This is a list of the materials and tools you will need for this course.
Many of them are common glass studio tools and materials, but there are a few specialty items you may need to purchase.
In the following Lesson 1: Glass and Tools Needed for All Lessons, below, you will find a list of items specifically needed for Lesson 2, and then Lesson 3, and so on -- so you can have all of your required items in one place and make your shopping list for things you don't yet have. There are links to the items for easy purchase.
Also, at the start of each lesson the same specific list appears for that lesson. And all of this information is also in the downloadable PDF file, along with links.
LESSON 1: What You Need
Glass Materials Needed for All Lessons
113 White for base or white Tekta
Various transparent and opal powders
Each lesson starts with a white tile, but very pale colors like French Vanilla and Light Peach Cream can also work. I use mostly white in these lessons because that allows the powders to show themselves without any interference from a color under the powder layer. And, no reactions!
Tools and Supplies:
Running pliers
Nippers
Scoring tool
Powder sifters
Plain printer paper for collecting overspray powder
Spoon
X-acto knife
Ballpoint Pen
Brushes
Sharpie
Scissors
Scrap paper
Silicone baking mat
Wooden skewers
Hair spray
Yogurt or condiment cups for blending powders and/or lifting the work
Camera for documenting your work
Masking tape / Pinstriping tape
Dust mask
Ruler
Silicone shaper tool
Optional Item: Earwax vacuum – an inexpensive optional powder tool that comes in very handy. Great for removing powder from places where you don't want it. I like it for making dots in a powder layer.
Another Optional Item: Spice pen – this is an interesting little kitchen gadget that I can't live without. I use it to draw lines with powder. It's actually meant for putting art on your latte with cocoa or cinnamon....
I like this knife because it comes with an interesting assortment of tips, and has a dial for controlling the temperature of the blade. (Not that I ever use it on a setting other than High.) Art for the knife lesson is at the end of this chapter.
Art for the lesson is in the PDF.
Float Glass
I use a piece of float glass for a surface to cut on. It’s smoother than our normal sheet glass material and gives me a little more control over the knife. (Note: this link to float glass is probably not less expensive than what you can find locally.)
This is a sturdy sheet, about 10ml, and the thickness allows for a heavy application of powder if needed.
Below is a larger sheet, 12" x 24". I find this size to be great for larger works but big stencils can be a little harder to handle. The stencil can fold in on itself. See below!
You Will Need: Glue Gun and Glue Sticks, Silicone Baking Mat
I have several glue guns and these are my favorites. I use the large one for a thicker stream of glue, smaller one for less glue. Any glue gun will do the trick. And any glue gun you order will probably come with glue sticks.
This is a larger gun I use, and it comes with different size tips, which I have not played with yet:
Here's a small gun I just learned about and I'm a big fan. It has a motor that puts out a steady, continuous line of glue. No broken or blobby lines. It costs more than the other two -- about $40 -- but for me it's worth it to get a consistent line and I don't have to constantly pump the trigger.
We'll draw our glue stencils on a silicone baking sheet, which allows for easy pick-up when the glue has cooled. This mat is partially see-through. I can slip a sketch under the mat and use that to guide my glue lines.
You Will Need: Miscellaneous Stuff / Found Objects
I've discovered that the scrapbooking aisle at the big craft store or Target (or Amazon) is has a plethora of items that were not intended to be stencils, but will function well for our purposes. I picked up these lightweight wood cutouts at the Dollar Store. (Scoring tool to show scale.)
I tried using silk flowers and leaves, but had only limited success. Many of the items I picked up were too dimensional to work, as the components that were farther from the glass surface tended to become diffused and hard to read. I had better success with the flattest leaves.
Have fun searching your kitchen, garage, Amazon or your big-box hardware store for items to use as stencils.
LESSON 5: Purchased Stencils
Plastic Stencils for Crafting
There are SO many interesting stencils out there, it may be hard to narrow it down to a few. Or a dozen. Or a hundred.
Here are a few links to some stencils I bought. I am especially enamored of the stencils available from StencilGirl.com. They are creative, beautiful and unusual designs you will find nowhere else. Support your fellow artists! And take a look at Etsy. There are so many creative people selling stencils online.
You Will Need: Hot Knife and Mylar Stencil Material, Sharpie
Nothing new required for this lesson
You can get more mileage out of your stencil plastic by carefully cutting negative AND positive shapes and designs. And these make for some very interesting design opportunities when you use them together.
LESSON 7: Backgrounds and Textures
Hot Knife and Mylar Stencil Sheet, Glue Gun
Nothing new required for this lesson. Backgrounds are my favorite stencils to make and use. They can absolutely make a piece of glass sing.
LESSON 8: Using Tape as a Stencil
You Will Need: Pin-striping Tape
We love pin-striping tape. Made for the auto industry, it bends and flows and makes for beautiful linear elements without much fuss. And it's not expensive. You can find it below -- this package comes with four widths of tape.
Nothing new required for this lesson, Layering is where the magic happens.
LESSON 10: Cricut and Cameo Cutting Machines
There are two cutting machines on the market that glass artists use for cutting stencils and other things. I confess that I know next to nothing about these machines. In the past I have had friends use their machines to cut stencils for me -- but I do not need this service very often, and I don't really have the space for the machine. But I'm showing them here, and providing Amazon links to both.
My friend Jenny cuts her stencils for powder on old manilla file folders. She says that the paper is a great thickness and works well with her Cameo without much fuss. The detail can be amazing: I've seen stencils that were about a half inch tall with incredible detail and finesse.
Ages ago a friend cut out some letters for me on her Cricut. She used a heavy adhesive stock. I peeled up the letters and pressed them onto glass blocks, and used her cutouts as a sandblasting mask. Worked out wonderfully. So, another potential use for a machine such as these.
LESSON 11: Taking It Further and a Little Inspiration
Our final lesson is a perennial student favorite: see how we applied some of these techniques in larger pieces. As a bonus, some glass artists have allowed us to show you their powder creations.
One Last Thing:
I stumbled upon this wonderful printmaking book on Amazon. It contains a treasure trove of ideas for stencils.
We do not buy anything from Temu. We do not have accounts there. Yes, they have loads of stencils and other art supplies, and they are extremely inexpensive. But Temu also steals from artists. They have been known to duplicate an artist's work (like jewelry) and sell it for pennies. We've also read that Temu sells their customers' info and is very careless about privacy issues. We stay away.
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