restrain myself from looking at it too much in order to preserve my bank accounts! The site featured some of my dichroic bangles and dichroic pendants and got some nice comments.

I have to say that it made my day so thank you cuteable and thank you too swirlyarts!

On another note....I'm going to start a series of glass fusing jewellery classes, starting in March and i'll post details up soon. It'll be aimed at beginers to intermediate level fusers. I'll be teaching compatibility, cutting, kiln use and dichroic techniques. It'll be for groups of 4 and depending on the level of interest will be held once or twice a month from my home studio based in the heart of Liverpool City Centre.

TTFN

Dichroic Glass Donut/ Doughnut Tutorial

2008-02-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

Well...what a week! I've been trying to get around to this tutorial for days but as usual work and life got on top of me! January is supposed to be a slow month but the opposite has proven to be the case this year. Let hope things get back to normal soon! I'm working on a great new range of dichroic glass jewellery, I'll have pics next time!

Anywho.. First things first!

Glass donuts are easy to do but ...as with so many things in life, you need the right equiptment!

For my version you will need-

A drill press....you can buy a reasonable for £30/$60, nothing flash!

Diamond core drill...2 sizes, one around 35mm and another roughly a half to a third the size, around 14mm

Safety googles

Protective Gloves

This method is great for using up all your scrap/mis-shapes and the great thing is that it's a great way of recycling because not only can you make dichroic cabs whilst you're making the donuts but the scrap you make can be used again to make more donuts.

Firstly you need to fire a slab from which you cut the donuts. I use hot damz and arrange them in a square. If you're not familiar with them, they're kiln furniture you can use to build dams to control the thickness of pieces as they fire.

Fill the square with scrap but don't over fill. You want the fully fused slab to be around 1/4 inch thick, any thicker and the fired donut will lose it's shape. If you're using dichroic glass scrap try and keep the dichroic layers all facing the same way to avoid them 'repelling' each other as they fire. A good tip is to use either clear or transluscent glass along side the other scrap, it give the finished piece real depth! You can simply use layer dichroic glass if you wish...4 layers of 2mm is about the thickness you should fire.

Fully fuse your scrap slab and don't try and skip the annealing stage. the slab will be subject to heat later on in the manufacture so you want the slab to be as stable as possible.

Arrange your drill press on a level surface and make sure the surrounding area is covered to protect it from water splashes.

Set up the drill with the larger of your diamond core drill bits.

These are usually used by plumbers to cut through marble or granite worksurfaces so work well with glass.

You're best to put something over the base of the drill to drill onto, and old towel or piece of carpet works well. Also, have to hand a water bottle in order to cool the drill bit as it's working through the glass. Wearing both your protective gloves and glasses drill the glass with the core bit, making sure the drill is set to a fairly high speed other wise you'll simply blunt the dimond coating. Keeping the drill bit cool as you work with the water and don't try and 'force' the drill otherwise you'll leave the cut glass uneven. You should be able to quite easily cut a circle through the glass. It doesn't if the cut piece is even...a minute or two with the grinder should see to that.

Next step is to fit the smaller sized bit. Work out where the centre on the cut glass circle is and line it up with the centre of the bit. Cut through the glass making sure your wearing the gloves. At the this stage you need to work slowly! If you try and rush things now it'll simply crack the donut and you'll be swearing like a marine.

Carefully wash your cut glass and fully fuse! When you fuse ground glass, drilled glass etc slowly ramp the kiln up to full temp to remove the marks left by the diamond coating.

Here's one I made by simply stacking 4 layers of glass....rembember, the thicker you make the initial slab the less control you'll have over the finished piece.

Hope that clears up a few queries...leave a comment if you have any questions etc..i'll try and answer ASAP

It's late...so i'm going to bed. Forgive the grammar if it's bad, my tired eyes can't cope!

TTFN

Ebay Sellers Strike Feb 18th-25th

2008-02-01T16:21:00.000-08:00

Anyone familiar with ebay or any of the popular online forums this week will know that the online community is not happy with Ebay's latest policy changes...well most of them anyway.

I sell dichroic glass jewellery via Ebay and these change will effect me heavily.

Ebay has lowered the cost of listing items, whilst taking a greater percentage of the final value fee once the item sells.

It has also withdrawn the ability of sellers to leave negative or neutral feedback to buyers.

At first glance these changes don't seem to drastic but i've no doubt that they will be the straw that breaks the camel's back in terms of using ebay.

Whilst the lower listing fee is welcome this is only because ebay has lowered visibilty on UK auctions to the extent that a larger proportion of items sell and when they do I barely cover the costs. I use Ebay mainly to advertise now.

Not allowing sellers to leave feedback is potentially far more dangerous to the sellers. Sellers are now far more exposed to 'neg blackmailers' who effectively extort sellers against the threat of ruining their feedback profile. Also, what's to stop a unscrupulous competitor from 'negging' you if a seller cannot leave reciprocal feedback?
When it comes to fashion jewellery and handcrafted jewellery, I think the feedback system will now become more of a 'critic' than an honest feedback of the transaction.

I have always prided myself in honest and efficient customer service and in my 20, 000 ebay transactions I have only ever left 1 negative feedback but i've a feeling the negative feedbacks will now start flying about and therefore lose the effectiveness of them in the first place.

The strike is due to take place in a few weeks...should I take part? Based in Liverpool, UK I was hit badly by the October/ November Royal Mail strike which lost me a great deal of money and nearly cost me my livelihood. I'm not sure I can afford to take part, but then again can I afford not to?

