Maybe you’re like I was. Maybe you saw a glass demo and the heavens parted and the angels sang. Maybe you stumbled upon a glass bead making book and you were intrigued. Maybe you admired a friend’s new hobby and now you want to do it too.
Where does one start?
The first bit of advice I would give is to try it out. While it looks like a really cool thing to do, it’s not for everyone. The investment can be anywhere from $50 to thousands of dollars but the bottom line is, if you invest even a small amount and decide you don’t like it, it is money wasted.
But, where can I try it?
It’s one thing to have someone demo the process for you but it’s quite another thing to have molten glass in your hand with a 1500+ degree torch right under your nose. As you might have guessed, it’s not as easy as the pros make it look.
To find a place where you can try it out, you can start with:
- International Society of Glass Beadmakers. This is the largest membership you will find of glass bead makers. Disclaimer: just because someone is a member of the ISGB does not mean that they are a qualified teacher but the ISGB does list teachers.
- Local glass groups or bead societies
- Community college, local parks and recreation department, local art center
- Bead stores
- Ads in bead and jewelry magazines
Additional information can be found in internet forums. Forums are places on-line where people gather to talk about a common interest. You will find the glass forums very helpful and the people friendly. Most forum members were once where you are right now and would probably tell you that they gleaned much of what they know from these online resources. I know I did. Two of the most helpful and long-standing that I have found are:
WetCanvas! – WetCanvas! was started as a community of painters but has branched out to other media as well. There is a large glass community there now as well as clay, wearable art and metal arts also.
Lampwork Etc. – Lampwork Etc. is exactly what it sounds like. Predominantly glass discussion, it also has areas for metal workers, jewelry and ceramics.
Glass Bead Makers - This site was submitted by Lisa Zoeller below in a comment.
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Another site that is very good is an Australian based Forum called Glass Bead Makers –
http://www.glassbeadmakers.net/forum/index.php
Its largly Australian beaders but we are all very open and welcoming to anyone from any nationality – we do have US and German beaders as members too!
Thanks Leisa. I just now saw this comment. Sorry it took so long. I’ll go check it out and add it to the list.
Let me know of others, everyone!