The second session began with a checking through of the cartoon I had made during the week.
Stained glass cartoon: Sharpie on paper just over A1 size
This was seen as OK, just a slight adjustment was needed near the top edge where the leg meets the border, it required a little straightening to ensure the line met the border more at right angles. The next job was to trace this with a Sharpie, onto another sheet of white cartridge paper, cut from a roll, (approx. 90 gsm) and using a large lightbox in order to see the cartoon below. All the areas of both drawings that corresponded to pieces of glass that would have to be cut, were then numbered, so that it was easy to see where each piece was to go, by having one uncut template to always refer to. The set of shapes that are being cut out are made to draw around and by having a number on one side you always know which way up the paper needs to be. Everything has a purpose. I began to realise why the paper for the cartoon needed to be the weight it is. Too thick and you cant trace through it on the light-box; too thin and it becomes impossible to trace around. The Sharpie creates a very clear line, it is therefore easy to trace. However it is also its ability to be used to draw smooth curves that makes it a vital tool, it can ride over the paper easily and it does not snag as you change curve direction, or thicken and thin as a more italic drawing tool would. Of course a Sharpie is also designed to draw on glass as well as paper. The chosen Sharpie is a 'fine' one because its thickness is roughly the same as the thickness of the heart of a standard H section lead came.
The H section of lead came
Numbered cartoon and tracing (Nb the tracing has now been cut out along the border edge)
Once numbered in exactly the same way as the cartoon, the tracing was then cut out as a rectangle up to the edges of the glass cutting border, using normal good quality long bladed scissors. The traced cartoon edges are now as you can see from the image above, its borders. The next stage was to begin the process of cutting out the individual pieces of paper which will be used as templates that allow the transfer of the shapes to the pieces of glass that need cutting. However to do this special scissors are needed, alongside a very particular cutting action. 'Pattern shears' are used that cut away a strip of paper that is the same thickness as a lead came section.
By cutting along the Sharpie lines with the pattern shears, you remove approximately 2mm, the gap required for the insertion of a standard H section lead came between glass sections. However you need to make cuts using lots of quick small movements, if you want to cut a curve, which are a very different set of movements to those normally used when cutting with scissors. (I had to practice curve cutting first on a spare sheet of paper). Once you get the hang of it you can cut out the first few shapes. In my case we chose shapes of some blue and green pieces of glass that could be made from some off-cuts, so that I could practice glass cutting on pieces that were not too expensive. Once the paper templates were cut out I was then shown how to use these as stencils for marking out the glass pieces I needed (using a black Sharpie on clear glass, and a white one on dark glass), each time looking for useful existing design elements, such as a straight edge. If an off-cut had a straight edge this became a useful starting point for transferring the shape, as I could put straight edge to straight edge and save myself one line of cutting. Once traced out onto the glass pieces I began to start learning the processes associated with cutting glass.
The pattern sheers
The thin strip of paper that the pattern shears leave behind
Before being allowed to use the actual pieces I had to practice on spare off-cuts. There were a few key lessons. The most important was getting my body into place so that I could see the glass cutter's cutting wheel really clearly. (Nb. during the previous week I had bought my own glass cutter and a can of sewing machine oil, which I used to fill the interior of the cutter, so that it was properly lubricated). By splaying my legs open wide I could get my eye level down to see the wheel as it scored the glass. By listening to the sound of the crackle that emerged as I moved the glass cutter along, I could check if I was holding it down with enough pressure. I was using my right hand for holding the glass cutter and pressing down, and left hand for guiding it along the line. After a few goes on scrap pieces of clear glass I was judged to be good enough to cut my 4 green and blue glass pieces, and I then cut them out without mistakes and they were put away for the next session.
About to practice cutting a short curve using an off-cut of plain glass (note the way round the cutter is)
Holding glass ready to break it
There are a few more things to remember. Don’t start at the edge: Begin a score roughly 1/16 inch in from the edge, however you complete the score by rolling over the end edge. Try to achieve a smooth even consistent pressure all along the score, as well as trying to achieve a steady speed across the whole length of the line. (In one case when trying to score glass with a rougher surface I came to a halt, because I hit some sort of glass bump. I managed to then continue by putting the glass cutter back in exactly the same spot and carrying on. The glass broke along the line as it should have, but I had to use two pairs of pliers to hold it, rather than use the hand grip) You normally break the glass by holding it thumb on top and folded fingers below. (see image above) Hold arms out straight and downwards and once you are sure your bent fingers are close to the score but not straight underneath it, simply twist your wrists outwards. However through trial and error I found that when hard to break after scoring, you might need to hold with pliers and if so, best to start twisting a plier close to the edge where you finished the cut. I also sometimes found it useful to put the scored glass next to the table edge, then using the table as support, broke off the waste glass using glass pliers to hold it.
I was also beginning to have to think about the fused glass areas. The most important being the 'pain' area around the heel.
Detail of painted image that is being translated into stained glass
Detail of cartoon
In the cartoon this area had had to become clarified, but the painting pointed to a much more organic series of forms which had been evolved in relation to my earlier work on interoception and the representation of pain. So it was decided to use this area of the work to investigate fusing techniques. I therefore, using a found bowl of the right size, used it to draw out a circle on a glass kiln shelf that was approximately one centimetre in diameter wider than the circular area indicated in the cartoon. I then used a variety of course frits to build a form that was to be fired and that would by the nature of the way glass flows when heated have holes in it, that could be likened to some of the visual properties in the painting. Hopefully this will be fired during the week and responded to during the next session.
Various course frits contained in a circle ready to be fired.
As always there were other things to consider. A good way to control the amount of frit used is to put some in the lid of the accompanying frit container. As you drop the frit, from the lid in order to achieve an open random feel to its distribution, there is a way of holding a frit container lid and moving it in a backward and forward rocking motion, alongside using a spare finger to tap the side of the lid, that helps give a better less 'clumped' distribution.
Once you feel you have enough frit on the kiln shelf, the final issue is how to deal with all the frit that will have spilled out from your design. Using a fan shaped brush this was carefully collected and pushed towards the edges of the shape. However I had to be careful not to push these bits of frit into the circular mass, as this would build a 'wall' around the edge, and so I was careful to get these random frit pieces to touch but not to overlap too much, in this way I hoped to avoid an unsightly raised edge.
Materials needed for session two
Large sheet of 90 gsm cartridge paper to make a tracing from the cartoon that will act as the main template. This was cut from a roll supplied by HSG.
Black Sharpie: £2.00
White Sharpie: £10.98
Good quality long bladed scissors to cut out the copied cartoon. Cost: £4.99
Lead Pattern shears Creative Glass Guild Cost: Cost: £8.50
Glass cutter: Oil Glass Cutter Silberschnitt 3000 Cost: £37.86 (including shipping and VAT)
Lubricating Oil for the glass cutter Cost: £8.39
Coloured glass: The glass cost depends on colour and type. In this case the pink I needed was obtained from Pearson's glass. One sheet 610 x 455mm of 'Lamberts Gold Pink on Clear' cost: £226.99
Frit and some cheaper glass types and colours were provided by Hannah Stained Glass. (HSG)
See also:
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