GLASS FUSING PROJECT: INSECTS SUSPENDED IN AMBER
One of the best things about our line of work is we get to experiment with different mediums. When we first started Milestone Decal Art in 2008, we were almost exclusively working with ceramic and porcelain. Soon we started playing with glass and we have not looked back ever since. What we love most about glass is the fluidity and transformation that happens in the kiln. Waiting for the kiln to cool down after we've done a glass firing is always a very exciting time...
Suspended in Amber to learn some interesting new glass fusing decal techniques.
For this project you will need two equally sized pieces of glass.
THE TECHNIQUE
For this technique we used insect decals in Black, Gold, Platinum and Copper.
For glass we used combinations of Bullseye 3mm Medium Amber, Clear Transparent, French Vanilla, and Opaque White.
The tools we used were a Toyo cutter, a straightedge, running pliers, and the ever useful Sharpie marker.
For this project we layered 9 different pairs of glass rectangles. The leftmost piece of glass in each pair was fired on top. The rightmost piece of glass in each pair was fired on the bottom.
DECAL PRE-FIRING SCHEDULE. This is the firing schedule we use to fuse the decal without melting or slumping the glass. You can also use this schedule to fire a decal on a piece that you have already fully fused or slumped.
STEP 1. MEASURE AND CUT YOUR GLASS TO FIT THE DECAL.
STEP 2. APPLY YOUR DECAL. YOU CAN FIND OUR APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS HERE.
STEP 3. FUSE YOUR DECAL TO YOUR 3MM GLASS PIECE USING OUR DECAL PRE-FIRING SCHEDULE BELOW.
STEP 4. YOU WILL NOW ADD A SECOND LAYER OF GLASS FOR THE FINAL FUSE FIRING. AT THIS STEP YOU HAVE SEVERAL OPTIONS DEPENDING ON WHAT LOOK YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE - SANDWICHING A DECAL BETWEEN TWO PIECES OF GLASS; HAVING A DECAL ON THE TOP MOST LAYER AS WELL AS SANDWICHED IN THE MIDDLE; OR EVEN HAVING A DECAL ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LOWER GLASS LAYER ARE ALL POSSIBLE OPTIONS. PLAY WITH IT AND HAVE FUN!
DECAL FINAL FUSE FIRING SCHEDULE. This is the schedule we use for final fusing.
STEP 5. USE GLASSTAC BETWEEN YOUR GLASS LAYERS TO ENSURE THAT YOUR GLASS DOESN'T SHIFT DURING FIRING.
STEP 6. FIRE YOUR GLASS ACCORDING TO THE FINAL FUSE SCHEDULE.
Et VOILA! The results of our final fuse firing. Please visit parts 2 and 3 of this post to learn about the specifics of each individual piece. Let us know what you think in the comments area of this post!
We divided this series into 3 parts. Part 1, where we talk about technique and firing, is here. Part 3, where we describe technique for tests 6-9, is now live.
So let's get started shall we? For this series, we really wanted to play with the interesting characteristics unique to glass: depth, flow and bubbles. We tried nine different permutations of the amber insects.
Test 1 after the decals were pre-fired and before final fuse.
TEST 1.
The decals were pre-fired on both pieces of glass. Notice that we cut one of the decals down the middle and spread each half out, leaving a 2mm gap between. The two layers of glass were arranged so that the decal on the amber layer is on top and the decal on the french vanilla was sandwiched between the two layers. Check out the results of the final firing below.
Test 1 final fuse. We were very happy with the depth in this piece. Check out that 3D effect from where we cut the decal in two and spread the halves slightly. Awesome!
TEST 2.
Test 2 Final fuse. Yes, the amber piece wasn't cut all that well. We were just making some tests so we decided to go with it.
Test 2. Here we show the amber face up on top. We flipped it over, as shown on the bottom there, to fire on top of the french vanilla.
This piece had some interesting unintended effects. First we pre-fired the black insect onto the amber glass. Then, in a second pre-firing, we covered that whole layer with the insect decal with a solid rectangle of platinum decal. We were very surprised to see that the insect decal reacted with the platinum, which completely disappeared in that second pre-firing. Weird.
