Tips on Soldering Glass Pendants?

I have always been an admirer of "wearable" art, so last week I decided to try my hand at art glass pendants.  You know, the artwork sandwiched between two microscope slides and then soldered around the edges...?  Easy enough I thought, and maybe I'm missing something obvious....But it's not working the way I thought it would...

I've spent countless hours getting my images just right, making final embellishments and finally encasing them in glass and putting copper tape around the edges ready to be soldered.  Here's where the heartache begins!  After all those hours of hard work, not a single one has worked out right!  SO FRUSTRATING!  I thought I did my research, watched a few videos and read a few tutorials, but I am missing something...

My attempt at soldering is absolutely pathetic, and I don't know what I'm doing wrong!  I can get the first thin layer of solder ("tinning") down okay, but when I try to put any more layers down it ends up all bumpy, rough, uneven etc...Every time I think I've got one side of the pendant looking decent, I flip it over to find all sorts of lumps and bumps to fix again and it just gets worse from there.

PLEASE!  If anyone out there is reading this,  do you have any tips or resources?  I hate to think that all my time and effort has been wasted!  Here are a few pictures of my current disasters...

All taped and ready... looking good at this point...

And the trouble begins...

...and so on...

...disaster...

...another one bites the dust

This is actually my second go at making these pendants...I tried a batch at Christmas with similar results...Here are some things I learned that may help someone else in the future...

Clean, Clean and Clean your glass again, both sides, careful no fingerprints, dust, dog hair etcetera...

I printed my images onto transparencies and layered them over other papers for a layered look.  It looked beautiful...that is until the heat from the soldering iron either melted parts causing some of the image to stick to the glass or caused condensation inside the glass, thus turning a piece of artwork into artwork ready for the garbage!

I'm not quite ready to give up on this and I'm hoping for success after practice.  I just need to wait to solder my "masterpieces" until I've got the process down.  So that would be another piece of advice to anyone considering trying this...practice, practice, practice the soldering and once you've mastered that, then make your pendants.

This experience has taught me a lesson in patience (or lack of it thereof...) My enthusiasm to dive right in cost me an arm and a leg in time, materials and sanity.  Next time I'm trying something new I think I'll take a little more time learning the ins and the outs of the technique!

Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your comments!

 

                               

Free Drawing Video Demos of Darrel Tank's 5-pencil drawing method

Free video demos of Darrel Tank's 5-pencil drawing method

This is a free Drawing class that you can take online. I just signed up for it and watched the videos on what materials you need to get started. I want to practice drawing more realistic portraits, and learn to draw in different styles, different facial features etc...I'm doing this because I feel like all my faces look the same and I don't feel like I've come up with a style all my own. I know that it will come with lots of practice, and I can practice drawing anytime, anywhere, and very inexpensively too. There are a lot of free drawing tutorials all over the web. If this one isn't up your ally, keep looking and share what you find!

If you would like to learn to draw, or improve on the skills you have, come join the fun and check it out! I[/pf you have a favorite drawing tutorial/website...please share in the comments section!

Strathmore Workshop (link to sign up at bottom)

I'm taking a free workshop from Strathmore, taught by Pam Carriker, one of my favorite artists. It's on using old journal pages and art images to create new journal pages. I'm a little behind, only at week two so far, but the above images are what I have going...I don't know why I never thought of doing this before. I love the idea and will use this technique a lot from now on. Art journaling is my safe haven. It's where I feel the most comfortable putting paint to paper. My goal is to move onto bigger canvas more often. I have done several paintings on canvas, but it's always so intimidating and I have several laying around that I have gotten "stuck" on. That needs to be another goal for me: finish all of the unfinished projects!

You can register for free workshops HERE

Wise Advice from a Facebook Friend...

There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and the people who create it.  You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad and focus on the good.  So, love the people who treat you right.  Forget about the ones who don't and pray for them.  Life is too short to be anything but happy.  Falling down is part of LIFE ... Getting back up is LIVING! ...Amen!

On Balance between Life and the Creative Journey...

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I lack balance in my life...


