I am a ROOKIE...!!!

[Nelpha]

Today I have just finished my first glass work, a basic flat screen lamp. Searching for information, I found this beautiful website and, as I would like to learn more about stained glass and other glass techniques, I would be happy to receive your suggestions on where to start from.
Thanks!!!

[Planet Glass]

The possibilities of glass are truly endless!

- Awesome beads
- Cast 3D "scultptures"
- Blown vessels
- Sandbasting
- Painting

If you are learning to work with stained glass, do learn the lead came technique. More and more hobbyists only know foil, and will use it when came would have been more professional! So learn came, and learn how to zinc frame your pieces (it's super-easy).

You may want to continue on with glass painting, with fired paints. You'd need a kiln, but perhaps you supplier is able to rent some kiln time.

In North America there is little tendency to use fired paints, however, in the UK, stained glass almost always includes fired paints. It's a great technique to help you "get more" out of your glass, and enhance your own artistic expression and progress.

[strawberryblondie]

The last time I was at my local craft store there were two kinds of glass paint, one you baked in the oven after painting the glass. Mind you I have no idea how well this works or turns out, just thought I would throw that in. I have used the type of glass paint that you let set for 48 hours and then glaze over it, no baking or firing but I have only used it to paint faces on glass pieces so not sure how well it would work for the kind of really artistic glass painting.

Nelpha, just keep working and trying new things, experiment, and have fun. It's wonderful :)

Linda

[krauskiartglass]

I think the best thing you can do is probably find someone who knows what they are doing and see if you can get them to teach you.
I know this sounds ridiculous but I'm pretty sure that I can teach someone in three or four hours what it took me three or four years to learn on my own.
When I was 19 my future father-in-law who was a glass painter by trade gave me some milk cartons full of glass scraps and an old cutter and said, "Here, see what you can do with this"
Then it was trial and error for years and everything I made looked pretty crappy but I loved the material so I hung in there.
I made all kinds of mistakes and learning was a long long time... and I am STILL learning. Now it's over 40 years later.

I have to take issue with the idea that copper foil does not look professional. We use it all the time.
I think it depends on who is doing it. I saw some rotten looking leaded work by a hobyist today.
Things won't look professional.... unless you ARE professional or learn from one.
If you want to do areas of intricacy it is much easier than using lead.
As far as learning to sand-blast, we have two huge compressors, two booths, a dust collector, pressure pots and all kinds of industrial stuff like that, so as far as I know it would be hard to get into that without sharing someone's facility.
but I could be wrong.
I will be teaching my first stained glass class in many years this coming Tuesday and I hope they hang in and make good stuff. I hope you do too.
Mary Krauski