A glass blower creates decorative glass pieces by blowing air through a pipe, inflating molten glass, and then forming and shaping it.

Other names for a glass blower, are a glass-smith and a gaffer.

There are two main techniques used when glass glowing, they are: Free-blowing Glass & Mold Blowing Glass.

 Free Blowing; Glass Blowing Technique:
Free Blowing is a technique where a molten blob of glass situated at the end of a relatively short blowpipe is inflated by short bursts of air blown down the tube. Whilst blowing air will expand the molten glass creating a surface of cooling glass within the blob itself, the shaping process comes from several ways of rapidly rolling, rotating or swinging the pipe whilst maintaining controlling the temperature of the glass as it goes through its cooling process on the outside and inside surfaces.

Mold Blowing; Glass Blowing Technique: 

Mold Blowing is a technique where a molten blob of glass is essentially inflated inside a preset mold, normally a carved wooden or cast metal mold. By this method the finished shape of the glass item is largely decided by the shape and texture of the mold itself and not entirely by the free blowing skills of the glass blower. 

Two types of molds are common, they are the single-piece mold and a multi-piece mold. A single-piece mold allows the finished glass item to be removed in one movement by pulling it out in one motion, the mold is commonly used to produce tableware and vessels such as bowls, vases and the like.

A multi-piece mold on one where various sides are joined together, thus permitting the development of more sophisticated surface modeling, texture and design. This method is if often more effective in producing high-relief complex and multi faceted designs in the finished glass item.

Glass Blowing Education:
Really the best way to become a skilled glass blower is to learn under another skilled artisan, and then practice, practice, practice, it is such an art form where each individual once having developed the basic skills can go one to create their own unique style of finished glass pieces.

To enquire about glass blowing classes, or glass blowing workshops, see . You may also like to visit glass art galleries in your local area, show interest in the field and ask where or with whom you could go to learn the basic techniques.