How Does She Do That??!

[BeadBlossoms]

I just discovered this amazing lampworker on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/KittyLampwork?ref=seller_info. I've never seen such vibrant beautiful colors in beads. I don't want to step on any toes, but I'm wondering how on earth she gets such amazing bright amazing colors in her beads? Is it layering bold transparents over foil that has not been melted in? Gawd I just love them!

[spixton]

She posts here in the gallery. I love her beads. Maybe she'll make a tutorial?

[Sheila D.]

Ask her! She's a member here and I know...her beads are gorgeous!

[BeadBlossoms]

A tut would be awesome! Maybe she'll see this thread? I think her beads are spectacular. Anyone know her LE name?

[Role]

Originally Posted by BeadBlossoms

how on earth she gets such amazing bright amazing colors in her beads?

I would hazard a guess that her beads are borosilicate.

As the glasses get harder they have higher light transmission so
borosilicate is really *bright* compared to 104 COE glasses.

[BeadBlossoms]

I've just started to dip my toes into boro - I didn't even know you could use silver foil with boro! Lots to learn

[Sheila D.]

Her name is Kitty and I don't think it's boro. Just PM her! She won't bite! ( well...I don't think she bites)

[Role]

Originally Posted by Sheila D.

Her name is Kitty and I don't think it's boro. Just PM her! She won't bite! ( well...I don't think she bites)

I dare say the lady is right.

After taking a second look it appears she is backing transparents with
foils to get the brightness.

[gemsinbloom]

It looks like that fire opal technique in many of the beads. Could be wrong..

[Sheila D.]

Originally Posted by Role

I dare say the lady is right.

Oh...I love it when you say that!

[saboo]

Originally Posted by Role

I would hazard a guess that her beads are borosilicate.

As the glasses get harder they have higher light transmission so
borosilicate is really *bright* compared to 104 COE glasses.

It's the chemical composition of the glass that determines it's refractive index (light transmission, brightness). For example, Schott encasement glass is very clear and bright, COE 108. There are also boro crown glass telescope lenses at COE 33.
What's in the glass formula and how it's made determine how much light it will transmit and the sparkle it has.

Saboo

[Role]

Originally Posted by saboo

It's the chemical composition of the glass that determines it's refractive index (light transmission, brightness). For example, Schott encasement glass is very clear and bright, COE 108. There are also boro crown glass telescope lenses at COE 33.
What's in the glass formula and how it's made determine how much light it will transmit and the sparkle it has.

Saboo

I understand but, to keep it simple, in art glass harder means brighter unless
you are dealing with glass high in lead content.

Borosilicate has a high silica content, silica having a refractive index of
1.54, and is generally much brighter than softer art glasses with indices
in the 1.44ish range.

90-96 COE Schott is brighter than 104 as well, in my experience...

Your mileage may vary.

Addendum:

I was thinking about this and all of the high R.I. glasses I know of
are hard as hell with Cristinite all the way up to 7 on the Moh's
scale.

Could you point me to some soft 104 COE glasses, not leaded, that
are high R.I. ?

I would be interested to see them, thanks.

Further addendum:

I checked out those Schott pucks...35% lead crystal,
explains the 1.71 R.I..

So, I'm going to have to stick to the original assertion:
Unless lead is added to increase R.I., only hard glasses
will be bright due to their extra silica content.

Sincere apologies to the OP for derailing.

[suzanne]

If I understand your posting correctly, you are looking for the clearest 104 glass, am I correct? In the 104 range that would be either the two clears produced by Double Helix Glass, and Lauscha clear. Two things, the DH clears are quite expensive. Well worth the money, but expensive. Lauscha is less expensive but sometimes causes unwanted color reactions with silver glass, and it can be incompatible at times.

Reichenbach clear is a really nice one too, but this one will scum if worked too hot. To prevent scumming, just lower your oxygen just a tadd bit, this will prevent the glass from buiding up scum.

Not sure about their lead content though

[j2canoe]

Kitty is a super fantastic lampworker and a wonderful lady - I am 99.9% certain that she works in soft glass - 104coe. I really think you should pm her or convo her from her etsy shop. I'm sure that she will be flattered and will share what type of glass she uses and may even give you a few hints.....

