So, as I mentioned before, this week is "miniature week" and the teachers are holding strong. No deviating from miniatures, believe me, I have tired. It is fun, but after a while it gets boring... but don't worry Vegard and I have managed to find ways to make it more interesting!
But, I am getting ahead of myself, I will go in order of what you missed in the brief time I have been without technology.
On Friday I worked some with different color techniques. I had read that it was possible to use the optic molds to change and shape the colors you put on the glass. First I tried to make dots. To do this you put the clear piece in an optic mold which gives it stripes up and down, then wrap a super thin sting of color over the piece. You heat it up and the color is supposed to stick to the sticky-outy parts of the stripes on the clear piece and the heat makes it snap between the ridges, making a dot of color. Well, that is the theory. I got more kind of odd lines.
They remind me of using a marker as a kid and you always got one end of the line with a darker dot where you held the marker longer then anywhere else. Did you do this? Anyway, not dots... more like maker dashes!
I also did a string of color on these two. It was much thicker and kind of a blue/grey.
The one on the right is the same as the above technique but obviously didn't work AT ALL! The one on the left is a rope pattern. I had wanted it to go the other way but that was too tricky... so we have this strange pattern going on:
This one, below, is also an attempt at the dots... but the glory hole was too cold and warmed the glass so slowly that instead of snapping between the ridges it slowly melted into the curves and made a sort of spider web effect. Strangely enough, I like this one the best, but the orange marker dashes are closest to what I was going for!
Then on Monday the beginning of Mini Week started in Orrefors! So, we made miniature bowls, bottles and more bottles. Then Vegard and I made miniature wine glasses!
See how small!!! They are so cute! I think they would be good schnapps glasses!
Vegard managed to make the smallest, but mine were the prettiest ;) haha!
After school on Monday I went to the evening class for a while, then home to talk to Sam and then out to enjoy the beautiful weather. So, I decided to walk to the lake and enjoy the sunset. It is nice, it stays light here until after 8 already!
I went to the place with all the little bridges and little islands and sat for a while absorbing some sunshine and fresh air!
I am in love with the picture below, it has a timeless classic feel to it I think. I was all by chance, I didn't do anything special with the camera, just snapped and it is soooo pretty!
After sitting there for an hour I left while the sun was still this high. I had forgotten that sunsets take HOURS here this far north! It was just dusk when I finally got home! So, I missed the best part of the sunset, but I was starving and had to leave. Oh well, there is always another day.
Tuesday, was day 2 of Mini WEEK! I hope you can hear the fake cheerleader voice that I say that with in my head... I mean it was fun for a day... but how many tiny bottles can you make?! Also, I keep walking around singing "its a small world affffffter all" and no one knows what I am talking about! Well, we decided to take things up a notch and made tiny mini water pitchers!
The one on the left is exactly the same as the big one I made a few weeks ago. Blown foot and TINY blown handle!!! The one on the right is my version of a tiny Rebecca Pitcher. I don't know why they are called that... I just remember watching Mamma make the super long handles in clay for hers and always worrying about them in the kiln when she fired them. She called it a Rebecca Pitcher or Handle or something. Also, I watched Pride & Prejudice the night before and they have one, normal size, in glass in one of the scenes that is BEAUTIFUL!
Also, in the display cabinet at school there are these two enormous tulip cups. They are a normal wine glass top with a blown foot that is attached as the stem, stretched long then opened up in a sort of trumpet or tulip look.
We made 3 little baby ones! Interestingly enough it was not the actual piece that gave us the most trouble it was making a 2 pronged punty which you attach to the rim of the opened up bottom to be able to open and shape the cup part! My punties looked like deformed crab claws but we got a few and I think they look really cool! Hopefully we will do them big one day! The one below is the best of the day :)
This morning I went to the cold shop where I decided to finally decorate the graal enamals or blanks as I call them. I started with the red over white, which wasn't perfect but usable. Vegard wants to blow up the graals on Friday and so I figured I better have something to work with so I don't have to just watch him! Since I had red and white I went with a Chinese dragon on mine.
First I covered the whole thing in this SUPER thick and sticky tape, drew the dragon on the tape, then cut away the parts which are to be white. Above you can see where the red is will soon be sand blasted away so that the white can show through when I blow it up!
Then I sand blasted for what felt like HOURS... but wasn't that long. Long enough thought that when I came out of the room I was covered in a fine layer of white all over. Rosanne cleaned me off with some compressed air but I had sand boogers for hours.
Then I peeled off the tape (and forgot to take a picture) and tomorrow will finish any small details with the engraving tools. I hope it looks cool, and turns out well, I am excited, don't worry I will remember to take a picture. Right now actually I need to draw the design for my other blank. I took it home to draw on and cut tonight so tomorrow I can go straight to the sand blasting! It is purple over white... I don't know what to do... all I keep thinking of are those hibiscus flowers from the late 90's early 00's that everyone had on their shirts and cars and stuff. Kind of like this:
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