Making A Glass Flower

Lets Create - Glass Blowing

Friday, our group went to a glass blowing studio and worked with glass. The night before, we watched a short video about the studio and the owner, Dominique. She was not introduced to glass blowing until college. However, she fell in love with the media of glass and started her own studio after college.

Glass is a brand new media to all of us. Before we started the work shop, we were all a little intimidated by the machines and the heat. But Dominique eased us into the process by letting us practice with the rod without glass.

We first made a clear glass flower and a colored one, which is the basic technique for making glass. The spinning and the amount of time for the glass to cool and harden is essential for the forming of the shape. After we learned the basics, we started the blowing part. Not only does the blowing require another type of rod, it is also much harder than blowing up a ballon as we thought. Though the glass was hot, it still has density; therefore, it requires a lot of pressure when blowing it. All of us got a little bubble, which is good for beginners as we were told.

It was a new and fun experience. We all hope that we can work with glass again some time in the future. It was definitely a great way to finish our Project Week!

Let's Create - Painting!

On Thursday, our group went to an art studio called “Frame of Mind” to attend a painting workshop. The painting we did is an image of a river and mountain that we all agreed on before. We were lead step by step by the instructor, Linda. Most of us had no experience in using acrylic paint. Therefore, we struggled a little in making our paintings look like the sample. However, there is no right or wrong in art and this variation turned out to be the most interesting part. Each of our paintings is similar yet unique in different ways, including style, the use of color, the lightness, and the composition. 

It is amazing how one painting is built on so many layers, from the foundation all the way to the details of the tall grass and berries on the beach.

Beside getting to know our way around acrylic paint, one thing we all learned today is that there are no mistake in art!

Let's Create - Collages and Photoshop

Wednesday, we played with Photoshop. Though none of us are very experienced with Photoshop, we all managed to create some beautiful pictures. Each of us used very different techniques. The layering is the most challenging part. We also had some trouble finding the right tool since there are so many of them. However, after several hours of playing, we found our way around photoshop and agreed that it is something very worth learning.

Let's Create - Making Cards

On Tuesday, our group traveled to a paper store to learn how to make cards. During the workshop, each of us made 4 cards with different techniques.

We were introduced to some tools that we have never used before. Zots Dots are one of them. With these special tools, our cards all turned out to be as delicate as the ones they sell in the store but with more characteristics. Though the boys struggled with tying a bow, we all successfully made some beautiful cards and had fun!

Let's Create - Pottery

On Monday, we worked with pottery all day. In the morning, we learned some basic pinching techniques in pottery. Our instructor, Mike, demonstrated the process of making a bowl and a cheese tray. It is very interesting the way the objects come out. A ball can be used as a mold for a bowl and a simple piece of fabric can create a great pattern. Each of us has at least made a bowl.

In the afternoon, we transitioned into using a pottery wheel, which is a more advance technique than pinching. Though the wheels seem easy to use, it is actually much harder to manipulate than pinching. Centering and controlling the speed and the thickness of the bowl or cup were the hardest part. However, all of us took the challenge and tried making something using the wheel.

After making many objects, we learned about the glaze, including the how to glaze and many different shades of glazing.

After the whole day of learning and the hands-on experience, we are now certainly appreciating the art of pottery from a very different perspective than before.

It was really a fun and informative experience and we are definitely looking forward to creating many other things in the following days!

Let's create!