Easy Peasy Skull Tutorial for Glass Bead Makers

Looks like someone needs to clean her work area! Oh, well, for now, this will have to do. Remember, too, that my first photo is very blurry, but after that, they are nice and clear.

As I write this quick little tutorial on how to make a lampwork bead skull, it's pretty warm outside, and it's summer. I can't help but think of fall, pumpkins, and Halloween.

Skulls are fun beads to make, and they can be very easy.

Materials:
1 rod of dark ivory (You can actually use any color you like, but I chose this color because it looks more like a skull to me.)
a brass marver
tungsten pick or uncoated mandrel
some type of masher
mandrel coated with bead release



















1) I begin by making a tube bead the length I want my skull to be.


















2) I continue to add glass to the bead so that one end has more glass than the other end of the mandrel. Notice, too, that there is a bit less glass in the middle of the bead.

















3) Using my brass marver, I make indents about 1/3 of the way to the top. I also flatten the bead at this point. You can see, now, that the shape of the skull is beginning to form.


















4) Remembering to keep my bead warm by flashing it in the flame, I take the bead out of the flame quickly, and using my tungsten pick or my uncoated mandrel, I make indentations in the bead for the eyes and nose. After doing that, I warm the bead up again in the flame. I don't want the bead to go back to the molten state, so I flash the bead in the flame.

















5) Again, using my tungsten pick or uncoated mandrel, I make a mouth on my skull. Again, I flash the bead in the flame before I put this easy peasy skull in the kiln to cool down properly.

See what I mean? Easy Peasy!

Variations using the same tools. You might need to use your tweezers, though with these variations.

1) change the color of your skull
2) Add shards
3) Add a stringer or twistie
4) I like to use murinni for the eyes
5) Add a cap
6) Add a tongue sticking out
7) Change the size
8) Make an eye patch
9) Make a mask
10) Add teeth
11) Encase






Feel free to use this tutorial to make your own skulls and sell them. Pass it on to your friends. My only request is to have fun making them! We all need a little fun now and again!

Easy Peasy Simple Lampwork Bead BoneTutorial for Glass Bead Makers

It's getting to be that time of year! The leaves are falling. Daylight is much shorter than it was a month ago. Autumn is here, and with the onset of autumn comes the harvest and the spooky time of the year. Last year, I posted this Easy Peasy Skull Tutorial. This year, I thought I'd show you how I make bones. Like with most beads, there are as many ways to make bones as there are beaders. Well, maybe not that many, but there are a lot of ways to make bones. This is how I make a very simple bone.

The bone is the photo is sort of a short, fat bone, but you can make your bones any length and have any girth that you would like. You can also decorate your bones any way you like. I am keeping this bone simple because of time and space. See the end of the tutorial for the tools you will need.














Step 1: Make a simple tube bead. I used orange sherbet so that the details of this bone would show up better. Use any color you like.










Step 2: Bulk up each end of the bead by adding a spacer either at the end of the tube, (just make sure the spacer fuses with the tube,) or on the ends of the tube. In the photo the right side had the spacer put on top of the glass and on the left side the spacer was put next to the glass.

















Step 3: Add 3-4 dots on the glass at end of each tube. These will be the bulky part of the bone, and they will be your guides for the next step. You can space them evenly or not. That's up to you.


















Step 4: Melt a small amount of glass at the end of your glass rod. Using the dots as a guide, from the middle, swipe the glass to the top of the dot.
Repeat this step on each side of the bone with each dot. Remember to go from the middle to the top of your bone.














This is what your bone looks like when you have completed Step 4.



















Step 5: Now, let gravity work for you. Tilt your mandrel to about a 45 degree angle and let the glass flow a little bit on each tip.



















Step 6: Tilt the bone to the other side and let the glass flow just a little to define the shape of the bone.



Remember, Step 5 and Step 6 shouldn't take too long. Don't let the bone become a gushy mess! All you want to do is to melt the glass that is on top of the dots and let it flow to the ends.











Step 7: Admire your creation for about 10 seconds then stick that baby in the kiln. Let it soak according to your schedule.

















Tools:

a coated mandrel
glass rod in your color choice
a marver
a torch ( I have a mini cc which I run with 2 oxycons.)
kiln
patience
passion
love of glass and beads

I hope you enjoy this tutorial and find it useful. Have fun!
You can find me on Facebook. I hope you post photos of your creations on my "like" page.
If you like my page, you can also add your name to list for the chance to win a teapot pendant. Just look for the teapot pendant and sign up.