The out come of the whole thing is that i'm now much more focused on other outlets than Ebay.
I'll pay much more attention to my website and ETSY...let ebay put itself out of business!

Ooo New Dichroic Pendants!

2008-02-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I really have been so busy this week trying to keep up!

Things are really quiet in terms of selling...I think the credit cards bills have been stinging people. As a result i've been really slogging myself trying to get things made to sell...whilst trying to get together my paperwork-the tax man cometh!

Anywho-tutorials! I've not done one in a few weeks to i'm going to get a few done over the next week or so. I'll do a troubleshooting guide and another for making dichroic donuts as i've had quite a few emails that i've busy answering!

These are a few images of my new range of dichroic glass jewellery. I'll be adding them to the website soon but for now i'm going to ebay them. I call them scraffito dichroic pendants.

For anyone who doesn't know my rather irratic job history....I used to do a lot of textile art and also studied architecture, although I found the practise of being an architect quite soul destroying. Anyway, I transfered some of the designs I used in my textiles...which were often based on church architecture onto these dichroic pendants.

They're a kind of blend of architectural shapes and stained glass windows. I'm still in the early stages of these designs so i'm hoping they improve but for now i'm happy with their look. I'm expecting some new glass tomorrow with some brand new glass colours from CBS so I can't wait to see how these look with them.

Sneaky Beakies and a World of Fakery!

2008-01-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

My blogging has gone to pot this week sorry! January has been a bit of a blur generally as business is so slow. It's been quite painful in fact!... Part time work, here I come! I started to get really paranoid that it was just me till I started chatting with a few online friends i've made in various forums. It seems the credit crunch has, well..crunched!

On the plus side I made several contacts as a result of the blog...Hello! I've had various emails...wanting advise on kilns, where to buy stock etc. I've also had a few emails from other

glass makers which is always nice. Nice because my experience with fellow glass crafters has been up to this date frosty to say the least.

I had one accuse me of copying her website.... odd, seeing as mine was older, not made by myself, and, well not rubbish. I can say that as I didn't design it myself.

I had another accuse me of copying her designs. When I say designs I should actually say design to be factually correct. She has one which she repeats and lets just say it is not a work of technical genius.

..The last and most recent didn't actually accuse me of anything as such. Instead, he copy and pasted titles, auction details and then wrote an addendum stating that 'other people might use the same title etc but their work is just an inferior copy'. I'm paraphrasing somewhat as his spelling and grammar is terrible. I'm not exactly Chaucer but he makes Jade Goody sound like a scholar.

The point of this blog is mainly to share my work. To share my passion for dichroic glass and if I can help people along the way that's great. Glass fusing isn't a mystical art and people who protect their work like the holy grail are fooling them selves. Everyone brings something new to the pot, no matter what craft they participate in. You can be inspired by someone's work but imagining you can carbon copy another person's work is just plain foolish.

I've had several people get in touch over the week about dichroic pendants on ebay coming mainly from Hong Kong. These are really one of my bug bares as I can't believe people pay money for such crap. I ended writing a ebay guide to fake dichroic and murano in the end. Check it out...I do tend to go on a bit!

Another reason I've not had much time to blog this week has been that i've been busy trying to set up my etsy shop and adding to my website pieces. I had a big order last week which cleared me out of my fused glass bangles which i've been busy restocking.

Anywho...back soon with some new work and a better mood hopefully!

Inclusions-Mini Tutorial!

2008-01-21T16:12:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I meant to do another dichroic glass tutorial blog days ago.....I got sidetracked as ever! Things have been quiet with it being January an all which means I have to work twice as hard to keep up! To be honest a nice job in an art gallery where i'd get to look at pretty things all day seems quite an attractive career chance at the moment but i'm sure that's just the tiredness talking...!
Ok so.... You've started fusing glass. You've obliterated lots, cracked some, got annoying white mark on others, but you've had fun along the way!
When you're making dichroic glass jewellery experimentation is the key. I'm going to list a few of my favourite fusing gimmicks. Inclusions when it comes to fused glass means just what it sounds like... materials fused into the glass. There are lots of thing you can add some will work some will just burn away, but it's always interesting.
Here's the main lot

metals
powders
cubic zirconia

There are several popular choices when it comes to adding metals the mains ones being vanadium, silver, gold and copper. You should buy metals specifically for glass fusing if you want the best results. My favourite to use is copper.

This is a small mock up pendant I made to show the copper.. I use punches designed for card making to give me some nice crisp shapes. The copper won't blunt them, in fact the manufacturers say it will actually sharpen the punch. Copper leaf available from craft stores burns away however i've found that copper tape, the type used by stained glass artists looks good in the glass. One thing you need to remember when using any metal is that the inclusion must not touch the edges of the glass as it's fusing otherwise it'll come out lobsided.

This dichroic fused glass heart, part of my new ETSY shop has delicate gold leaf inclusions. Gold and silver leaf are unpredictable when fused into glass. Silver can burn away but it can also react with dichroic coatings with some beautiful results....try it with purple dichroic on clear-the effect is stunning. Silver wire can be fused directly into glass for bails or earwires. Make sure it's pure silver (999) otherwise it'll discolour. I've also fuses brass wire into glass before..it oxidises and gives off bubbles but I though it looked great!

