How much time ?

[Galaxie Glass]

Just wondering...
Ive been teaching a couple of peeps here and I'm amazed that no one seems to be teaching the basic's anymore....
1st student came to me ( due to my rep for repair work through a local bead shop.) First words out of his mouth was : WOW never seen that before ( me removing glass fractures, ect) .
2nd student , my last "teacher" woiuld never even spend the time to do repair work....


So my question is : Do you spend time practicing your basic skills (or) Were you even shown basic skills ?

BTW: Thanks to Emm / rumpleforeskin and Dave for giving me the skillz !


!

[Slackadelic]

perfect practice makes perfect :D Basic skills like finger exercises? Wait, thats guitar... sorry, what are we talking about? Pulling cane, pulling points ;) I guess I just don't know what basic skills are.... Douh!

[Galaxie Glass]

addding / removing glass, pulling points, cane stock, you know the stuff you do most days w/o thinking 'bout it. ( I remember Rumple removing glass so fast I was lost in the amazement of his speed and accuracy <sp?>
And whats your favorite tech ?

[JSR Studio]

My second "job" was working in a guy's crappy prodo basement studio for $6/hour pulling points. I cursed that job, but it did make my points straight!

[Uscalus Storm]

Wow find me a job like that >.> any practice is practice when your not paying for it...

[JSR Studio]

I totally agree. At the time I hated it. I'm glad I did it now. Even if the guy was a jerk.

[beachglass]

i obsess about basics...it took me months before i was satisfied with my cold seals. my points are straight and decent, but not as perfect as they can be. i also really think about welds and shaping, and try to get every detail right...

the basics are everything imo, master the medium and you can do anything

[jiminyrootkit]

i wish i'd had a job pulling points for $6/hr.
that would have been a great way to get started.
-f

[JSR Studio]

It would've been, except the guy wasn't really nice to me. Later on when I took some lessons I found out he lied about so many techniques (or maybe didn't even know them and just made up how they were done) that it took me a while to re-learn a lot of other stuff. As soon as I took some lessons and started to do some of my own work, he got pissed and fired me.

But back on topic....

I like using mundane things to practice technique. Like when I have to fuse all my color bits to punties. I try to make them as perfect as I can.

[lucidvisions]

I was making clear marbles for a week straight, then twistys made to marbles for about a week, loops for another two weeks and then on to sculptural items for another couple of weeks, then on and on. The basics if learned in the beginning in an intensive will really make you a very sound glass craftsmen. I don't really practice anything like that any more because all those basics are build into most of the items we make. Points especially. It's all based on a sound foundation and then you can start building your house. Just my.02.

Josh

[Galaxie Glass]

Im so glad to see the sentimet valued.....I sped alot of time with my students doing just that !