Free Shamrock Glass Bead Tutorial by Marcy Lamberson ~ Studio Marcy

Lampwork Glass Shamrock Quick Mini Tutorial

Nothing like a freebie, is there?

Tools   

a. 1 rod of transparent green glass

b. parallel mashers (any mashers are fine)

c. glass shears 

d. Stump Shaper - other tools will work as well

Step 1.  Base Bead

Using your transparent green glass, make a base bead that is shaped  kind of like a fat football.

Step 2.  

Gently mash your base bead to flatten it into a thick oval.

Then using your glass shears, make your first cut as pictured above.

I am using a 1/16th mandrel and you can see that I am careful to snip near the mandrel, but not close enough to jeopardize breaking bead release.

Step 3.

Snip the rest of the cuts as pictured for a total of 4 cuts.  You can see you have made the basic shape of the shamrock already.  Please keep the base warm, but not hot.  If you accidentally warm it too much, then gently flatten with your mashers to return to the shape you need.

Step 4.

Now make mini snips on each of the horizontal petals.  Only go in about a third of the way.  Two snips total with your glass shears.

Step 5.

Use your flame (keep the heat gentle) to warm the top petal that is divided by the mandrel.  I do a combination of heating one side and holding the mandrel on an angle upside down to slightly droop the glass to help form the rounded section, and also using my brass Stump Shaper to gently indent the glass close to the mandrel.  It's almost like making a mini heart.  If you are having problems, then feel free to add a dot or two of glass on the outside edges away from the mandrel, to give it more definition.  Do both sides.

Step 6.

I use my brass Stump Shaper to gently push in the glass at the bottom to form more of a stem.  Both the non sticking brass and the wedge of that tool make it easy to get in there and gently press toward the mandrel to make it look more stem-like.  Voila, you are done.  Pretty easy, isn't it?

~

And perhaps you aren't into shamrocks, but this easy technique would be great for flowers as well.  I could see them with frit, stringers and even and extra raised dot in the center with a cool murrine, or so many other ways.

Hope you enjoyed this easy tutorial.  I have decided that I will be making more of these for your enjoyment.  Please stop by and see me on my FB business page or my StudioMarcy etsy shop. 

Love Is In The Air

Yeah, that's right.  Some bunny loves you.  Happy Valentine's Day.

Photos With Glass Rod Colors Already Shown

Oh how I love Design-Seeds, let me count the ways.  

Have you ever noticed how it even shows you which colors you need to choose from your lampwork glass rods?  Pretty easy, isn't it?  I see Dark Periwinkle, Zachary, Pearl Gray and Dark Ivory.  The green might be dark transparent grass green or perhaps the hue you get when you mix pea green and black together. Sweet!  

Now that I've pointed out the ease, can you show me what you make from this inspiration?  I'd love to see it.

I'm off to torch!  Catch you tomorrow.

Fall Colors in 104 COE Glass

I've been looking at the Pantone fashion Color Report for Fall 2012 and seeing a good number of the hues are already represented in my glass palette.  Have you been thinking about that, too?

I kind of like Messy Glass's Mink for the French Roast and their Stone Ground for the Honey Gold shade.

Pink Flambe (where did that accent mark go?) has me a bit stumped.  I'm contemplating on that one.  No simple solution, but a combination to make it.  (Kathy Seamands- can you hear me?  Could you please make this one, please?)

Tangerine Tango makes me think of Clockwork and Pantone's Ultramarine Green looks like Messy's Jade Palace to me.  The Bright Chartreause I'd head over to Vetrofond's Verde Muschio  Oh I love that color.  Not for it alone, but how it is found in nature and works to make so many other colors pop!

Olympian Blue reminds me of Electric Avenue (CiM) and Titanium could be Effetre's Dark Gray or perhaps Oliphaunt (Ltd. Run CiM).  Rhapsody could be a paler hue of Evil Queen or maybe Effetre's Soft Violet/New Violet.  And finally, Rose Smoke looks like my Vetrofond Seashell might work or perhaps Messy's Chai which is a Limited Run.

I am so open to other interpretations.  Have a better color match?  Please post and let all of us know.  I know there are always more possibilities and interpretations.  Now let's all get out there and sell some beads!  Working with the Fall Colors, might just increase our sales.