There are several powders you can fuse into glass. These are used to either promote bubbles, to tint the glass or to give metal sheens. Mica powders can be fused into or on top of your glass for metal looks and come in a variety of shades. There are new bubble effect powders coming onto the market all the time. Delphiglass sells some now too. They look best with transparent glass and can give coloured bubbles. You can also try metal oxides, the type used in ceramics to give interesting effects...specifically copper oxide (black).

In this patterned dichroic pendant i've created the bubbles using good old fashioned sodium bicarbonate (bicarb). I love this effect! It looks like bubble rippling through water! I very carefully sprinkled some half way through the glass...in this case I used a bottom layer of dichroic glass and 3, 2mm clear bullseye layers on top. All of these powders need to be used with care. Use in ventilated areas and wear face masks...and remember less is more. If you hear a pop coming from the direction of your kiln...you've used too much!

Another good thing to use on you fused glass projects is Cubic Zirconia. Use it for a really special highlight. It takes a little more work but looks cool!

On this piece from my dichroic glass website, I fused a cab as normal then used a dremmel tool with a diamond tip to drill a small hole into the top of the piece. The hole should be big enough to allow the cubic zirconia to fit in while you refuse. It doesn't need to be a perfect fit, the glass will hold it in place after the fuse.

I'll try an add a few more images of my experiments as I finish them....
I'll be back soon but my bed is calling! TTFN

Same old Same old

2008-01-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

Just a short one today.... I'm back to work at last so i'm busy, busy, busy!
I'll be adding another tutorial in the next day or so, this time about inclusions...ie metals and other things fused into the glass so check back for more.

The images on this blog are from my latest batch out of the kiln today. I've been working with purple dichroic glass a lot as i'm getting quite a few request for it. I love the look of the textured dichroic pendants in purple. They're really tactile...it's just a shame they don't photograph as well as they look up close.

The other images are pendants from my patchwork dichroic glass pendants...inspired by textiles! I get a lot of quilter after these would you believe!

Since the last few blogs i've recieved a few emails about fashion jewellery, designer jewellery and fused glass jewellery. In particular i've recieved quite a questions about where to find suppliers in the UK. Here's a few bullet points

Try www.warm-glass.co.uk for all your fusing supplies. They're cheap, really helpful and offer brilliant service....i'm not on commision I promise but when I come across a great company I think it deserves a mention!
Buy Brad Walker's Contemporary Warm Glass...there's a link at the top of the blog. I might be a bit pricey but you'll keep coming back to it time after time...I.still do. It's also packed with images to inspire.
Research your kiln!...I'd recommend the Paragon Sc2. There are cheaper kilns but this one has an excellent timer and is programmable....also my one has lasted 4 years now and get used a lot so it's a reliable machine!
Don't buy a lot of expensive dichroic till you're confident at both cutting and fusing your glass. Warm-glass offers scrap packs and starter kits to help you get into the swing of things!

Whilst nosing around the internet I came across this excellent blog about jewellery making .. http://www.howtojewellery.co.uk/ . I spent a little too much time on it so need to go do some work!

Liverpool Capital of Culture Opening

2008-01-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

Bit of a break from the dichroic glass jewellery stuff...

Now that i'm back on my feet I decided to venture out to the opening of the Liverpool Capital Of Culture Year...and it was great!

Now, usually i'm the first to scoff the term 'culture' and Liverpool being in the same sentence. Liverpool for too long has relied on the Beatles for it's cultural smarts but finally we're looking beyond the sixties....too be honest I never really 'got' the Beatles. I made the mistake of saying that too loudly in the pub once and was nearly bounced out!

Liverpool at the moment has got a really strong undercurrent of art and art based programs. It's always has a strong showing in literature, music and art which has too long been ignored. The Liverpool Culture Company and city council have put together a good program of events for the year but it's the people that have the creativity. Ok, so in the crowd there was the ever present 'leafy' smell of the scallies....like an Amsterdam coffee shop but the tens of thousands that turned out to show the support for the city are the real voice. It's just a shame that the Liberal council we have at the moment are so scared of doing anything exciting and truely inspiring, the year was only saved by the late intervention of Phil Redmond.
I was out there in the cold for an hour or so with the multitudes and the show was excellent with guitar playing absailers, light shows and fireworks keeping us warm.

There were 2 decidedly 'dodgy' bits though; like the collection of so-called celebs wheeled out to waved at us like we were commoners to their scouse royalty, and also the truely awful song by Ringo Star which was nearly enough to see my dinner again. Hideous.

Anywho...back very soon!

This week's top 5's!

2008-01-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

Top 5 Starter glass fusing tips!-

1.Never throw your scrap away! Whether it's mishapes, mistake or odds and ends...guaranteed you'll find something exciting to do with it as you grow in confidence!

2. Don't try fusing your picture frames! Remember COE, you can't just fuse any old glass. You must fuse like for like, ie 90COE, 104COE...whilst small explosion in your kiln can be exciting they can arrouse suspition amongth your neighbours.

3. Just because you want to be thin, doesn't mean your fused glass wants to be! Fused glass naturally wants to be around 6mm thick so fusing glass thicker than this will cause your project to spread over your kiln shelf, fusing projects thinner than 6mm will cause the project to contract into the centre of the piece...and like me, it's not pretty.

4. Chill out and stop rushing! Don't try and be smart and try and belt out pieces like a demented chicken. Firing your pieces as fast as possible then flinging the kiln door open is not to be advised! Smaller pieces can be fired quickly and cool quickly but you do run the risk of cracks appearing as you're cutting out the annealing part of the firing were the glass gets it's strength...plus the glass will probably be full of bubbles.

