2012 - 2013 Class Schedule

All ASGB sponsored classes are member-only classes. Anyone can become a member, just download an enrollment form from our membership page, fill it out and mail in with $25 annual dues. Please be advised that all class fees are non-refundable, with the only exception being if a class is cancelled. This policy is strictly enforced.

All ASGB sponsored classes are held at Let It Bead Studio, a private lampworking studio in the Historic District of Catlin Court in downtown Glendale at 7150 N. 57th Ave., Suite B  Glendale, AZ 85301.

2012 Class Schedule

Jari Ann Sheese - Wait List Only
Blown Hollow Bead, Off-Mandrel Buttons & Ornaments

Two - 2-day Advanced Lampworking Classes
Class 1: Thursday-Friday, Sept. 27-28, 2012
Class 2: Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 29-30, 2012

ASGB member price $225 NEW lower price!

Techniques learned in the class: 

Hollow Blown Beads - How to prepare and care for "Puffy" mandrels; importance of making arching discs; laying down the footprint; spacing of the discs in relation to the blow hole; arching of the discs in relation to the blow hole; how to unite the two sides; when to blow and how hard to blow; inflating and deflating; how to create an even walled bead; how to avoid getting sharp edged holes or inverted holes; how to keep it all warm enough to embellish; how to heal cracks and fix lopsided, uneven beads; stringer control and application; and dividing the bead for geometrical designs, lots of straight lines and intersecting lines.

Off-Mandrel Buttons - Controlling gathers; piercing glass with the tungsten probe; working with tiny punties; twistie construction and application; encasing for paperweight buttons; creating a glass shank; and other off-mandrel applications - pendants, cabachons and twistie drop earrings.

Ornaments / Barrel Clasps - This class is really a combination of techniques learned in the previous off-mandrel and hollow blown beads. In addition you would learn how to create finials for tops of ornaments; how to create the bottom decorative pieces such as twisties and other elements; how to work in spacers and sizing for all the individual pieces; how to assemble and attach the pieces together using the armature needed; and how to make miniature ornaments for earrings.

Judy Carlson - email to get on list seats still available
A Sea of Techniques, Fishing 101 & Diving Deeper"

3 day workshop
Friday-Sunday, October 12-14, 2012

ASGB member price $375

A Sea of Techniques
Ever since Judy Carlson began lamp working, she has turned her love of the ocean into glass beads. Join Judy for a full day of creating sea theme beads from glass, including a conch and scallop shell, sea star, turtle and a dolphin. Focus will be learning heat control plus a variety of sculpting techniques, including using a press, free hand sculpting and using glass as your main tool! 
 
All of these techniques can be applied to other beads and sculptural pieces. Bring your favorite tools for a day of beachy bead fun!

FISHING 101
Fishing 101 is ALL about FISH! We will explore the many ways to turn a simple wrap of glass into a whimsical fish. You will learn how to make expressive “fishy facial features” plus a variety of body shapes and fins. 
 
You will make both a fantasy fish and a realistic angel fish. Then a different fish, an octopus will be your finale of the day. With the octopus, you will learn stringer control and making a barnacle murrini!
 
Judy uses several techniques and tools to create her fish, most of which can be applied to all sorts of critters and sculptural beads.  Set your imagination on high for a full day of fishy fun!  Bring your imagination, favorite colors of  glass, tools and frits for a day of fishy fun!

Diving Deeper
This advanced fish bead class is designed for those who have already taken Judy’s Fishing 101 or is familiar with the basics of making sculptural beads. We will warm up by making a funky flat fish, then venture into a conch shell made with twisties, a hollow puffer fish, and a fancy encased fish with a different style twist.
The techniques learned, two style of twisties, a hollow bead and encasements over designs, can be used on a variety of bead designs, not just fish. So let's take the plunge together and dive deeper into sculpted fish beads! 

Students should be at an intermediate level and comfortable working on an oxygen/propane torch,

New Class! Jeff Barber - email to get on list
“Giving Glass a Voice” class

2-2-day Advanced Lampworking Classes
Class 1: Thursday-Friday, December 6-7, 2012
Class 2: Saturday-Sunday, December 8-9, 2012

ASGB member price $250

Glass in its molten state does some amazing things without much help from the bead maker. Some of the most interesting organic designed beads are those where the glass is allowed to have a say in the final outcome of the design.  The key is for us, the bead maker, to understand what the glass can do, and how to exert enough of our own will to create an interesting and well-shaped bead without silencing the voice of the glass.