See you soon!

I'm So Happy To Be Home

I heart being home!

Okay, so I admit that I wasn't posting as much as I'd like over the last three week, but I was busy!  While at the Gathering, I taught a 2 day class, co-taught a teaching the teacher class, was filmed and then spoke for the International Society of Glass Beadmakers conference, and participated in all the activities.  Then before the first conference was over, I joined a second conference also in Washington where I taught three classes and participated in that group's activities as well.  (Plus I got a little sightseeing!)  Then I came home and my daughter arrived for her visit prior to leaving for Antarctica next week.  You know how when you want to get in every available minute with someone how you kind of give up on sleeping the amount you should?  Yes, that's me.

I can very easily admit...I'm kind of tired.

So this weekend will be a bit slower.  I'm still unpacking, cleaning, and reassuring my wonderful cat Zeus, that I'm home for a bit.

 I am also teaching a "Beach" class at Flametree Glass tomorrow from 12-2, in case you want a quick sculpture class (www.flametreeglass.com)  I know there's still a little room, in case you'd like to join us.

I'll post more later this week to fill you in on my prior weeks' adventures and some of my purchases.  (making sure the economy stays strong, you know?)  Glad to be back.  See you Sunday.

Join Me In Vienna, Austria!

Cornelia Bock is hosting me in Vienna, Austria to teach classes.  I am so excited and am hoping that there will be fellow, non country citizens who want to join me on this gorgeous adventure.  Such a lovely country and so much to see and do either before or afterward.  And with the exchange rate being pretty favorable, I'm always happy to see another part of the world and teach sculptural glass.

We have chosen to do Christmas holiday ornaments and regional related sculpture- a woodland forest related bead or two.  I'll make sure you can take these skills and translate them to other sculptural glass beads and work, as I always do.  And of course there is the Marcy style of teaching- I draw what we're going to do, then I talk and demonstrate what we are doing and then....(ha sounds like a lot of teaching, doesn't it?), and then I walk around the classroom to be available if you need me, so you get the most out of your class. The class is always a lot of fun, but I want to see you pleased with your new skills too.  It's important to me.

So the specifics are...it will be either this September on the 8 - 9, or next September 20-21, 2013.  If we can quickly fill some classes, then it will be a go this year, but in case we can't, then it will be next year.  I know, it is a little crazy, but we're both optimists and I am voting for both years, personally.

So this is how you find out more...first you contact the delightful Cornelia Bock.  Her email address is: bock.c@utanet.at , and you can check out her blog (it's in German- but you can translate through babelfish) http://kultur-art.blogspot.co.at/2012/04/lampwork-class-with-marcy-lamberson.html, and you can visit the facebook webpage: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.303796826361714&type=1.

Writing Artist Statements

I was recently helping a friend write an Artist Statement for a juried show.  It seems like statements flow all the way from being rather succinct to artistically flowery.

Leaning more towards the former than the latter, I want a statement to use language that everyone understands. Yet, it needs to bring out a little of what is "inside" the artist as well.  And not being an expert in any way, I did a little research to see what is said about writing one.

There are lots of great samples and sites that focus on this topic.  You can find them by googling "artist statement examples".  There were a few that drew me in.  The most humorous was the Critical Response to Artistic Product, (yes, you can figure out that acronym) generator.  You can find it here.  Not for humor, but more serious content, I liked this one and this one.

One of the points made is although as artists we want to communicate visually, but our society mostly communicates verbally.  And we need them to work together to optimize what we are saying through our art.  That made a lot of sense.

So tell me your experience with writing artist statements.  Any tips or tricks?  Anything memorable from the process.  I'd love to hear.

Tiny Magical Elves

I never knew that elves were so tiny, until one of my customers asked, "can you make tiny elf charms?"  Of course I could.  So here is the gang.   Left to right...Conor, Faervel, Thalon & Fred.  There's always one in the bunch!

That is a penny that Conor is leaning on.  He's not really lazy, just "resting".  They are quite small.

And they are available in my StudioMarcy Etsy shop.  You can click HERE to find them.

