BUTTERFLY
Create some beautiful glass butterflies like those pictured here. The process is not difficult and anyone with access to a kiln can easily complete the pieces. Step 1 Thoroughly clean the glass blanks with denatured alcohol and paper towels. Step 2 Place one of the 5″ by 5″ glass blanks on the upper left wing of the butterfly pattern. Trace the outline of the wing onto the glass with a fine tip marker. Repeat for the right wing. Use a glass cutter to score the glass and “cut out” the wings.
Using the 4″ by 4″ blanks, trace and cut out the lower left and lower right sections.
Trace the butterfly body pattern on a scrap of glass and cut it out.
Trace and cut out the parts for the small butterfly in the same way.
Step 3 Use an abrasive stone to sand around the edges of each glass shape to prevent cutting yourself.
Clean the glass pieces again.
Step 4 Sprinkle some glass separator on a kiln shelf. Assemble the butterflies on this shelf, upper and lower wings first. For each butterfly, fold a 5″ length of high fire wire in half. Dip the lower half of the folded ends into clear glass color and place one wire on the center of each butterfly as the antennae. Brush some clear glass color over one side of each butterfly body and center it, color side down, over the lower part of an antenna.
Allow the assembled pieces to dry, then fire them to cone 016 (1458°F-792°C). Step 5 Carefully clean the butterflies with denatured alcohol and, from this point on, handle them only by the edges.
Finish each butterfly as follows: LARGE BUTTERFLY-Place the butterfly over the pattern. Using an applicator bottle of Outline Black glass color, go over all lines visible through the glass. Maintain a steady pressure on the bottle, moving it faster for thin lines and slower for heavier ones. Allow the butterfly to dry, then sharpen the black lines as necessary with a cleaning tool and re-outline as needed.
Thin the glass colors to the consistency of milk and apply to the butterfly as iollows: Scoop up the thinned color with a brush and set it down to make contact with the glass surface to form a puddle. Use the brush to pull or to push the color to the edges of the outlined area. In this way apply Brite White to the spots on upper wings and to the spots around the edges of the lower ones. Use Gloss Black for the large spots on the lower wings and the background areas on the upper and lower wings. Apply Darkest Brown to the body. For the remaining areas, use Sun Yellow shaded with Orange.
Allow the butterfly to dry.