[Angie09]

Oh Donna ... I have wondered the EXACT same thing!! How does she get such bright, fun colors???? I would buy a tut in a heart beat!!! Someone .... make her share!!! Please .....

PS Hi Joan ... nice to have you as a neighbor in this thread!!!

[Dragonfly Queen]

Seems like I just saw some beads like this posted somewhere in here. May have been a recent gallery post. May be the her picture methodology too (lighting). ??

Elizabeth beads posts some wonderfully colored beads similar to these colorations.

[sweetiedog]

Yes she does make beautiful beads. I too have admired them for quite some time.

I have no idea how Kitty makes her beads, but this tutorial by Amber might help you in the right direction of getting similar effects:
http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169464

and the corresponding gallery thread where people posted their results from Amber's tutorial.
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=169599

Hope that helps!

[BeadBlossoms]

Originally Posted by sweetiedog

Yes she does make beautiful beads. I too have admired them for quite some time.

I have no idea how Kitty makes her beads, but this tutorial by Amber might help you in the right direction of getting similar effects:
http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169464

and the corresponding gallery thread where people posted their results from Amber's tutorial.
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=169599

Hope that helps!

That does help! Thanks so much for the links, can't wait to try it!

[beadraven]

Originally Posted by BeadBlossoms

A tut would be awesome! Maybe she'll see this thread? I think her beads are spectacular. Anyone know her LE name?

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/member.php?u=5527

[saboo]

Originally Posted by Role

I understand but, to keep it simple, in art glass harder means brighter unless
you are dealing with glass high in lead content.

Borosilicate has a high silica content, silica having a refractive index of
1.54, and is generally much brighter than softer art glasses with indices
in the 1.44ish range.

90-96 COE Schott is brighter than 104 as well, in my experience...

Your mileage may vary.

Addendum:

I was thinking about this and all of the high R.I. glasses I know of
are hard as hell with Cristinite all the way up to 7 on the Moh's
scale.

Could you point me to some soft 104 COE glasses, not leaded, that
are high R.I. ?

I would be interested to see them, thanks.

Further addendum:

I checked out those Schott pucks...35% lead crystal,
explains the 1.71 R.I..

So, I'm going to have to stick to the original assertion:
Unless lead is added to increase R.I., only hard glasses
will be bright due to their extra silica content.

Sincere apologies to the OP for derailing.

Well, lead in glass formulas are a big factor in brightness, you neglected to add that in your original statement. And there are many more clear glass formulas with lead than without and all of them are soft glass.

Silica is from sand, the primary component of ALL glass.

Boro adds boron oxide for hardness.

I really don't see how your extra silica/ boro/ brightness works.

In fact there is more silica in the typical soft glass formula.(2-4% more).

There are many other chemicals added and many types of bright crystal clear glass, both soft and hard.

My point was that one cannot make a blanket statement about hardness and brightness

I am also sorry for straying off topic, but a lot of folks read these boards and think everything posted is fact.

In response to the original topic, the beads in question show a very high creative use of transparent color combinations, transparent over white and silver and great photography!

Saboo

[Role]

Addendum:

I was under the impression that heavily leaded glasses were not used for lampwork.

Appears I am wrong and they are common.

Originally Posted by saboo

Silica is from sand, the primary component of ALL glass.
Saboo

Of course, but as that component increases so does hardness.

Silica is 7 on the MOh's scale, what's the hardness of Fused Silica
vs. Moretti ?

Which has a higher R.I. ??

Let's take this to PM's and spare the OP further derailing.

[Karen Hardy]

I'm 99.9999% sure that those are not boro.
I recognize many of the glass colors and techniques
she uses, and those all are 104 glass.
A few of the beads use Amber's technique (fire opal
beads).

I think what everyone is overlooking is the lighting.
It ain't the glass, it's how the picture is taken (or
post photography color correction).

When you light the glass correctly, it brings out all the
colors and sparklies. Her beads look a lot like mine do
in real life (and lots of your beads too). She has mastered
the art of photographing them well.

I would suggest asking her how she PHOTOGRAPHS her
beads, not how she makes them.

[Kitty]

I am so absolutely flattered by this thread. Thank you so much for all of the nice compliments.

Actually I use all 104 glass and every silver glass I can find to play with. A great clear is key. I have found that using a more expensive, good quality clear is what really helps the colors to pop. DH's clear is amazing and I use it for a lot of my beads.