More Spring Fashions from NY Fashion Week

I guess I'm still intrigued by what is being shown.

This playful outfit is from Marc Jacobs' spring line.  The combination of colors and prints is pretty amazing and I'm sure would be quite a head turner if I saw this being worn in public.  (It's a potential bead, I think!)

However....  this is more what I would choose for myself from Fashion Week if I had the right figure for it.  I guess I am not a headturner at heart, but someone happy to wear quieter items.  I think these are gorgeous and sophisticated  by designer Donna Karan.  And the bottom outfit really sings to me. It  would be a joy to design some jewelry for it.  That neckline is perfect.  (and no, it wouldn't be my typical whimsical designs either.)  

Halloween Beads

I've been making Halloween beads with my students and for my Etsy shop already.  It may feel a bit early to you, but jewelry artisans want them in time to make up their scary jewelry for the holiday.  Here are a few that are new to my repertoire.  The black cat is really a dark blue transparent that I was experimenting with.  You can see the shade in her tail and ears.  The little black crow on the stack of pumpkins is really black, however.

And here's a tip if you're a glass artist making a cob of corn...
I used the end of a small hollow mandrel to make the kernels.  I had cased the yellow with a transparent amber so when pressed down, there would be a little bit of color difference which creates depth.

You can find these in my Etsy shop, (StudioMarcy).  Needless to say, they'd all love to go to new homes.

Artists On Call

So yesterday, you heard about my class, Creative Forces, which teaches my glass students how to translate pictures into beads.

I thought I'd show you the three that I am working on now.  This last one, could be the hardest. Spiderman.  Lots of movement and little lines.

Do you see how I chose the reference photos?  In this case, it's a child's costume.  It simplifies the details, and yet gives me the most important "clues" to the viewer as to what they are seeing.

And more importantly, these beads will go to the special children who requested them, through Beads of Courage.

And don't forget, because these are gifts and not sold, and there will be my "artistic spin" on them as well, I still need to be careful.  I would not sell anything like these copyrighted items.  And I wouldn't be making a bunch to give away either. I know that people ask for this type of thing all the time, but it's not really "our art" if we're making something that someone else already thought up.  And for me, it's important to be respectful of making them even for Beads of Courage children.  I'm probably telling you something you already know and respect already.  But doesn't hurt to say it, once in a while.  (okay, carefully stepping down from my soap box now)...

I'll show you the results next week when they're done.  And I'm hoping you can join me for the class in Florida and whenever I am teaching it in other locations.

Roses- Fresh Off the Mandrel

If any of you know me well, I have the brownest thumb on this side of the Mississippi.  If it can't grow by itself, it's not going to survive.

So when my sister asked me to make her a rose pendant, I was venturing into new territory.
You see, I had just been at my friend Marilyn Peraza's studio a few weeks earlier, and she makes such gorgeous roses. It's her "thing".  But I am kind of funny about techniques,  unless someone invites me to watch, I feel funny soaking up someone else's work.  I think it's the old copying thing that we're all so afraid of.  So I missed learning from one of the best.  (although she has two wonderful tutorials on sculptured roses and rose murrini here.

You can see my first attempts.  I'm not crazy about the colors though.  I need a shade of yellow that is right in the middle. I can't remember which Vetrofond special color I used on the lighter and the brighter yellow is an old Russian 104 glass that I have.  The butterscotch-ish one is an opalino and the pink one is a CIM. I tried dipping each pink petal's base into frit first, to give it some variegation, but I think that specific frit wasn't the best for that particular experiment.

I'm not done yet.  My sis still needs a yellow rose pendant for one of her friends and I'll complete one that I am more satisfied with.  I've got ideas to try still.  Because for me, part of the fun is the journey.  Trying different techniques, tools and then trying it some more until I'm happy with the end result.

If any of you have expertise you'd like to share, I'm more than happy to listen and soak it up.  Meanwhile, I'm off to my studio to try a few more ideas that are floating around in my head.

Oh, one more thing...Marilyn has some teachers come to her studio.  Look around on her site and check them out.  It might be a class you'd enjoy taking.  Tell her I sent you!

Red Riding Hood Revisited

Two days ago, I told you that I was working on my bead for our Southern Flames Glassworkers group postcard.  And I showed you the darling print of the guinea pig dressed up.

