Craft project decision-point: stop, continue, or start over?

November 12, 2024 9:05 AM

I made a fused glass house number to post on a rock at the top of our driveway. I'm not super-satisfied with how it came out (so far?). I'd like opinions and advice on the three options I have from here.

Here's how it looks now. It's very roughly 10"x10".

If you're aesthetically picky, I'd love your honest opinion. Am I having house number dysphoria? Or am I right that the blobbiness makes it look too amateurish? The studio owner says it's already beautiful, and no one will notice the lumps when they're at viewing distance from the rock. Is she right and my perfectionism is just getting in my way? Or is it really as amateurish as it looks to me?

The top part of the 6 is nice and smooth, just how I wanted it. The rest isn't, and it's not going to get there at the studio where I made it. The studio owner has already fired it twice, with some work in between to smooth the edges. My amateur opinion is that it needs to be fired hotter for longer, but her professional practice is that she's not going to do that. So I have three options:
1. Pick it up and install it as-is.
2. Grind out some of the worst lumps on the edges, and have her fire it again to polish the ground edges. She will NOT be happy to do this, so I'd have to insist. She won't like it, and I won't like doing it (but also, I'm not planning to go back after this). I don't know if it'd end up enough better to be worth it. The surface will still be lumpy -- it's only some of the edges I could grind down a bit. I outlined those in pink on the second image, but I'm not sure if I even could fix all of them. The grinder might not fit inside the circle of the 6, or in the narrow space between the 2 and the 6.
3. Start over at another studio. I found one where I'm confident I could get the result I'd like. She spent time with me on the phone, shared lots of expertise, and suggested a different process (cutting a mold from 6mm fiber paper).

I'm not feeling psyched to start from scratch, but I'm also not sure whether this looks good enough to use as-is, or even with the grinding I could do. I do like the colors, and I'm not sure what color range the other studio will have in the scrap bins I'd be using. The other studio is a long drive away, and I'd have to make 2-3 trips. I'd have to spend more money to start over, and I've already spent what's verging on a silly amount for house numbers.

So I don't know: use it as-is, grind what I can, or bite the bullet and start over?

It's tricky, because I'm a newbie and the studio owner where I went is an experienced pro, but I think she's wrong about some of what she's telling me. Those details are collapsed

[here, but skippable.]

She says the lumpiness is because I used different thicknesses of glass. I did, but I think it should still melt smooth if held hot enough for long enough. The plan we'd discussed ahead of time was to just let it melt and puddle out unevenly, and then cut out the right shape with her ring saw, but now she doesn't want to do that. She says it already has spots that are devitrifying. It does, but my understanding is that we can address that with clear frit powder on top. She says it risks being more brittle each time we fire it, but I heard that bullseye glass was tested to five firings at 1500 degrees each -- which I think she's probably not even hitting.

posted by daisyace to Grab Bag (22 answers total)

I like it just the way it is. I vote don't mess with it.
posted by metonym at 9:12 AM on November 12 [5 favorites]

Well, I think it looks great. What you see as amateurish, to me, is charming evidence that it was made by human hands instead of a machine. And it certainly does the job it's intended for. Can you hang it up for a while and see how you feel in a few weeks?
posted by btfreek at 9:15 AM on November 12 [17 favorites]

Oh, I love it just as it is!

Will light hit it, to play up those colors? That would be amazing!
posted by wenestvedt at 9:16 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]

To me it looks nice and will look great in its intended application. So my advice would be install it as is, see how you feel looking at it in place and only if you really don't like it go for option 3.

But I'm guessing you will really like how it looks in place.
posted by 12%juicepulp at 9:16 AM on November 12 [3 favorites]

FWIW, this internet stranger loves it and would like one for my house right now. I like the colours as well as the design, with the numbers overlapping. I agree that having a light source at night would be, well, delightful.

On a more practical note, I agree with installing as in, even in some temporary way, and seeing how you feel in a few weeks.
posted by kyraU2 at 9:27 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]

I think it's beautiful, and also appreciate your frustration with the bits you'd like removed. But I think it's extremely unlikely that anyone else will be as critical of it as you are.

Also, since you're installing it on a rock, I'm wondering if the more organic nature of the current shapes might look very good in context? If it isn't a huge bother to install it, I'd suggest trying it out on site. Or if that's a lot of effort, try viewing it in setting approximating how it will be seen by most people - presumably fairly briefly, at a bit of a distance.

