Curious to know how people practise and get better

[Krysia@No98]

I like the idea of 'silly projects', Krysia.

You want daft, I'm your girl   

specific glass for stringer...  I couldn't say.  I think I would suggest starting with thicker stringer and then slowly work yourself down.  I did a stringer day with Di and I have a much better grasp now.

[Allicat]

If I might make a couple suggestions:

Start by searching thru the tutorials on all the glass forums. Start here, and move on thru lampworketc, Wetcanvas, etc. Bookmark the ones that interest you, and try one or 2 each time you torch. It will give you an idea of what techniques you like, and which work better for you. Plus, you'll also discover what colors you prefer as well.

There's some great blogs out there with lots of info too, like Colorinice, Coloraddiction, Marcy Lambertson's blog, Created by Kitty, the Frantz Glass blog, etc, etc.

And if you see something you like in the forum, ask the poster if he/she would share their technique with you. Some will explain, some will direct you to a tutorial, and a few may not be comfortable sharing that info but it can't hurt to ask.

As for practice, when you find techniques you like you'll likely practice till you get it the way you want, however long it takes.

That's how I torch. I find a technique that interests me; if I don't have the glass that's recommended, I try to substitute and see how that works; and in between working on whatever I'm doing that night, I try out whatever technique/s peaked my interest that day. If it seems to be a technique that works for me and I like it, I'll usually try to play around with it once I get the basics, and make it my own!

Lastly, if you can take a class, do! Not only are they immensely helpful, they are usually a helluva lot of fun as well.

Good luck!
Alli