5. Cooking the books. Just because you're got a kiln doesn't mean you can do every fused glass project! Some kilns have the heating element at the top, some around the sides, some have the element on the back wall. Making fused glass bangles for example requires the heating element to be around the sides of the kiln...this is because you need to work in the kiln when it's hot. A top heating element would chargrill you as you work. Do a bit of research!

Top 5 thing's I wish I knew before I started glass fusing

1. That i'd need either 1, to buy elastoplasts in bulk, 2, shares in elastoplast...cut glass is sharp, duh!

2. That I'd need to explain what glass fusing is at least once a day and make the answer short as the glazed expression on the enquirer's face sets in at 3.1 secs

3. That friends and family can start to lose patience when they constantly walk on shards of broken glass....but what is this, Middle Earth?...put some damn shoes on!

4. That scrapbooking is a far more popular craft and easier to put away when you're done..although some scrapbookers are a little..er....touched....Where's the photo album!

5. That i'm not a charity despite my the best efforts of others...stopping making that face when you see a pile of glass jewellery, i'm not Daddy Warbucks you're not going to warm my heart!

TTFN

Glasskanvas on youtube

2008-01-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

Good news folks...the medication is starting to work and i'll soon be back fusing....which is good because i've had a few orders on my website this past few days so I desperately need to restock!
Anywho....today I learned how to use youtube yeh!...A small victory I know, but hey there are always stepping stones to greatness....or in my case adequecy.
Here's my youtube vid!

Dichroic Fused Glass 'Flower' Pendant How-to

2008-01-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

I'm still not well enough to get out and about...or get back to the glass fusing. Despite the emails i've recieved since my last blog...I do not have man-flu! .. and when I did I can honestly say without over dramatising that it was a million times worse than a cold, honest...*sniffs*.

Anyway, since I can't go out I've decided to do another tutorial. This time a simple dichroic glass flower pendant. These will soon be available on my website with my other dichroic glass pendants. Don't forget that i'm having new year sale on my ebay site too!

Anyways.. To start off we need to make 6 small cabs for the centre of the flower and the five petals. I tend to use cm's when cutting to size so I cut 6, 1cm square pieces of dichroic glass. I use 2mm fusing glass so to give each cab a nice rounded look I add 2 layers of clear fusing glass on top of it...again 1cm square.

Because i'm adding 2 layers of clear on top I don't really need to add the 2mm overlap I'd need if I was making a larger item. The dichroic shouldn't seep out. Also...If I was making a finished cab for mounting etc, I'd add another layer of clear to give it a bit more depth. Because this is going to be refired it's best to keep it relatively small. Fire to a full fuse.

Here's the fired cabs. Although you can't tell from the pic, there's 2 pink and one silver, all the same size.

The next thing to do is assemble the piece together on the kiln shelf. The cabs should be of the same size to prevent the glass becoming lob-sided whilst firing and care should be given to make sure the outside cabs are evenly parted and are touching the central cab. If the outside cabs are too close to each other they'll fuse together. They must touch the central one also otherwise they'll fuse separately. I don't use glue. Just say a little prayer and don't get shakey as you put them into the kiln and i'm sure they'll come out right.Refire to a full fuse.

Here's a few of the finished pieces. I made a few. Remember if you want a smaller pendant you need to scale the sizing down evenly- ie, the larger flower pendant is made from 1cm square cabs, the smaller from 1/2 cm cabs. If you're really clever you can do even smaller ones for earrings...too be honest I lack the patience at the moment because of my man flu....erm virus, whatever!

I'm sure I've left glaring holes in my howto's but feel free to let me know if I have!

On my next post i'll put together some golden rules for glass fusing so check back.

...on a completely different note. I got a mention on another website...http://craftgossip.com/. And here's the link...http://jewelrymaking.craftgossip.com/dichroic-beginner-tutorial/2008/01/04/

This is a really great resource for any crafter so check it out...I spent way too much time on it today in between doses of antivirals. *coughs*.

Another great link for crafters is www.craftcast.com . It has a weekly podcast on crafting...probably the best i've come across and it's great for picking up info...it's kind of like Oprah but with glue and sticky-back plastic. Enjoy!

TTFN

Basic Dichroic Glass Tutorial

2008-01-04T06:10:00.000-08:00

Ok....some i'm housebound and i'm exceedingly bored so i'm going to do a basic dichroic glass fusing tutorial!
To start off the tutorials i'm doing the simplest type of dichroic glass pendant-The patterned dichroic glass pendant ...there are many tricks and tweeks you so can throw in but I'll add those in later tutorials.
To start of....Tools! You'll need ....A glass cutter and breaking shears, glass fusing glue...and shelf primer or fusing paper

I use a Toyo glass cutter...it's oil filled to give you clean cut and it stays sharp. There's a few styles available if you prefer a different grip.

Glass fusing glue is important to keep your work in position before firing it. The best type is either glastac or elmer's fusing glue...When I started I did use PVA!...To be perfectly honest provided you use a very very small amount PVA is ok in an emergency. As the glue burns off it can react with the glass leaving marks though so it's best to stick with purpose made glues.