Amber's tut is wonderful and touches on some of the methods I use. I am hoping to get a tutorial together soon, but I am still trying to decide what direction to go or if I even want to do one.

Again, I appreciate the nice comments. I will let you know if I do get a tut together. Thanks!

[Kitty]

I must have been posting at the same time as Karen. And I edited this because I was being too sensitive last night. ha

Yes, I use a good camera (not really expensive but good with the bells and whistles necessary), photo tent, good lighting and simple photoshoping (because it is so complicated and it will take me years to figure out). I represent the color of my beads very accurately as many of my customers can attest. Good photography is key to ecommerce, of course.

I think it is important to GRAB your customers on that first picture. I usually take several photos of each bead. I think taking at least three pics is important too. Showing one picture isn't enough information for most any item you are selling. Some lampworkers show the beads in low light, for instance in the house, and outside and that is helpful for the customer. But there is always some sparkle that doesn't photograph well in any light. Some colors, like purple don't photograph well for me and I will play with the color until it is what I see in my hand.

It was very nice of Amber to share her secrets in her tutorial.....the techniques are similar to mine. I do use many different glasses, manufacturers and mixtures though. Everyone's torches and working styles are different too. Oxygen type, canned vs. concentrator, torch type, etc. I have tweaked and tweaked my techniques over the years until I found a style that I like and that works for me.

I was trying to be too precise for so long. Trying to get really straight lines. The biggest secret I can give is to do what works for you. I can draw a straight line, but I can't do it well with a torch. My hands shake a lot, so I found a way to use that and not try to be so perfect. That has worked well for me. Play and play until you find a style.

[Sheila D.]

Oooh...Kitty we would love a tut! Your beads are just gorgeous and I must admit, I thought they were the fire opal technique too, so now I am intrigued.

[PerfectDeb]

Originally Posted by Kitty

I must have been posting at the same time as Karen. Hmmmmm.....

Not sure what to say, other than yes I use a good camera, photo tent, good lighting and simple photoshoping (because it is so complicated). I represent the color of my beads very accurately as many of my customers can attest. Good photography is key to ecommerce, of course.

The assumption that "it ain't the glass" is a little insulting. I have worked very hard to make sure the quality and clarity of color is good in every bead I send out. If it is not, I do not send it. I have found my style and niche over the past 6 years. I am not copying anyone's work and I am not portraying my work as something it is not.

And actually, none of my beads use the glasses in Amber's fire opals. The technique is not really the same either, now that I have read Amber's tut.

i think Karen meant that you're really good at capturing how beautiful the colours are in real life, that's a huge skill, glass is very hard to photograph well

[jhana]

Originally Posted by PerfectDeb

i think Karen meant that you're really good at capturing how beautiful the colours are in real life, that's a huge skill, glass is very hard to photograph well

I agree.
The color correction comment seemed to me to be saying that you know how to use photoshop to capture the colors,
not that you color-corrected as in bumping the color.
Your beads have always captured my eye and I love your masterful use
of color and your photos.

[dwgrant]

The assumption that "it ain't the glass" is a little insulting

Kitty, You seem to have the complete package: technically well made beads, a consistant original style with broad appeal, and great photography skills. I am somewhat envious and I suspect that many others are as well. This thread is inspiring me to play with mixing transparent colors onto the same bead, which is something I haven't really done. I would amend the above statement to "It isn't just the glass". I'm sure the person didn't mean to be insulting as the tone of the rest of that post, was that many people make great beads but without the photography skills, no one knows it unless you see the beads in person.

Darrell

[Eileen]

I thought she meant it wasn't a glass that we didn't all have or have access to if we haven't bought any yet, not that it wasn't used brilliantly.
It's hard to "hear" inflection with the written word, but I don't think she meant to be insulting.

[Kitty]

Thanks yes. I ammended my statement which I wish I hadn't said. I was being sensitive. My teenager is pushing me to the brink! :b

Darrell, thanks very much. Yes play! Play and play somemore. Mix and blend and go crazy with the glass. It's so much fun because glass can be very unpredictable. Unlike paint or charcoal. Color theory doesn't always work with glass either. It's a lot of experimentation for sure.