Thursday, October 1, 2009

German Glass Glitter and another WELCOME!

First off, a hearty Welcome to another follower and fellow artist, Marianne, and you need to visit her blog, marianne's art blog and see the lovely things she is doing! Super use of mediums!
Second, off to my experiments with the collaged background I did during the tutorial a while back and also something I discovered quite by accident about German Glass Glitter.

Here is where I am with the piece---things are coming along; you probably need to click for a larger image so it shows up well enough. Now, the problem was I wanted the glass glitter for the halo, but as you can see below.......

....this stuff was TOO BIG. There are a couple of sizes available but at the time I ordered the gold, only the larger was in stock. And don't get me wrong--the large works great for a more textural application, but this needed more finesse.
So my little brain pondered, "What can I do with this too-big glitter?" All the time, somewhere in the deep curves and recesses of my cerebellum, there is a single synapse firing.......

......"It's GLASS Anne. GLASS BREAKS. Wrap it in something and take a hammer to it!" So I folded down a sheet of waxed paper (which I cannot function without, period) until each side had four layers. I put a small amount of the glitter in the waxed paper and........

......wailed away with a tack hammer! Make sure and hold the sides down so the glitter does not escape. You can't do that and take a photo at the same time......you understand.
When I say hammer, whack it until it is stuck in the paper, because it is a bit resistant. I tried a ballpein hammer and that did not do well at all....it was too heavy and cumbersome. A cobbler's hammer would work well too.
When you are done, you should have something that looks like the side by side below.......
...the soft, powdery glitter on the left and the original on the right. Word of caution: this can get in your fingers twice as fast as the regular glass glitter!!! Use a brush to clean the excess from waxed paper and table, NOT your fingers! (don't ask........)

The final photo gives an idea of how much better the small size works in comparison to the coarse size. Plus, you can purchase only the larger size, then reduce it to what you need. I stored my extra in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.
I am hoping, in between all the work that MUST be done, to wrap this project up soon and have a completed photo along with a pic of the background before anything other than paper was applied. Should be fun to look at!
Hope this has sparked some ideas---I see this tiny stuff on all sorts of decorations for the holidays; just make sure to use a good heavy glue and don't have small children or pets around when using it, because it sort of resembles colored sugar.
Now---GO MAKE ART!!!!
I bid you,

Pax.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

And you have been hiding this gorgeous piece since back then?
wow!..the color and light just glow here!...i love it!
a great idea about the German glitter glass...I was preferring to order the coarse, but i can now see the avantage of the fine grain..it is sometimes hard to remember the fact that its glass, when you do the clean up..thanks for the warning, Anne..
lovely to see your art again!
xoxo, gypsy

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Jean,

I just finally had a chance the other day to do any work on the piece, and had it stashed, trying to get the image collaged on....well.....that took WEEKS with all the interruptions! I just said to heck with it all one day and sat and did it.
Actually, there is not a LOT that has been added other than toning the b.g. a bit more. The paper figure adds drama and I did use some fluid acrylic.
I guess I am surprised that my brain doesn't function occasionally as in the case of smashing the glitter. I'm so accustomed to the *normal* type that you have to use as is.
But I love that glass!

XXOO!!
Anne

Jan said...

This is so gorgeous! I can't believe how many thing you create in between all the other things you have going on in your life. You never fail to amaze me. Thanks for all the inspiration.

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Jan,

You have not seen what I call a house.......that's why there is time for the other stuff. Plus, without the garden, I have more time than I used to. But I sure miss the garden, to say the least.
Off to mow---I hope for the last time this season! *John* and I have had enough quality time.....


XXOO!!!
Anne

My Vagabond Heart said...

It's lovely. I don't know if I would have thought to take a hammer to the glitter!

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Vicki, let's face it; I enjoy taking a hammer to anything, including non-functioning Maytag washers! LOL!!!

XXOO!!
Anne

Mary Helen-Art Saves Lives said...

Forget the house...we could trade rooftops and enjoy playing with all our stuff for making ART! I bought some incredible glitter myself because of your inspiration ...I just have to explore what I want to make. Maybe little miracles for us all! Imagine and Live in Peace, Go make ARTY! Art!

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Mary Helen....LOL!!! I have SOOOOO forgotten the house! Pitiful!
I make it a point to be in the studio as long as I can tolerate it each day, before needing rest.
And I would love to trade ar supplies, just to see what we have! WOuldn't that be fun? (don't think we could sell it as a TV show though.....)

XXOO!!
Anne

P.S. Enjoy the glitter; I usually try mine on something nonimportant first, then on the real deal. It all handles diffeently.

marianne said...

thanks so much for the plug anne! and thanks for the tutorial, too. i look forward to playing with some of this!

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Marianne,

With what you do, you should enjoy it and find a creative way to incorporate it into your backgrounds....

XXOO!!
ANne

Post a Comment

Talk to me Dahling!
I'm waiting, breathless...... ;-D