Shelf primer is a powder that you mix with water to line the kiln shelf before it goes into the kiln. It stops the glass sticking to the shelf as the glass melts. I tend to prefer to use shelf paper instead..it's less fuss and the underside of the glass usually comes out a lot smoother. When using either of these you must treat them with care. Use them with a dustmask and be careful not to breath in the dust.

When deciding which glass to use in your fusing project the key thing to bare in mind is compatibility! When you see fusing glass for sale you'll see COE next to the title...90COE, 104COE etc etc. YOU MUST ONLY FUSE GLASS OF THE SAME COE!...if you try and mix them up they'll only shatter as the glass cools...which is not good! I use all 90COE.

Dichroic Glass comes in 2 types...on clear or on black. You'll get slighly different results for the pattern depending on which type you use. I tend to prefer 'on clear' as it gives the piece more depth and it's more versatile-it can be layered on top of another piece of dichroic glass.

I cut the dichroic glass to shape...i'm using 2 layers of dichroic glass so I cut them to exactly the same size. Cutting glass can be tricky to start with. Cut standing up and only go over the cut once. Don't keep cutting at the same line because all it'll do will splinter the glass and blunt the cutter. You must remember IF YOU'RE USING MORE THAN ONE LAYER OF DICHROIC GLASS THE COATED SIDES OF THE GLASS MUSTN'T TOUCH EACH OTHER WHILE THEY'RE BEING FIRED. They won't fuse properly and you'll just end up with a lumpen mess!

I layer the glass on top of each other and fix into place with a small amount of glue. I then add a clear top layer of glass...again with the same COE. This must be a few mm's bigger than the bottom layer or the dichroic coating will seep out. I add an extra clear piece of glass of the same size as the bottom layers to give the finished pendant more depth.

Here's the unfused pieces in my dinky little kiln...i've been too poorly to do any more than these!

Kiln firing scheduales are available online. They can vary considerably as can the temps of each kiln so it's best to test fire a few times. A general rule of thumb with dichroic glass is that it doesn't like temperatures over 8100c...I try and not fire over 800. and I fire over a 1 1/2 -3 hour period so the glass doesn't heat up or cool down too quickly and make the glass rough or spikey...google firing scheduales!
And here's the finished piece!
This is a very rough guide to dichroic glass fusing and i'm sure i've missed things out but drop me a line if there's something you're not sure on!

I'll do more complex guides soon but you can check out my dichroic glass jewellery here.

I would add that if you're serious about starting to glass fuse Brad Walker's Contemporary Warmglass is an invaluable tool...I still refer to it!

All equiptment used here is available from www.warm-glass.co.uk .....I don't get commision from them honestly!..They really are an excellent, knowledgable company...very good value too!

wwhoohaaa! Happy New Year

2008-01-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Folks!

I'm writing this from my bed as i'm poorly, poorly sick...boohoo! I've not be able to do much glass fusing work at all this past week so my new years gotten off to a very slow start indeed.I was stuck indoors for the 12oclock peel of the bells to celebrate Liverpool's Capital of Culture status...perhaps it was a good thing!Anyway...here's a few new pieces I was able to add today....remotely!

Some icon dichroic glass pendants and some fab dichroic glass earrings!

I love the shape of these..they're a delicate shape but a bit unusual!

These icon glass pendants are really cute...very deep too so you find yourself starring at them.
On the plus side of the whole 'confined to my bed' thing, i've come up with a few designs that i'm going to get started in a day or so...think magic eye pictures! I've also become addicted to 'stumble upon'...here's my favourite gem of today
Anyway...back soon and hopefully I'll have something useful to say!
Happy New Year!... WWWHHHHOOOOHHAAA

Glass fusing-How To start!

2007-12-30T14:58:00.000-08:00

Hello again!
I'm finally starting to get the hang of this blogging thing!.. I'm making it one of my New Years resolutions to make at least 3 posts per week...I think I'll be able to stick to that more than I will for my one to go to the gymn..I'll be able to sit doing this.
Anyways. I've been making some of my patterned dichroic pendants today. I love these ones using the textured dichroic glass because when the light hits them they turn all sorts of colours. They can be a bit more tricky to use than normal glass because when the glass melts it can melt and fuse unevenly but the result when it turns out are worth it.

No sooner have we gotten rid of Christmas (the brussel sprouts are still repeating on me!) than Valentines day is upon us! I've been making these Heart Dichroic Pendants for the occasion!... well not just for Valentines day, they are quite cute!

I often get questions about where exactly I learned to fuse glass and how I started. Many glass fusers can be a little bit precious about giving away details, almost as though they're protecting some dark secret.The truth is I taught myself!

I used to teach jewellery making a few years back and stumble upon dichroic glass when I was using beads. I google how it was made and became fascinated! I bought a small Paragon Kiln, a brilliant glass fusing book by Brad Walker called Contemporary Glass Fusing and some glass and away I went.
The company I bought the glass from Warm-Glass.co.uk were excellent, really helpful and I use them as my main supplier now.

I made a hell of a lot of mistakes in the early days and I still do but the learning process is key to coming up with brilliant ideas...or at least ideas that I think are brilliant. There's nothing about glass fusing you can't learn by googling...or by trial and error!

In the coming weeks I'll put some more tutorials up...I'll start with making a simple dichroic pendant, this week.

TTFN

Back to busy busy busy!

2007-12-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

Back to work again today...what fun! I love what I do really but the first ten minutes while I get into my stride can be a chore!
My glass suppliers are still on holiday so i'm using up all my scrap glass. I always find that the times when I've got the least amount of glass are the most creative for some reason. Aside from my usual tapestry dichroic pendants, i've been adding some 'icon' dichroic pendants too.

