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My work is very time consuming. I work long hours to make the pieces I make. Most of my larger pieces take 2 to 3 weeks to complete. The mermaid tookalmost two months. Platters and smaller works take anywhere from a couple days to a week. I draw a small sketch, undetailed, and it is basically a line drawing. If i need to make it bigger I go to kinkos and have it blown up. I like to add the details with my tool as I go. The mermaid was so large that i only blew up the top half and everything else was drawn onto the glass with a fine tipped sharpie. I will lay the glass onto the drawing and draw the image onto the glass and then go over with a diamond burr the outline. For projects such as glasses or mugs or goblets I will make a stencil and apply it. Not a stencil for sandblasting but a carbon stencil. Usually it is just the line work again and then do the outline with the diamond burr on the glass. I will then change to a stone burr and very lightly, I have an extremle light touch with this part of it and just barely scratch the surface of the glass. It is so when i wipe away the dust you can hardly see it. That will basically be the darkest areas besides what I dont engrave at all. I will then build on that to get a little deeper and brighter. When I pretty much got the whiteness where I want it I get out the diamond burrs, I have three three different ones I use. I then go in even deeper and work it until I get the desired results. It is a process and it works. I do not use any form of sandblasting or acid in any of my work. It is all done by hand with my rotary tool. Smaller details i willsometimes use my magnifying glasses but only when i start to go cross eyed form staring at what I am doing too long. I started engraving becauseit is a challenge and as in tattoo work you really cant hide or cover mistakes and if you can its not very easy. Each project I take on is a challenge and I am always wanting to learn new ways and be more inventive in the work and the execution of the work. Most of the stuff I do have not really seen alot of in glass engraving. Aside from birds and wildlife and flower themes. I have also done some archetecture in my work. Altho I dont have any pictures of them. I love fantasy art and always have been a fan of it. I like to engrave fantasy themes becaus you just dont see alot of it. I have not come across any fantasy themes as detailed as mine. I think for me it is the way to go and improve on. I also like doing larger pieces just so I can go wild on the imagery and details. I have a glass supplier where I live for my flat pieces. I can get any size up to I believe, to 8 feet long by 5 feet wide from them. In clear a bronze tint and a grey tint. I used the grey tint on the Sffana piece with the gargoyle. I also use glass thats at least 3/16 thick but my larger pieces I use quarter inch thick. I am also working with a friend to get some stands made for the larger pieces so they will be free standing. Also toying with the idea of using LED lights. I will sometimes paint the back of the glass gloss black so its easy to see even in low light. Not to mention the gloss will make the glass appear mirrored. Just to give interested people ideas of how I work and why I do this. I have had people in other states contact me through my myspace page and through the yahoo glass engravers group i am a part of, about how I work and get all the different tones out of the glass. So this is how. Alot of great artists on this site and hopefully will get the chance to talk to some of you.