Glass Powder Technique

Warning. I have seen multiple notes from people about mixing aloe vera with glass powder. Though I have never seen any results that have impressed me. However, I like my results and I have never seen a finer use of glass powder.

 The technique is simple. I take some glass powder and some aloe vera gel and I mix the two. The whole point is in viscosity. The viscosity should be to the point where you are able to place it in such a way where it retains its volumetric shape. When mixing the glass powder and aloe vera, you are supposed to get a thick paste. I would like to mention that this paste will dry to a stone-like state and this is what will hold your design intact. 

This is God the Geometer before fusing. 

This is God the Geometer after fusing (2012). The story can be found here. 

Safety first. Do not breathe in the powder and be sure to use a respirator when transferring the glass powder from the main container into a smaller one. After the powder has been mixed with aloe vera, it is safe. 

What instruments do you need? You need a needle. A thin paint brush. A pencil with a rubber end (you can buy it in ceramics stores. It is used to draw on clay). You need a painting knife to mix the powder and gel. A painting knife or spoon to transfer the powder from the original container into the smaller one. Small containers (you can find them in stores where they sell beads). 

 Different glass powders have different behaviours. For example, if with one you are able to create a thin line, then with another it might be a log. What do I mean when I say thin line? Take a look at the following examples. 

Black glass powder is one of the easier ones to make lines with, but I personally like the way aventurine blue looks and feels (1140 Aventurine Blue Bullseye Glass). 

The filling in of the drawing. A very useful thing. Very carefully you create the contour of the drawing with thin black lines. Next you fill in the glass powder paste of your choice. The lines and the filling in must have a thickness of at least a 2mm. 

Make sure that it that the layout of the paste is even. You can see below what happens when the glass powder is not even. Look at the bottom left corner of Japanese Garden. 

It is very helpful to have a fused test sample of all the glass powders you have in your possession. When filling in a drawing, the glass powder paste differentiates in color from the finished product. Keep this in mind. 

Filling in without contours. I use around five paintbrushes at a time for 7-8 colours. This is a process that requires focused concentration and good hand-eye coordination. The task is to place or fill in as much as you can of the glass powder paste while it is still moist. Here is an example of Evangelists from the a 10th century manuscript in a Mozarabic style. On this photo you can see moist and dry powder. The moist powder is darker. The task is to stack horizontally, brush stroke by brush stroke, so that you get a smooth area. 

Bas-relief. This is a very interesting feature of glass powder paste and I have been using it since I started using glass powder paste (2012). Take a look at the Earth, Sun, Moon and Water and the folds of God the Geometer. 

Take a look at the four-storey construction in my tapestry in glass called Lady with Unicorn (2013).

And one more example. The feet and sandals of Prophet Elijah (2013). 

And of course when I was molding myself from Melancholy by Albrecht Durer. The story can be found here. 

A more technically difficult work was done in 2018 when I created Irises. The story can be found here. 

 Note: All of the glass powder I have used has been from Bullseye Glass. 

UPD: 28.06.2021 I made a movie where you can see how I work. English version here. Russian version here. 

 Hello, if you read this till the end and have taken a look at all the photos, this must mean we are similar in some way. Write to me if you want.
juliartglass@gmail.com