I call these ones icons because they are usually long and thin like an exclaimation mark. I've added a few to my website that are slightly chunkier than usual but I love the mix of coloured glass! They're a lot of work because it takes at least 3 firings to make each one but they're very contemporary looking....I wish I wore my own pieces sometimes but I think it'd look a bit odd on a bloke.

Aswell as using up my scrap i'm also using up all of my seconds. On an earlier blog I mentioned a plate I made from glass cabs...well here's a set of dichroic coasters made from them...I slumped these with a curve so they'd actually be excellent as candle holders.

I got a few differently shaped pieces firing at the moment so i'll post pics when they're done.

I've been spending the evening looking for inspiration on the web. In between chatting on the artforum and ukcraftforum I was on the chutneybeads site. I really love their work....it's always big and bold...like the site it's so colourful! I've worked with them before actually, producing glass beads but I might have a go at making some chunky bracelets..they look fab!

Right...i'm off to google a gym to work off the Christmas excess!

TTFN

It's the end of the year as we know it...

2007-12-27T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well at last the madness is over! As much as I love Christmas, you get to about 4pm on Christmas day and wonder what all the fuss was for!

I'm still busy busy busy though! I currently having a dichroic glass jewellery sale. I'm making way for new stock and doing a bit of a stocktake at the same time. I have withdrawal symptoms when I can't turn my kiln on so the sooner I get back to normal the better.

I've been making some extra large dichroic glass pendants and also some dichroic glass earrings...I need to make so many more but time and glass are always in short supply at the moment!

Incase you're not aware, I'm based in the heart of Liverpool City Centre and in the midst of all of the Christmas hubbub the city is busy preparing for it being the 2008 European Capital of Culture. I'm submitting my work to several local organisations the are making the most of the cities focus on 'culture'...whatever that means. ...I'll post the details as soon as/if i'm accepted. For now though..here's a view art/culture/crafts sites in and around the city that i'm currently excited about!-
http://www.artinliverpool.com/
http://www.merseysideacme.com/
http://www.mjman.co.uk/mjman.html

I'll be back soon...and hopefully with another tutorial.
TTFN

Bit of a Tutorial...well , ish

2007-12-20T15:45:00.000-08:00

Hello again!!...

Thought I'd do a bit of a 'show and tell' this time on one of my dichroic bangles. This piece is one from my new tartan inspired dichroic jewellery range. Firstly....forgive the bad photography and if you get any glimpses of my apartment, sorry for the mess....it's too near Christmas for housekeeping!
First off...I use stringers for the tartan pattern. To get them nice and neat I use a textured glass called reed which has evenly spaced grooves for them to rest in. Stringers are basically glass rods. I use the 1mm ones in these pieces. Depending on the pattern I mix transluscent and opal ones to get a good mix of colours.

The pics show just how much glue I use! I use glass fusing glue that burns of nicely when the glass is fired.

Here's the glass after the glass is layered...I'm not at all precise in the cut at this stage as the next step is firing the glass. I 'tac' fuse the glass at this point. This level of fusing in the kiln adheres the glass to each other but keeps the texture of it at the same time.
When the glass is completely cool I cut it to the required shape. Because it's been tac fused the glass doesn't fall apart when it's cut.

I use 2 layers of the stringer glass for the pattern and a clear top layer slightly larger than the other to fuse over...I also add a dichroic glass piece to the top with the pattern on the top side which give the finished piece a metallic highlight.

Once the glass is fully fused I grind it to take away all the sharp edges and round off the corners. I then fully fuse it again.
After all that it's ready for shaping. I 'slump' fuse the glass over a steel mandrel to get the required shape...very hot work! Once that's all cool I can take the bracelet out and see if it's the right size. If I need to enlarge or shorten it, it'll need to go back into the kiln yet again!

And here's the finished piece! Check out my other dichroic bangles here!

TTFN!

2007-12-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

Hello again!!...

Just a quick one after XFactor! In addition to my fused glass jewellery I also am concentrating on homewares...like these fused glass coasters. I've got a few on the website and i'm making more as I type. Hopefully there'll be lots on the site in time to ring in the new year!

Also, I'm starting my end of year sale early so checkout some dichroic glass bargains on my ebay shop!

TTFN

...The Weather Outside is Frightfull

2007-12-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

Hello again and Merry Christmas!!...well nearly. Just under 2 weeks to go till Christmas and i'm very festive! I've been a bit busier than expected on the run up to the holidays but things are going well so I can't complain.
I've been working on a few dichroic glass jewellery collections which i'm pleased with. The main one is this one pictured....I call them tartan dichroic glass.

I'll put a tutorial with some pics of the manufacture off the pendants in the next week of so. They look really nice up close because you'll see how the fused glass layers. These are going to be a part of my 'collections' range...mix and match dichroic pendants, dichroic earrings and dichroic bangles designed so people can coordinate their jewellery.
I love this piece..so I had to post a picture. I love the texture dichroic glass because as you hold it up you get so many different colours!

This piece is part of my 'patterned' collection of dichroic glass pendants.

More dichroic bangles!

I've had a run on bangles so i'm busy making more up, plus a few relative have asked for one for Christmas presents. These are probably my favourite things to make because I love getting right into the kiln when it's on. Despite the cold my apartment is toasty!
This piece is from my 'Tapestry' dichroic pendants collection....I love this one because of the new aqua dichroic glass colour...it's fab!

