Making Fused Glass Dragonflies

These are a few of my Dragonflies.  In this post I'm going to show you (in photos) on how I make them.

With my glass casting I work front to back.  So sometimes I'm not even sure how it may pop out when it's finished.  In this photo I'm using stringer glass to lay out the veins in the wings. I'll also lay any dots I may want in the tail area.

This particular dragon fly for the second layer I laid in clear iridescent dichroic glass to give the wings color yet clear and shimmery. next I'd fill in the tail and eyes.

after the dragonfly has been "colored" and formed I layer a clear layer of glass to finish filling in the mold.  It's than popped into the kiln.  

a peak into the kiln when the temp is approximately 1400ish degrees (F).  This photo is with me slumping bottles however it's the same concept as casting or full fusing.  After reaching top temps which for casting in my kiln is approximately 1450 it than cools.  The entire firing process from start to finish takes anywhere from 15-24 hours and possibly longer depending on the project and needs for a piece.  So, here's a look into my casting process, I hope you all enjoyed a behind the scenes!