The final fuse came out pretty nice though.
Test 3. Isn't that scarab just the cutest!?
TEST 3
This was a pretty straightforward piece. The black insect was pre-fired on amber and then sandwiched underneath an unadorned amber layer for the final fuse. We were really trying to maximize bubbles in this one so we made sure that the rough side of the glass was touching in the middle of the decal sandwich. Mmmnnnn! Deliciously bubbly!
Test 3 final fuse. Bubblicious!
TESTS 4 AND 5
These two tests are similar except for the fact that the top glass for test 4 is clear and the top glass for test 5 is amber. These two tests show well the different tones of amber one can achieve. Additionally, we trimmed about a 1mm strip from the gold decal on the clear glass to hopefully add some 3D effect.
Test 4 on the left. The clear with gold decal will go on top of the amber with the black decal. Test 5 on the right. The amber with gold decal will go on top of the amber with black decal.
We can't tell which we like more! Which is your favorite?
Amber with black decal on the left, clear glass with platinum full coverage decal on the right.
TEST 6.
In test 6 we used a solid color platinum decal to create a reflective, mirror effect.
In this case we pre-fired the black insect decal on amber glass. We cut-to-shape a piece of platinum decal and pre-fired on clear glass.
Check out the way that the decal on top reflects back from the platinum sandwiched between the layers!
For the final fuse firing, the platinum decal on the clear glass was sandwiched between the two layers of glass. The black decal on the amber glass was the top-most layer of the stack. I guess you could call test 6 The Platinum Sandwich.
Test 6: The Platinum Sandwich was one of our favorites. Reflections, depth and even some well-placed bubbles (purely accidental) give this Insect in Amber a very interesting look. The way the platinum peeks out between the two glass layers is also a very nice feature.
Platinum decal on Amber and Black decal on Clear.
TEST 7.
Once again, we are inspired by the depth that can be created with glass. In this case we used the exact same decal in two different colors. The topmost piece of glass (amber color) was pre-fired with a platinum decal and the bottom piece of glass was pre-fired with a black decal on clear glass.
For the final fuse, we wanted to get the most possible depth, so we arranged the glass layers so that the black decal on the bottom-most clear glass was actually touching the kiln shelf. The top-most platinum decal on the amber glass was on the very top. No decal sandwiching was done in this test.
Test 7. Shiny platinum appears to cast a black shadow in this depth-of-play piece.
The black insect was pre-fired onto the amber glass and the platinum full coverage decal was pre-fired onto the clear glass.
TEST 8.
For test 8, we revisited the platinum full coverage decal. In test 6 (previously in this post), we sandwiched the platinum between the glass layers. For test 8, we decided to fire the platinum on the very bottom-most layer of the glass with the platinum itself actually touching the kiln shelf.
Test 8 on the left. The platinum seems to have burned away a bit during the final fuse firing, whereas the platinum in test 6 on the right retains its full character and color. Also note the interesting image distortion in the black insect decal on the left, which was sandwiched between the 2 glass layers. The insect on the right sat atop the glass during final fuse and thus exhibits no distortion.
Black decal on amber glass and copper decal on french vanilla after the pre-firing.
TEST 9.
For this test we pre-fired a black decal on amber glass and a copper decal on french vanilla, a Bullseye glass color known for its chemical reactivity. We noticed a minor burnishing reaction with the copper decal and the french vanilla color - the decal was not shiny and had an oxidized look.
For the final fuse, the decals were both sandwiched in the middle of the 2 glass layers.
Test 9. The Double Decker Decal Sandwich. Both the black and copper decals are sandwiched in the middle, touching. We especially liked the translucent wing pattern provided by the copper, which became rather ghosted in the final fuse.
THANKS FOR TUNING IN.....
We hope you've enjoyed the Suspended in Amber series. The use of decals in fused glass is a relatively new and fluid art form and we hope you are feeling inspired!
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