I'll be making a few more posts this week, i'm feeling very locacious!...Check back for new posts plus a tutorial!
ttfn Phil

Dichroic Glass Plates

2007-12-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

I've been completing the last of my Christmas orders and starting the January sales preparations (there's always something!). To give myself a bit of a break from making the dichroic glass jewellery I decided to make some dichroic glass plates. These ones are for an special order but i'll be making more and also some fused glass coasters to add to the site.

These are made by fusing together dichroic glass cabs. Then shaping them to give them a slight curve. They look so much better in real life!

Anyway...still making so must check the kiln!

There are just never enough hours!

2007-12-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

All this festivity is slowing down my glass fusing!

I'm still working on five things at once and not finishing anything!

The website is still in it's infancy and i'm still trying to stock it up!...I've had a few orders already which i'm not complaining about at all!...As i'm adding things they're selling!

I've had a run on dichroic glass bangles especially, as well as dichroic glass pendants with sterling findings.

The bracelets are made in 3 firings. The first to fuse the glass, the second to shape them and the third to mold the glass around the bracelet form....I some time then have to refire them to size them up for larger wrists.

These are some i've made that i'm going to make into collection pieces...dichroic glass earrings, pendants, bracelets and rings all made from the same types of glass so they can be mixed and matched. I already make dichroic glass pendant and earrings sets but I wanted to make them more flexible.

I've got an exciting idea that i'm also formulating for next Christmas....combining crafters from different disciplines to produce packs of decorations home accesories etc. Details to follow.

TTFN

BBC Watchdog Program and Ebay

2007-12-05T14:42:00.001-08:00

The BBC had an item on their 'Watchdog' program tonight about ebay's feedback system.
People are going about spending £1000's on ebay item with out even glancing at people's feedback!....I makes me soo angry!
I sell fused glass dichroic glass jewellery. I sell discounted dichroic jewellery on ebay and have to compete with lots of Asain base sellers selling fakes with feedback that's on the floor. It seems people can ignore sellers getting 30+ negative ratings per month if they can pay 10p for an item....even though the postage costs £5 or more.

Please use your head when buying on ebay, check feedback...here's mine!

More sparklies!

2007-12-04T15:40:00.000-08:00

....just a quick one.

I'm now adding a lot more sterling silver backed dichroic glass pieces like these...

Plus extra large fused glass dichroic pendants. They're massive! Real statement pieces!

I've been looking at venues and galleries to show some of my work as pictures never really do the glass justice I think. I'm hoping to have my work exhibited at a quite prestigious gallery in Liverpool very soon (subject to a board meeeting no less). Details will be posted soon.

I've also joined artinliverpool.com.. which is a showcase for Merseyside based art and artists. As the capital of culture is fast approaching I suppose I might as well take advantage of the extra attention in the city!...although if it's anything like last night when whole sections of Liverpool City centre were cordoned off for the arrival of the Queen for the Royal variety performance at the Liverpool Empire, we're in for trouble. I couldn't move!

ttfn
Phil

Christmas!! Ahhhh

2007-12-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

I've not bought one Christmas pressy yet! The though of trudging through the crowds all panicing like mad to get their hands on a Nintendo Wii is too much to bear though so i'm internet shopping this year methinks!

I've beening working on dichroic glass pendant and earrings sets this week for people who like to wear matching fused glass set.

Making these dichroic sets can be a bit of a nightmare as matching up the dichroic patterns is tricky.

I'm quite looking forward to the Christmas break so I can work on a few new lines...especially some fused glass plates and coasters. I'm also going to concentrating on my website http://www.glasskanvas.com/ a little more, adding more stock etc

I'm now offering wholesale dichroic and fused glass jewellery to shops and other retails outlets so get intouch if you're interested.

Also I'm combining a links page with lots of crafts links hopefully to increase my 'organic' presence on the web and enable be to get a bit more creative with glass! Again, send me a message if you're interested and want to swap links.

Cheers

Phil@glasskanvas

So much to do ...so little time!

2007-11-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

I think I planned the last 4 months of this year very badly!

No thanks to the Royal Mail strike ...which I keep harping on about but that set me back quite a lot. I then decided to launch the web site.. http://www.glasskanvas.com/ , have a redesign of my ebay site .. http://stores.ebay.co.uk/glasskanvas ...and try out 9-10 new designs!

When I get a spare few days over Christmas I'll sit down and and really figure this blog thing out but at the moment my days is spent making cufflinks and bangles!...when i'm not doing that i'm adding myself to seo directories so I can scrape myself off pg55 on google (to be fair I'm guessing that that's my ranking...i'm not on pg 1 at least!).

For now though I'll just add a few images of the last few days work and a few helpful links of crafty forums I use..

http://www.craftsforum.co.uk/

http://www.craftster.org

....both offer a variety of info on most crafts with lots of cross-medium discussions...very helpful and lovely people!

Toodles x

2007-11-15T14:50:00.000-08:00

I don't know why but people seem to be leaving Christmas shopping till the last minute this year. Not like last year when the rush started in August!

I'm trying to expand more into home wares and so i'm exploring the craft forums to see if anyone can inspire me. I'm looking for some candle makers to collaborate with, to perhaps put together some gift hampers for next year (I come up with ideas on the run upto Christmas but forget them by Boxing day!).... I'm thinking some scented candles, on some handmade coasters...with maybe some handmade soaps or some such.

