Bumpy Marbles, and Bombs

Little Bomblets! Not quite 40mm long, and make of solid glass

I'm now on the final countdown for Birmingham, three weeks to go, and loads to do! Plus whatever rush (fingers crossed) that Mothers day might bring at Greenwich. Yet I've still been experimenting with some new ideas and techniques.

Bumpy world loaded with metallic lusters

Whilst developing some ideas for alien specimens, I started playing around with some techniques for adding ceramic-like textures to the glass. I've been developing that further, and whilst doing so I thought I'd re-visit planet marbles.

Now I've not really been happy with any ways I've used so far to make planets, other than the little worlds that I make and I've not been able to really upscale those or make really interesting alien coloured worlds in them either. Chucking in these new ideas though has produced some much more interesting worlds, and now they are starting to feel a little more like what I was after. As I was working them I became a bit disappointed how encasing them lost some of the lovely metallic lusters and bumpy matt effects. So the obvious thing was to try some un-encased, and then push them even further! So, here are some of the results, they've been quite fun to make, plus I've been able to even add in some icy white polar caps as well. I posted pictures over on Frit Happens and Facebook, and have been really pleasantly surprised at how well they've been appreciated, so have made a few more and have listed a few on Etsy.

Smooth world, with swirls of white over one of the poles

Whilst playing with this I noticed how like old painted metal some of the colours were coming out, and as I was pulling out a glass stringer from a larger rod noted how 'bomb-like' the shape was. It seemed like a good idea then to combine these, which I think will now end up being incorporated into the head-dress project too. I also tried a quick red one too, and put a loop on it so it could be a pendant, but I haven't got the shape quite as I wanted that one. Not entirely happy with the fins on the grey-black one, but I do like how the surface texture makes it look like a World War II bomb that someone has accidental dug up!