So here is the end result.  No, I didn't dress up an animal as Red Riding Hood, but that still may be in the future...  But I did make this cute little girl and just happened to have a spare wolf hanging around my inventory (I know, what a coincidence).  I'm going to create a glass base for the two of them and make them a nice woodsy place to co-habitate.  Can't we all just get along?

See you tomorrow!  Right here at www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com  or find me on facebook under Marcy Lamberson.

Next Holiday?

With New Year's just around the corner, I made a Champagne bottle and wired it onto a little Sterling silver bail for a quick celebration pendant. It can be found in my StudioMarcy Etsy shop.

The Proposal- A Real Life Marriage Proposal via Muppets & a Movie Trailer

I'm the first to admit, I'm a sucker for a sweet romance and this real life marriage proposal and blog how it was done, touched me deeply.

You can read about it and watch it here. But the very short story is a young man had been with his darling for 10 years and decided it was time to propose. He went to great lengths to make it special and meaningful for her. Wait until you see and read about it. Click here and bring a tissue.

If you still have a spare moment, please click HERE, and vote for my Santa's Best Friends entry in the FlameTree Glass contest. Lots of great glass entries to view and you need to scroll to the bottom to vote.

Save the Date: One World One Heart

Save the dates for the 5th and final One World, One Heart Blog-arama. All the information can be found here.

Essentially, it's one huge connection of established bloggers who each offer a "door prize" or more, for all the folks who read their One World One Heart post and comment. Not only does it give you a chance to win some really cool stuff, but what I really like about it, is that it opens our worlds internationally to more interesting people who do interesting things. I've made some good friends from it and found some fascinating blogs.

So get into condition now...practice visiting other blogs and commenting, lift weights, drink coffee or whatever you need to get in shape. It's a lot of fun and of course, I'll be participating for its last year with something (or things) wonderful to give away. Mark your calendars Jan. 30th. Bet you didn't have any plans anyhow....

See you tomorrow!

BIG SALE....20% Off EVERYTHING in StudioMarcy

So I said to myself, "Self? Why do you need to hang onto to every bead? Why not spring clean when folks can use these fun beads...before Christmas, instead of a post- holiday sale?"

So I responded to myself, "Self, you're right. Glad I listened to you."

(Well, I don't want to mention at least one of the folks in that conversation is a little off kilter, but with all the wassail hanging around the house and the chocolates, we'll let it go this time.)

But bottom line is that I am having a 20% off sale in my Studio Marcy Etsy shop through Saturday. Use the code "joy2010" at checkout to receive the discount automatically. I will be adding at least two new beads daily if not more. So also feel free to message me, if you have any requests. I might just have what you're looking for.

Arrrgh, Pirate Snowmen

I've noticed that pirate snowmen aren't too available these days, so I decided to offer up my secret stash of swarthy icy he-men. This one has his hook, parrot, and of course a dubloon hanging from his neck. You can find him in my Etsy shop, if he hasn't already been kidnapped by a pirate loving wench.

ps He would make a cool tree ornament as well. If you need help adding a wire loop, I'm happy to help you.

Wombats, Who Knew?

I imagine today you were expecting me to talk about "Black Friday" and shopping for hand crafted goods for the holiday this year.

No, I decided that Wombats would make a much better topic.

You see, I had never really seen one before my friend Jan started posting them on her facebook page.

Kind of cute little critters, aren't they? Actually they're Australian marsupials who dig burrows, (Check out their nails! No french manicures for them) And their marsupial pocket for their baby is backwards, so the dirt doesn't get in when they're digging. Growing to about 40" long, they are short, stout and herbivores.

So of course I've made my first Wombat lampwork glass bead, which I'll show you at another time. But first, wanted you to see these cute little creatures.

Oh, depending on what kind of wombat, they come in varying makes and models too. I like the name "hairy nosed wombat" personally.

Pack of Friendly Dogs

Last week I taught sculptural soft glass at Austin's Blue Moon Glassworks and here is the group of dogs that my students made. I was so proud of them and their cute little guys. This was the first sculptural glass class for most of them. Hooray!