Thought I’d take the opportunity this week to tell you all about the little glass pieces I add to almost all of my makes and known as ‘Frit’
Frit is crushed pieces of glass. It comes in 3 grades – fine, medium and coarse and in every colour imaginable. Some glass artists make their own by crushing up their offcuts of glass but I buy my frit from my glass supplier direct. Like any addition made to a design, all the glass used has to have the same properties and be compatible. If it isn’t, it can cause the glass to crack when it is fired so it is worth spending time sourcing compatible glass products for your makes to avoid disappointments.
Frit is crushed pieces of glass. It comes in 3 grades – fine, medium and coarse and in every colour imaginable. Some glass artists make their own by crushing up their offcuts of glass but I buy my frit from my glass supplier direct. Like any addition made to a design, all the glass used has to have the same properties and be compatible. If it isn’t, it can cause the glass to crack when it is fired so it is worth spending time sourcing compatible glass products for your makes to avoid disappointments.
I use fine and medium frit pieces to create the base layers of my pictures. I tend to use 3 or 4 of my most favourite colours most of the time but it is also fun trying out new colour combinations and I can never resist the bright colours to add a little ‘pop’ here and there. You don’t need to use a lot, a little sprinkle of colour can be hugely effective. It tends to fall quite randomly but can be moved using a dry paintbrush if needed.
I use the coarse frit pieces to create my flower shapes – during the firing the pieces smooth and round slightly but stay slightly raised giving the textured finish to my pieces which I love. These coarse pieces also make wonderful tiny balls of glass when placed in the kiln and fired on a ‘full’ fuse programme – the higher heat causes the pieces to completely round off creating little dots of glass perfect for eyes, noses or spots on other designs. (Although they can be a bit fiddly to lay out and collect up afterwards!)
So that’s a little information about frit and how I use it in my designs. Combining frit with other glass elements really can create fantastic effects and amazing designs. This is a piece made by one of my customers in a workshop session. I love the way the frit creates depth and movement in this design – Brilliant xx
If you fancy getting creative with glass and using frit, contact me for details of my workshops. I run ‘themed’ makes and ‘free’ design sessions throughout the week and would love to welcome you into my studio