Serious overload. My brain is mush, and I'm only halfway through my workshops at the Glass Craft and Bead Expo in Las Vegas. I was here three years ago, and I remember having the same sense of impending meltdown. It's worth it, though.
I spent the last two days in Gail Stouffer's class Making Your Mark. We learned several methods for getting photorealistic (or sort of, anyway) images in fused glass pieces using enamels. A couple of my pieces are still being fired, and another was a total failure on the initial attempt, but I do have two to share with you.
The first step, and I think the hardest, was manipulating appropriate (high contrast) photos in Photoshop to get clear, even higher-contrast, black-and-white images. It'll take a great deal of further playing to gain some confidence in being able to tell which photos will work well and which are too "gray" (have too many subtle shades of color). The ones I used for my successful screenprints were of Rowan snowboarding and a friend's dog (a Schnauzer, I think). They final images ended up being very graphic, almost pop arty, but I think they work.
For the one of Rowan snowboarding, I first pulled a print of dark teal and fired it. Then I pulled a second print in red and fired it again. I just love it. I may futz with it some more to make it into something worth displaying.
Mr. Fritz was just pulled once in purple and fired. I didn't have time to try a second printing, and don't know that I would have anyway. I may try playing with him further in some other way.
I am very excited about the possibilities for this technique, and the others I learned. I foresee lots of playing in my future, as soon as I can find time. And as soon as I acquire a laser printer that uses toner cartridges. If anyone has one taking up space and would like to get rid of it, let me know.
