Creating Unique Fused Glass Designs Using Stencils & Powdered Glass

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1 Creating Unique Fused Glass Designs Using Stencils & Powdered Glass Written by Jackie L. Doehling 2014 Full Moon Loon Designs

2 2 Supplies Sheet glass cut to size these can be scraps or leftovers from larger projects, depending on the desired finished project size Glass Frit for this tutorial I am using powders as they cover more evenly with stencils. You can experiment with fine frit or embellish your stenciled design with other sizes or cut pieces it s all up to you! Just make sure you use the same COE between your base glass and your frit. You can also stick with a single color, or blend them as you apply. More details in the tutorial. Stencil you have a few options here: o Store purchased stencil usually made from plastic o Hand cut stencil freely cut a design from heavy paper, vinyl, etc. with a hobby knife o Machine cut stencil designed and cut using an electronic tool such as a Cricut, Cameo, etc. Respirator dust mask type, shown here Safety glasses Powder Sifter(s) see the red plastic ones in the photo available many places where you purchase art glass & supplies Something to elevate your piece of glass (I like to use a roll of painter s tape) An empty frit jar for the leftover powder (if mixed) A small artist s paintbrush or eye makeup brush No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive (if you prefer to glue this stuff is great!) Prepared kiln shelf (you can use shelf paper or kiln wash, whichever you prefer Kiln with programmable controller The stencil I am showing above is one that I cut myself using a Silhouette Cameo electronic cutting machine. It is programmable from a Mac or PC and the designs can be purchased or you can design your own. The example above was cut from a 12 piece of heavy cardstock, like the kind you buy in a tablet at hobby stores (print or design on one side and white on the back.) Thank you for your interest in my designs and the suggestion to create a tutorial! Jackie L. Doehling Full Moon Loon Designs

3 3 STEP 1 PREPARE THE GLASS You will want to decide the completed size of your project. In this walkthrough I am using a 6 square that was left over from a larger project. I double my glass, so before firing I will place the stenciled piece over another piece the same size; usually clear, but it depends on the piece and what look I want to achieve for the final piece. As with all projects it is good to do a little pre-planning and concept drawing before you make a single cut. Sometimes when I am planning a piece, I go through a few iterations of what I think it should look like before I actually create it. Other times I act on a whim and throw something together that I have only pictured briefly in my mind and I will bet you are the same way! Cut your glass, sand or grind any edges if necessary, and then clean and dry it. If you need to cut shelf paper to fit your piece before firing, it is best to do this now as well, so as not to risk messing up your design when it is ready to go into the kiln. Here is my piece of glass, clean & dry and ready to design. The reason I like to elevate the piece on a roll of tape or similar is two-fold it makes it easier to pick up and keeps the piece clean. In my first few attempts I would be applying the powder or frit right on the paper lined kiln shelf and no matter how clean I thought I had it, there would inevitably be pieces of frit attached to the underside of my finished piece! Nothing a little cold working wouldn t resolve, but this works much better. I recall someone in an online group suggesting to lift it up on the frit jars or something and I wish I could remember who to give them credit! This method with a roll of tape works for me. But before you render your roll of tape out of reach for a bit, tear off two to four pieces. I will tell you why next.

4 4 STEP 2 PREPARE THE STENCIL There are a few ways you can prepare a stencil to make it easier to lift off when you are done applying your powder. One of the simplest is to create tabs with some painter s tape of masking tape. Another way I have found that works well for larger stencils (especially the store-bought plastic kind) is cutting into a plastic food prep/cutting mat. I recently picked up a set of two large and two small mats for under $5 at Target. I basically created a frame out of the larger one to hold a 12 stencil, and saved the portion that was cut out to use for smaller stencils. TRICKY PICK UP! One of the most frustrating things when applying powders with stencils can be removing the stencil when you are done without disturbing your design underneath. This might take a few tries, so for your first project you might want to use a single color of powder this way if you dump it, no big deal; just brush it back into your bottle and try again! On the left is an example of simple tabs made from painter s tape. Below is an example of creating a frame from a plastic cutting mat and taping it to the stencil for more stability. You may want to apply longer tabs, or use something like cardstock or frame matting for your edges you will find what works best for you!

5 5 STEP 3 APPLY THE STENCIL & POWDER Now that you have your clean glass elevated and your stencil picked out and prepared, this is where the fun begins! Place your stencil onto your glass in the position that works best for your design. Keep in mind once you start applying powder, you won t be able to move it until you lift it off. Well, you can, but you may end up with results you had not intended! You will notice in this example I don t have any tabs. That s because the stencil is actually large enough beyond the edges of my glass that I can easily pick it up. Don t forget your respirator mask & safety glasses now is a great time to put them on! It is important to protect yourself when working with powders. They can be easily inhaled or get into your eyes. Safety first! Got your gear on? Great! Pour a little bit of powder into a sifter, away from your glass. I like to take a large sheet of paper and fold it in half under the project. Any powder is caught by the paper which can then easily be dumped right back into the jar.