Ultimately you have to be happy with it, and if you're not after a trial run, I'd suggest starting over at the new place since you feel more confident of getting the results you want there.
posted by EvaDestruction at 9:27 AM on November 12 [6 favorites]

I also like it as it is. (And I'm glad you like the colours, because they're fantastic!) I clicked straight through to the photo so as not to have preconceptions, and had to click back to the question in order to understand why you wanted to make the marked changes. I think it looks great.

So, another vote for "why not install it and see how you feel about it in a couple of weeks".

Also, I'm now off to Etsy to see if anyone is selling anything remotely similar in the UK.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 9:27 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]

My philosophy in glasswork, thanks to previous advice on MetaFilter, is "it's not wonky, it's organic", so put me on #TeamFineAsItIs. I don't do fusing, so take this with a huge grain of salt, but my understanding is that devit doesn't get better with more firing, it gets worse.

That said, Bullseye has a reputation for excellent customer service, so have you considered calling them? I don't work with that COE of glass, so I can't answer for them specifically, but I have heard nothing but good things.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:32 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]

Whoa, I love it! One of the reasons it appeals to me is the 'blobbiness' of the edges. I agree that the organic feeling will pair up with the stone even better than something cut edge and straight. Beginners want things to be perfect, the pros know that sometimes things are better left as is.

But you're the one who has to live with it. I vote for putting it up and leaving it for a month. If it's naive charm and delightful colors don't grow on you, then take it down and redo it.
posted by BlueHorse at 9:34 AM on November 12 [1 favorite]

If you install it now, you'll never be completely satisfied with it. You will always see the flaws. I would start fresh, if you can afford to do so.Be like the potters who traditionally break any fires pieces they are unhappy with. Or keep it as a first piece keepsake. The bumps don't bother me. The width difference is more noticable to me. Also, the 6 looks like the o part needs to be a tad smaller in diameter and the upper extender appears to be a bit short. I like the colors except for the black. Could you do your own firing eventually?
posted by Czjewel at 9:45 AM on November 12 [3 favorites]

What is the distance? I think it will look great from the street. Put a light on it to show it off and make it easy to read at night!
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:52 AM on November 12

I can see what you're saying regarding the blobbiness, but it doesn't read as amateur to me. If you didn't mention it, I'd see it as a feature not a flaw. I think they're awesome and will look better once installed.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 9:54 AM on November 12 [1 favorite]

I think it looks great, personally (speaking as a former glassworker). Others will not notice the issues you do, especially from far away. I'd only worry about sanding if there's pokey bits that stab people.

I'm a little concerned that Studio Lady #1 has such...'tude going on, though. Maybe switching to the nicer one, in general, is better.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:08 AM on November 12

I've done some fused glass, and even the instructors' work isn't "perfect" the way you're describing. This is really nice-looking and something I am confident they'd be pleased with. I could imagine some of them pushing past this stage trying to figure out how to further their art, but they'd also readily accept the real risk of having to scrap the whole thing. She may not be wrong so much as have a different level of risk tolerance than you. And, serious question: What's the difference between accepting this as-is and starting over at the other place? All the costs have already been incurred and it's not like the studio owner can recover the materials.

Overall, apart from the "craft" aspect of this, I do doubt that even sharp vision and focused attention can reliably distinguish what you're looking at up-close when viewed at house-number distance. This would be particularly true with an organic backdrop like a rock, which doesn't give a lot of visual cues like straight lines to subconsciously or even deliberately measure off of. Take a few minutes to go out and contemplate how gigantic letters are on street signs, for example. Or take a photo of someone else's numbers, zoom in and fudge them a little, and then zoom back out to actual size. Or, even better, if there's a park or something nearby with a wooden or otherwise crafted sign, look at that from a reasonable distance and then try going up close and being critical.
posted by teremala at 10:13 AM on November 12

I’m very particular and a professional artist and I think it looks FINE but I think you should try the other studio and re-do it. I think only making something once and expecting a perfectly clean, high-end professional result is unrealistic (even with help) and if you really want it to be perfect, put in the time. Maybe you’ll need to make it a few more times. I think the studio owner you’ve been dealing with is considering more factors than you are (I don’t work with glass so I don’t know what they are! I just know that most crafts have a lot of details that may not be something she’ll explain to a beginner). This is not meant to be harsh if it comes off as that, sorry! Only that crafts in general can be deep and take a lot to master and you have a great first result but if you want BETTER, the craft will demand more resources. I also think someone else might be very happy with this same result. But it’s okay if you’re not.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 10:41 AM on November 12 [3 favorites]

