I first discovered lampworking last summer after joining an online beading forum (http://www.beadbuddies.co.uk/forum/). There are some great folks on there and I was really inspired by lampwork artists, and decided to find out more about the craft, little did I know then I'd be hooked! Armed with a starters kit, I set about creating a mini studio in the garden shed, and can now make some good 'rounds' or base beads, and I even managed some cute penguins! Time is a bit of a restriction, and so were the cold wintry months (what a wimp!), but I hope this blog will spur me back into action at the torch over the next couple of months. Can't wait to show you my progress and future glassy creations!Friday 15 February 2008
Lampwork
So what is lampwork I hear you ask?! Well, lampwork is the art of making glass beads using a blowtorch. You melt a rod of glass onto a metal rod called a mandrel, and turn like mad in the flame to form a 'base bead'. You can then melt other coloured glass onto this or use 'frit' (broken shards of glass) to decorate. All lampworking beads really need to be annealed in a kiln to ensure longevity. It's quite a tricky process to learn at first, but the results are very satisfying indeed! I love the way colours can be combined to an amazing effect, and how you can manipulate molten glass into different forms.
I first discovered lampworking last summer after joining an online beading forum (http://www.beadbuddies.co.uk/forum/). There are some great folks on there and I was really inspired by lampwork artists, and decided to find out more about the craft, little did I know then I'd be hooked! Armed with a starters kit, I set about creating a mini studio in the garden shed, and can now make some good 'rounds' or base beads, and I even managed some cute penguins! Time is a bit of a restriction, and so were the cold wintry months (what a wimp!), but I hope this blog will spur me back into action at the torch over the next couple of months. Can't wait to show you my progress and future glassy creations!
I first discovered lampworking last summer after joining an online beading forum (http://www.beadbuddies.co.uk/forum/). There are some great folks on there and I was really inspired by lampwork artists, and decided to find out more about the craft, little did I know then I'd be hooked! Armed with a starters kit, I set about creating a mini studio in the garden shed, and can now make some good 'rounds' or base beads, and I even managed some cute penguins! Time is a bit of a restriction, and so were the cold wintry months (what a wimp!), but I hope this blog will spur me back into action at the torch over the next couple of months. Can't wait to show you my progress and future glassy creations!
First Posting!
Well, this is going to be a rather mundane and dare I say boring testing post, so you'll have to forgive me for that. :)
Thought I'd explain the choice of name for my blog ID for those who don't 'know' m
e. Camberwell*Beauty came about through my love of nature, and in particular for butterflies! I absolutely adore them, and remember running to keep up with them in sunny fields when I was little. My creativity is very inspired by nature, be it wood, leaves, flowers, natural colours, animals, insects, the sea and even the everchanging sky. So it seemed appropriate to reflect that in my blog. Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa) is a gorgeous butterfly, rarely seen now in the UK, and originates from Scandinavia and mainland Europe.
e. Camberwell*Beauty came about through my love of nature, and in particular for butterflies! I absolutely adore them, and remember running to keep up with them in sunny fields when I was little. My creativity is very inspired by nature, be it wood, leaves, flowers, natural colours, animals, insects, the sea and even the everchanging sky. So it seemed appropriate to reflect that in my blog. Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa) is a gorgeous butterfly, rarely seen now in the UK, and originates from Scandinavia and mainland Europe.
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