6 6 Now, begin applying the powder. If you are going to use multiple colors like I am in this example, take a moment to think about how you want your colors to blend do you want a subtle gradient blend or big bold changes in color? Do you want to go heavier with certain colors and lighter with others? There are a couple of ways you can sift but the key is to apply it evenly. One method of sifting is to tap the sifter. Another is to slide your fingernail or a plastic spoon, paintbrush, etc. back and forth along the length of the metal handle. It is okay to go light and then repeat until you have a nice even coating, heavy enough that it will not thin out too much when fired but not so heavy that you can t lift the stencil successfully. This will take a little practice, but soon you will have the hang of it. Once you are happy with your coverage, carefully lift your stencil. Slow and steady wins this race! The best way is to lift it straight up and away, and lay it on a piece of paper to collect the excess from later. This is the revealing moment when you see what your design is going to look like! CLEAN IT UP! You may find little trails of excess powder on your glass that you want to remove. There are a couple of ways you can do this; one is with a soft artist s paintbrush, or even with a q-tip. Another handy tool (albeit not its recommended use) is a little battery operated vacuum like the kind you might have seen on TV for ear wax.

7 7 Once you are done cleaning up any stray powder or touching up your design, you are ready to move it to the kiln. Remember that piece of kiln paper and base glass you cut back in step one? If you haven t already, place it in the kiln so you can move your stenciled piece over to the kiln. If your kiln won t be available for some time then you may wish to apply a few drops of glue on your design. Some folks recommend hairspray; I have used hairspray when doing the fossilized leaves with powders, but for my stenciled designs I either leave them bare or apply a few drops of No Days Liquid Fusing Adhesive. It dries fairly quickly and burns off clean with no residue or marks on the glass. After your work is safely in the kiln, make sure you are either still wearing the mask or put it back on as you will kick up some dust when cleaning up the excess. First, tap the stencil onto your paper a few times, or simply tap the stencil in a few places. The powder should easily fall to the paper. If you are using a single color, just dump it right back into its own jar. If you used multiple colors, then dump into a container marked Mixed or other. Don t throw it away! It can be used for other things. When a bunch of colors mix together you get an interesting shade of brown. On the next page I have included a couple of firing schedules I use for my stenciled work; however all kilns are different and depending on the size of your project, the number of layers, COE, etc. you may need to adjust accordingly. The most important thing (aside from the safety gear) is to keep lots of notes. Take pictures and document as you go. Later when you want to recall how you did something (or how you don t want to do something we ve all been there!) these notes become an invaluable source of information.

8 8 FIRING SCHEDULES These are my go-to schedules for stenciled projects using 96 COE glass. Of course you can lower the top temp if you are looking for a more textured surface, and do remember that all kilns are different! The temperatures below are all in Fahrenheit and the hold times are in minutes. If there are multiple pieces in top layer - like a center with rim and then the design on top, I use this one: Segment Ramp Target Hold FULL OFF If it is just two pieces same size topped with design (like the one in the tutorial), I use this one: Segment Ramp Target Hold FULL OFF You may find some of the ramp speeds too slow for your liking or some holds unnecessary but in my experience it is impossible to anneal too long, and I would rather tie up the kiln for a few more hours during the process than to have to start all over due to a nasty break or shatter. Of course you may already have your own schedules perfected, and that is great! Use whatever works for you. These are just a starting point for those who might be new to the process.

9 9 ADDITIONAL STENCIL PROCESS PHOTOS The following photos are from some of my stenciled projects. All were done with 96 COE glass. The top row shows an example of a single color project, the second row is a blend similar to the project in this tutorial, and the next three rows are using contrasting colors of powder.

10 10 THANK YOU! Once again, thank you to all those who suggested I put together a tutorial. I hope many people find this useful. In the future I may publish an e-book for sale of various projects, so I welcome your feedback on this tutorial. Did you find it easy to follow? Was there anything I didn t cover that you had hoped would be included? Was it oversimplified? Your comments are welcome! I do have a website ( however as of the date of this publication it is still a work in progress. I have an artist s page on Facebook that I am most active on: Finally here are some post-firing photos of the projects on the previous page as well as the piece in the step by step tutorial. Hopefully this tutorial has inspired you - please feel free to share your creations on my Facebook page!