I really like this - love the colors and the font - but I can understand why you are dissatisfied. I often have the same issue when I work on mosaics and it's almost impossible to get a perfect straight line, it really annoys me. The uneven handiwork is part of the charm, I understand, but to to me the lack of sharpness looks sloppy. But, with mosaics, once you grout the piece, the uneven parts really diminish and the piece transforms to look much more polished. I wonder if something similar could work for this piece. I keep imagining it surrounded by a black outline. Not sure if you could set it in something black, or outline the numbers in black metal, doesn't have to be too thick, but to give the edges better definition. This will also help the colors really pop too. If that's not possible, I'd do it over. I'm a bit of a perfectionistic and if it bothered me I would see it every time I looked at it. That's part of learning a new craft too.
posted by j810c at 11:11 AM on November 12

The color values of the piece are dark without being backlit and the soft edges for mathematical numbers are contrary to how people experience numbers.

Two fixes that would add a balance to the reading would be:

1- Frame the numbers with a metallic open frame accent that would allow light to project through the piece and add a sense of closed geometry to the graphic.

The second fix would be to frame the numbers themselves with silver or gold tape or leaf to protect the edges, add light, and separate the numbers for clarity in reading as an address.

I think if you put the work against a dark rock without allowing light to project through it and have no light enhancing graphic separation like a metallic wire frame, most readers will not immediately read and recognize it as a house address.
posted by effluvia at 11:26 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]

It's cute, and as a decor piece it's fine the way it is, and would be extra-pretty with backlighting. Maybe hang with a suction cup in a kitchen window as a light-catcher?

But - I would not use this as a house identifier, since it's just not that readable: numbers don't overlap or connect in real life, so this looks more like a symbol than a pair of numbers. To me it looks like a Zodiac sign. Plus, having the two digits seated on different planes also makes it visually confusing. The wavy edges aren't a big deal since they would visually "smooth out" from a distance. But it's also very dark to put against a (presumably grey?) rock background, and irregular shapes (this number layout) on an irregular shape (a rock) will be very confusing and even less readable.

I wouldn't bother with revising this piece - the main thing that makes it hard to read (the digits overlapping and being on different planes) isn't fixable by revision. Just keep it as a cute decor item!

For a house identifier, the gold standard is: a house number that is so visible and high contrast that even a speeding ambulance driver could read it in a snowstorm. Glowing red LED lights, mounted high over the driveway, are probably the ideal house number from that perspective.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:48 AM on November 12 [6 favorites]

I like it, and I think you should put it aside for a month and then go back to it with new eyes. I think you'll be able to appreciate more in a few weeks.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:51 AM on November 12 [2 favorites]

I think it would be less interesting visually if the edges were perfectly straight. The shape of the edges is evidence of the process that was used to create it, showing that it was made by an artist and not a machine. Like brushstrokes in a painting, they don't look amateurish, they're kinda the whole point. Making something by hand always introduces a little chaos into the results, and that is beautiful!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:52 AM on November 12 [2 favorites]

This is awesome! Some things to consider:

You are critiquing this as one would, let's say, a framed photograph that will sit at eye level for viewing in your home. This is not how your finished product will be viewed. It will be in a much larger context full of visual noise. The countours of these numbers are going to be incredibly minimized in comparison with the context. Any perceived irregularity that's apparent when viewed on a white background will not be apparent in an outdoor visual field.

You are looking at this with a preconceived notion that is not reflecting the mode of production. Yes, you can work and rework and overwork the product until it aligns with the form you have in mind, but there is value in respecting the form that this process yields. Psychologically, yes, you can let go of the "house number dysphoria" as that itself is a part of the process of making a fused glass object. I think your studio owner is trying to communicate this to you.

You are rushing toward a finished state, rather than arriving at it. I'm a photographer and painter in my non-work life, and I often marvel at how much my perception changes when I "pause" a work and display it for a long enough time for my critical vision to desensitize enough for the opposing skills--the parts of my brain that take in, admire, appreciate, revel--to engage. Can you give yourself a little time to see how these objects look to you when you at least temporarily treat them as completed works? You can always return to revision after time has passed.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:30 AM on November 13 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks so much, everyone! Reading the numerous comments from people who like it as-is has me beginning to see it in a new light. At the same time, I'm also taking something away from those of you who talked about striving for more mastery in a craft, including when it takes do-overs. I like the idea of living with it for a while to see how I feel about it then. As for legibility as a house number, we do have and will keep clear, large, plain numbers on our mailbox. So this has to be functional enough to make some sense as house numbers, but it's ok if it errs a little more on the decorative side.
posted by daisyace at 12:08 PM on November 13 [2 favorites]