An Afternoon with
patsy monk & Laura Simone
Glassline Paints
Thursday, October 21, 2021
Patsy will be giving us a presentation using Glass Line paints and how she uses them to make her Zentangle drawings. If you want to ‘tangle’ along with patsy you may use a Micron pen or an extra fine sharpie, but put scrap paper underneath your practice paper, as it will usually bleed through. For this demonstration, patsy will show us how to use black on a variety of surfaces: fusible glass, flattened wine bottles and ceramic (glazed or unglazed) tiles.
All of those items may be safely heated in a fusing kiln in order to set the paint. Whether you choose to practice along with patsy or sit back and watch for now, it’s always fun to learn something new.
Laura Simone will share with us her process in creating the Furbonacci Spiral bead. Her wonderful bead was chosen as the Commemorative Bead for the ISGB 2021 Gathering, and is a wonderful example of what can be achieved with Glassline paints.
After the Demo Update!
(If you missed it, remember that members can watch the recorded demo on the Facebook Members’ Page, link below! And if you aren’t a member but would like to be, visit the Membership page)
Patsy first had contact with Glassline paints a few years ago, but did not get too involved with them at that time. Since then, she acquired some of the paint that had been dried out. Though her research said to toss it out, patsy tried reconstituting it with water and was successful. She called Glassline to confirm that it was okay to do, and they told her yes – distilled water is best.
Patsy gave us some helpful information about the ways this paint can be applied, how to “set” the paint so it won’t be easily marred, and how to anneal the piece once the paint is completed. She said to remember two words when annealing – “Speed Kills”!
A certified Zentangle instructor, patsy has tangled on many surfaces using varying mediums: Micron pens with a plastic edge on some surfaces, chalk on sidewalks, henna on skin, and even house paint on columns in someone’s dining room.
We were invited to “Tangle” along with patsy using paper and whatever we wished to write with as she demonstrated Glassline paint on glass.
We received great tips from her, one important tip being to roll the paint bottle between our hands before using it instead of shaking the bottle. This more gentle method will help us avoid introducing bubbles into the paint, which can cause a blobby result when it comes out of the applicator. A favorite resource of hers is tangledpatterns.com, a website with tons of patterns for us to try. Patsy says tangling should be a totally abstract process in order to free our minds. The tangle is not meant to represent actual objects.
After doing a design in black, then cleaning up any spots she felt were not crisp and clean, patsy gave us the information on setting the paint in order to fix it in place. That allows her to transport her pieces from place to place if needed, and also to avoid any bleeding that might occur when adding more layers. Patsy had some examples ready to show us more of the “tangle” process.
The final piece illustrated what the tangle looks like with color added to the design on a clear glass layer with a second piece of glass added as an opaque background. The additions really made the design stand out beautifully, and gave the piece visual depth as well.
When patsy concluded her part of the presentation, she introduced surprise guest Laura Simone. Laura is the glass artist who made the commemorative bead for the 2021 ISGB Gathering. She used Glassline paint on a lampwork bead and gave us a presentation explaining her process.
Laura shared a video of her steps, from making the base beads to creating the design on them with the paints. The process took several steps, beginning with the drawing of the basic outline through the addition of several layers of various colors to achieve the final shades of the “fur.”
She feels that Glassline paints are more like forgiving watercolors at this stage. Laura , emphasized the transparency of the paints, which will allow previous layers to show through to a degree. That quality helps the shading process but is also why the initial outline needs to be cleaned up very well before the rest of the painting begins.
Laura works her way from lights to darks, covering a little less with each new layer. She explained her process and the reasons behind her methods for each step. After adding all coats of color and the final black outline, Laura painted the year and her initials on the back of each piece.
Next the beads were heat set, utilizing her Chili Pepper annealing kiln and her torch. Laura was careful during this final step to avoid potential problems that could ruin the beads.
The finished beads were beautiful, and came packaged in a custom, laser cut box. Certainly all of the care and precision Laura used during their creation made the Furbonacci Spiral beads something to treasure for their lucky owners!
Dragon members have access to this recorded presentation, found on our Facebook Members Group.