The first half of this class we will use a range of techniques, some of which include gravity, reduction, reactions between different colors of glass, using metal leaf, and how to utilize clear glass for more than just encasing. Many of these same techniques can be used in more controlled beads such as dot patterns.  The second half of this class will focus on what I call technical beads: dot patterns, intricately raked patterns, making and using simple murrini, etc.  We will also make hollow beads and may attempt some small scale glass blowing to make blown discs for pendants if time allows. There will be a strong focus on making well shaped beads.

Materials needed:
An assortment of Effetre/Moretti glass in opaque and transparent colors, plenty of clear, black and white. Silver leaf and silver foil, 
favorite bead making tools, tweezer, mandrels, glasses, etc.

2013 Class Schedule

Loren Stump - Wait List Only
Loren 1

5-day Advanced Lampworking Workshop
February 13-17, 2013

ASGB member price $950 plus materials

This course will be divided into three parts: Murrini, Sculptural Techniques and Encasement.

Murrini will result in a Franchini-style shaded face and your signature cane. You will start with color mixing and blending which will be used to make shaded colors for a face. Eyes, nose and mouth cane will be built in the flame and then pulled down to a smaller size for component parts to construct the final face. In a like manner, letter canes will be assembled to create signature canes.

Sculptural techniques will examine several different methods for achieving human body and animal sculptural forms. The techniques include cold assembly, hot sculpture, detail overlay, temperature control, tool use, drilling holes with hot tungsten pick, and the correct application of murrini.

Encasement will produce a small floral paperweight. Floral set-up techniques include using blended colors, ribbed cane and overlays as components for creating leaf stock, stems, buds, ball flowers, petals and stamen. You will then assemble and arrange the floral components into a “set-up” with a quick lesson in frit making to use as a background. A Stumpsucker will be used to vacuum encase a sculptural or floral set-up in Schott crystal.
 
Class is limited to only 8 students. 

New Class! Anne Mitchell - email
Creating Fine Silver Findings for Lampwork Beads

2-2-day Fine Silver Findings Class This class is in runs in conjunction with Terri Caspary Schmidt.
Class 1: Thursday-Friday, March 14-15, 2013
Class 2: Saturday-Sunday, March 16-17, 2013

ASGB member price $200

Here is the class that lampworkers and lampwork bead collectors have asked me to teach for the last 3 years. In this two day class you will learn my techniques for setting delicate lampwork beads in unique fine silver settings and chain construction so you can create your own signature creations. You will learn dapping and punching techniques for end-caps, slider bar assemblies for barrel beads, hook connections for elongated barrel beads and my signature forceps style spinner bail for those (problematic, I don't know what to do with this amazing) disk beads.

Class will consist of working with 3 professionally crafted lampwork "blank" beads made by JC Harrell, and by the end of class you will be ready to set your own creations or those beads from your personal collection. Day one of the class will consist of bail construction and metal manipulation for your three kit beads and day two will center on chain construction and completing at least one finished piece. The end of day two will focus on patina finishes for that last professional touch.

During day two, I also want all of the class participants to bring in their favorite beads so we can have a brainstorming session on how to best create metalwork settings for each of them.

Kit fee: $150.00 kit will include the following: 3 beads from JC Herrell; fine silver round wire and fine silver seamless tubing; and use of 10 complete work stations for up to 20 students. Kit fee subject to change due to fluctuating silver market.

New Class! Terri Caspary-Schmidt - email wait list only
Dots, Lines & Tessellations

2-2-day Advanced Lampworking Classes
Class 1: Thursday-Friday, March 14-15, 2013
Class 2: Saturday-Sunday, March 16-17, 2013

ASGB member price $250

For two days we will set aside all our fancy tools, powders, metals, and fumes and focus on fine tuning variations of basic and ancient techniques in surface design. The mastery of these skills will give you freedom to express more complex ideas in your work. This is old school bead making with an emphasis on slowing down, finding your rhythm, and honing the skills that will help you transform your ideas into reality. Using three simple tools and the power of your hand, eye and mind, you will take your bead making to a new level.  

We will work on precise dot placement, dot shaping, optical color blending, pick-work, masking, stringer and micro-stringer techniques, as well as the use of negative space and line as key design elements. I’ll share with you my methods of shaping a base bead to achieve a good foundation for detailed surface work.  You’ll learn some useful tricks with the 6-inch marver, and how precise heat control will enable you to manipulate the surface of your bead almost as you would clay. I’ll show you how to correct little errors in your work so you don’t have to plunge that 45-minute masterpiece in the water. Exercises will be technique oriented with lots of practice time and individual attention. We’ll have on-going discussions about inspiration and design. You’ll find that many interesting ideas can emerge from intense focus and repetition of basic techniques in lampworking.