Color Question...

[craftyste]

Hi

I'm a product designer, currently designing a range of blown glass bowls. They will be round and a little like a goldfish bowl, or open topped globe. They will also be hand blown into molds, so not done by machines or free formed.

Now my need for advice relates to color. Please see the attached image of a sample idea of how color will be used. I want the design to be mainly clear glass but include a mix of vivid colors in crazy patterns, that flow freely and unpredictably through the glass. The colors can mix, be solid and transparent.

Is this possible?
Can the color be added to the clear glass during heating, so pre-blowing into the mold to enable the mix and flow of color?
If so how is this done (terminology etc)?

I'm very new to glass so any instructions, advice, thoughts, terminologies, books etc you can throw my way would be a great help.

Please bare in mind that the image is just a representation, the final product does not have to mach it totally.

Thanks you so much fro your time.

Regards

Stephen

[Loreleibeads]

Hi Stephen,
I'm not sure what kind of setup your using, but there are many ways of adding color to glass before it is blown into a mold.
You could start with a small gather of clear on the end of your blowpipe, then roll it into frit, marver in, then gather over the color with more clear and blow into the mold.
You could pick up a preheated chunk of colored glass on the end of your blowpipe, marver in, then gather clear over and blow into mold.
you could use shards, latticino, filigrana, glass powder, to name a few other options.
Check out demos and tutorials on you-tube for more info.
Good luck and have fun....would love to see a pic of a finished piece

[craftyste]

Hi Loreleibeads

Thank you so much for your reply. It's so kind of you. I actually managed to research and find the answers I needed through a million and one websites and books etc since posting the question. But your reply has been very helpful as it says basically what I have concluded by myself, so thanks loads.

I won't be producing the objects myself. They will in fact be mass-produced in a factory somewhere (but by hand). I am simple the product designer coming up with the basic idea and approach.

And yes I will send you the results when the objects hit the market... although it will be about 3-4 months though.

All the best and thanks again.

Stephen.

[Loreleibeads]

No problem, can't wait to see them!

[Dierwolf]

also just to throw my two cents in for future things, i personally like making small vessels with transparent base colors and opaque contrasting colors, that way it emphasises size a bit more.

[Dierwolf]

i recently did a piece that was a bar color underlay, clear, frit, clear, twisted reducing frit. this sort of pattern will really emphasise the layering involved.