I'm still getting together some pieces for some Christmas Fayres....trying not to be distracted by the Nintendo Wii....i'm getting 3 hours sleep a night!

Today, I have been mostly making (eating ardvarks) earrings and also using different techniques in making the items I already make...ie tapestry. I've been encorpoarting stringers etc for a more colourul design

These pendants are one of myfavourite types....I call them 'patchwork' because that's what the initial inspiration came from, patchwork textile. They're quite popular as gifts for people in sewing circles so i'm told!

As part of the Liverpool Capital of Culture i'll be doing some small exhibitions in 2008. I'll update both the site and blog when I nail down the dates but i'm very excited about it. As people who deal with me regularly know, i'm based in the heart of Liverpool....I live over the road from the Liver Building (and conveniantly over a pub) so i'll be very proad to be a part of the fiesta...even if it's on a miniscule scale.

TTFN

Phil

2007-11-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

The Christmas rush is on!... I'm busy, busy getting orders together now for last minute Christmas sellers and crafts fayres. Hopefully this will bring things back to normal after the postage strikes which hit me really hard....but I mustn't moan...people keep telling me. I'm going to be displaying my work at a few fayres before Christmas and i'll put the details up as and when they're confirmed.

I'm hopefully going to be adding some new lines very soon if santa brings me some toys for Christmas.

Here's a few i've added to the site....i'm calling them 'sun-drop' dichroic pendants. They're coloured glass pendants with a few layers of exposed dichroic glass on top....they don't photograph too well but really do look good up close!

I've also been doing lots of my 'signature' pieces...the 'tapestry' pendants. I make these alot and they go down really well...they become quite addictive though!

These are bigger than usual dichroic pieces..don't you just hate paying money for jewellery that you need to go to Jodrell Bank to see!

After the Christmas madness i'm going to start making components for jewellery makers, pmc artists etc....i'll start adding the pics asap and flogging to beading peeps to see how to improve them. I make alot of pendants and earrings but I want to focus more and bracelets etc.

Once i've gotten used to 'blogging' I'll start adding instructions incase anyone is interested in how I make the pieces....it's not rocket science I promise!

Anyways must go-kiln's beeping

2007-11-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

It's late. This is the first time I've really sat down all day because I'm so busy...i've got a few hours work to do before I can stop though!

The problem with working with kilns is that you've really got to timetable your day around firing scheduales...i've spelt that incorrectly but at this point I don't care.

I've working on another order today that i've not been able to get to for a few days because i've not been to well. I shouldn't really be working but to be honest I think it helps. Here's a few pieces from today's lot.....

And...

The cufflinks seem to be popular at the mo...Christmas is coming and I think they're what people buy for 'hard to buy for' dads but i'm not complaining!

I had a bit of an accident in my delirium before involving me grabbing hold of a kiln shelf and misreading the temp read out.....I thought it said 50c....it actually said 500c. There was some burning, an explosion, some swearing and some general unpleasantness but it's all good now. These little accidents give me enough paranoia about the way I work to make me extra careful in the future!....anyway....

Christmas is coming!....I bought my first Christmas decs from a craft forum..

..I thought they were fab! Nothing says christmas like chickens! They're from swirlyarts.com.. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5040847 is their etsy link. The website link is on the blog and they're soo cute. A like to add a few unusual pieces to me Christmas tree every year to add a bit of character and these certainly have that!...

Anyway, must persevere!.. http://www.glasskanvas.com/ is taking over my life!

2007-11-05T03:54:00.000-08:00

I've gone a bit bangle mad at the moment!...I'm preparing a big order for a gallery and also adding them to my website... http://www.glasskanvas.com/ .

They take a bit more work but they do become a bit additive once you get the knack of making them. I've been making fused glass pieces for about 3 years now...mainly dichroic. I trawl through the internet for inspiration and came across one artist making something similar.

After a lot of research found out how to do it...but...I needed a new kiln! I'm upto 3 at the moment so space is getting precious! The problem was that my other kilns either had the heating element at the back or top so the pieces weren't fired evenly enough....oh well, if I must I must.

I found a glass supplier with an offer on... http://www.warm-glass.co.uk/ss.co.uk/ and away I went! I can't recommend these guys enough by the way...I pester them on a regular basis and they're so helpful!..Probably the best company I deal with in terms of customer service too!

As soon as I can i'm going to make a load up in a variety of sizes as one revelation has been that no 2 people have similar sizing!

The Christmas rush is now on (finally) so it's back to the mines!

....oo nepotistic plug. We're an arty lot in my family. Check out my sister-in-law's website. She makes fab personalised babywear...she's getting alot of buzz about her work lately and rightly so! http://www.incywincytogs.co.uk/

2007-11-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

Hello...and welcome to my glass kanvas blog!

I've been making and selling fused glass jewellery for a few years now...on ebay and now on my brand new website!.... http://www.glasskanvas.com/ / http://stores.ebay.co.uk/glasskanvas

...I've decided to start a blog, mainly because the few random blurbs I put out via ebay seemed to get attention, but also because I wanted to put a more human face to my business. There's a lot of poorly made, mass-produce pieces out there and I just wanted to show by sharing my thoughts on this blog that I produce my work myself...and how much I stress over them!

I'll be adding favourite glass links...suppliers, and other artists whos work I admire as well as other jewellers and crafts links...

...for now though, check out the site and i'll be back very soon!

Phil