How to Design a Glass Pendant
Some preparation is required before you design a glass pendant. You must make yourself familiar with the materials and design options available. Fusing is a technique that does not require a glass torch or full lampworking setup. Fusing can be accomplished with a glass knife and a small firing kiln. Designing includes choosing color, shape and added effects. You must be aware of how the glass will stack and how long you want to fuse it for.
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Things You'll Need
- Sheets of flat glass, approximately 4 inches by 4 inches
- Glass knife
- Metallic foil
- Small firing kiln
- Gloves
Instructions
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Decide what glass-compatible materials will best suit your design idea. Add metallic foil to your pendant for a shimmery glow. Powdered glasses called frit can be poured onto flat glass to create dusty lines of color. Synthetic opals are glass-compatible and resemble suspended jewels. Be aware of what materials are available.
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Gather the flat glass you will need. When selecting colors, make sure you are aware of how the glass may change during the kneeling process--the process by which the glass is heated, fused and cooled. Some glass colors, like pottery glazes, will become different colors altogether. Also make sure you select glass that is compatible. Incompatible glass will crack inside the kiln because it expands at different rates.
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Sketch some creative ideas out. Really get a feel for what you are looking for. Decide what overall shape the pendant will be; square, round, oval or oblong. Sketch it to size so you have a template to use when you cut your materials. Draw any patterns and fill in the sketch with colors in order to match them with the pieces of glass you'll use to create your pendant.
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Cut the pieces from the glass and foil. Consider the shape of each piece and how it may stack or melt. You can create a pattern with shapes such as triangles, checkerboard patterns, diamonds and rectangles. Cut a shape out of a few different colors and lay them together to design a pattern. Choose your background color. If the foreground colors are light, you may choose a dark background to bring them out, and vice versa.
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Stack the pieces of glass.You may choose to leave the stacked levels raised. Shorter periods of time in the kiln will not allow the glass to fully melt into itself, or you can blend them all together by fusing it until it is flat. Glass is sculpture, it is three-dimensional and you can get creative with that third dimension, thickness. Try not to leave holes; imagine where the glass melting may form pockets of air. Fill those pockets or stack the glass to avoid them. Air pockets cause problems in the kiln, so that the piece may crack or shatter.
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Tips & Warnings
Always practice caution when working with glass. Wear safety gloves and goggles when cutting the glass. Cut glass is very sharp along the edges; do not touch the edges until after kneeling is completed and the glass has cooled to room temperature.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit pendant image by ann triling from Fotolia.com