I am an all or nothing kind of girl.  I've always thrown myself into everything I do, with a very strong desire to be successful and accepted by my peers.  So when it comes to art, I have a really hard time leaving a project once I've started it.  Let's be honest...I lack self-discipline.  I become consumed with my creative process...



This doesn't always sit well with my husband, because the house becomes a disaster and the cooking doesn't always get done in a "timely" manner.  I cause myself ungodly amounts of stress because I end up letting some of my daily responsibilities fall to the wayside, while I'm in "Mega Creative Mode".  I tend to get really cranky with everyone around me when this happens and then comes the overwhelming sense of guilt and frustration over it all!!!


I know this is self-inflicted, but how does one organize their time to include God, Family, Friends, Exercise, Cleaning, Cooking, Grocery Shopping, Laundry and all the other household and family management type things...and still manage to complete art projects, remain inspired, learn new techniques, practice new techniques, blog, take workshops, maintain an online presence, manage their etsy or other art business etc...., make art tutorials (well you get my point...)?  What's even worse for my ego is that I don't even work a regular job!  I'm a stay at home mom, so I should be able to do this!!!


Well here is another one of my goals for this year...


Dig deep, find self-discipline and use it to create balance in life, so that success in art doesn't come at a price measured in stress and self loathing!  


I'm really not that negative of a person, but in trying to stay honest here....I need some help in this department.  Anyone have any resources or helpful tips and/or insight?  I would love to hear from you!

...And, thanks for listening to my rant!

On Living Life Creatively...

I've been thinking about this statement a lot lately.  With the new year in full swing it's time I started establishing some goals...and committing to them by posting them here (yikes...)  In am 45 years young and I am just beginning to realize how "creating" yourself begins with committing to your dreams, your passions, your goals.  If we wait around for life to "happen" in our favor, we are fooling ourselves and wasting precious, God given time in doing so!!!  Life is about embracing the unique gifts that God created us with, and USING them.  So join me if you will in becoming a more "active" participant in what life has to offer you. Align your actions with your dreams and enjoy your success.  Make things happen, no more excuses...Sit down with yourself and really listen to your heart...write down, or tell someone YOUR goals for this year.  Don't worry about what anyone else will say or not say about them, don't create goals based on what you think you "should" do, but based on what you really want.  If you could see into the future...what would this year look like?  We can do this!  Baby steps right?

Here are my creative goals for the year:

Open an Etsy shop to sell my artwork...

Continue blogging and posting a minimum of 2 times a week...

Surround myself with people who support my dreams...

Do something to promote creative growth every day, whether it be surfing the web for inspiration, learning a new technique, getting started on an art project, sketching, art journaling etc...

Give back to the creative community by posting an original art tutorial once every few months...

Research the Artist's Market and begin learning how I can create an income with my art...

Organize my art space and materials (that's a tough one!)

My very own art tutorial: Recycled Dryer Sheets for Mixed Media Art

For this project you will need used dryer sheets and freezer paper (shiny side up).  You will also need some adhesive, I suggest using an acrylic gel medium or a book binding glue (that's what I used).  I love the book binding glue because it's meant to be flexible and dries super quick!  You will need an inexpensive brush to apply the adhesive as well.

You will want to have some papers to collage onto most of the surface, as this is what gives the dryer sheet the strength to be used in sewing projects and such.  I've tried tissue paper, napkins (stripped down to one ply) and painted or dyed paper towels.  I think I like the thickness, texture and strength of the paper towel the best.  Scrapbook papers work well too, but I would use the thinner variety.

You need a variety of acrylic paint colors.  I used Golden fluid acrylics, but anything should work well.  I also used colored copic markers, a sharpie, stamps and different objects to scrape and spread the paint around.

I am still experimenting with this technique (using the dryer sheets), but so far I am really impressed with how well they turn out!  I plan on using them to make handbags, wallets, pencil pouches, eyeglass cases, etc...I may also back them with sheets of fused plastic bags for more durability and to make them 100% recycled art.

Let me know what you think, and show me what you come up with if you decide to try it out!