Beading Arts

Transformer 2 Bracelet Photographer: Greg Mullin Artist: Tina Koyama Location: Seattle Website: Tina Koyama e-mail: tina@tinakoyama.com Tina, your work is obviously very organic. How do you describe it? My current focus is on self-supported sculptures using off-loom beadweaving stitches. My work is probably most closely related to contemporary basketry: 3-dimensional forms made from flexible materials. I like to keep an open mind about what constitutes a “bead” (technically, anything that has a hole going through it!). I have a series of sculptures made from pasta, which, as anyone who has strung a macaroni necklace knows, makes excellent beads! What is your creative process like? My creative process is completely improvisational and intuitive. I never plan or sketch anything – I simply choose some beads, thread a needle and plunge into it. That improvisational process is both the fuel and the outcome of my work. I am as compelled by the challenge of continually asking, “

Materials 1 mm satin cord, 2 pieces @ 120 inches, 1 piece @ 40 inches 3 soldered sterling silver rings Sterling silver S-hook V-Pendant (from New Terra Artifacts ) 2 head pins 4 - 2mm silver round beads 2 silver daisy spacers 3-4 accent beads GS Hypo tube cement Tools Scissors Large tapestry needle Flat nose pliers Chain nose pliers Wire cutters 1. Tie the three pieces of cord together into a loose knot at one end, leaving a few inches for a tail. 2. Use the two long cords to tie half hitches around the shorter central cord. 3. When the one strap is long enough (mine is 9 inches), thread the cords down through one of the holes in the V-pendant. 4. String on one of the silver rings, and thread the cords up through the other hole in the pendant. 5. At the top, resume knotting up the other side. 6. Tie the cords around a ring on each side and use the tapestry needle to work the cords back down into the strap for a few stitches. 7. Glue the cords and clip

Artist: Heather Powers Business name: Humblebeads Location: San Antonio, TX Website & Blog: Humblebeads Humblebeads blog How do you describe your work, Heather? And how did you happen to pick the name “Humblebeads”? My work is primarly handcrafted art beads inspired by the colors and textures of nature. I love earthy hues and organic designs. I do have a line of one-of-a-kind jewelry that I sell to a local gallery and at holiday shows. I’d say my beads and jewelry could adorn Mother Nature herself. The name of my business is humblebeads because of the humble status of polymer clay as an artist’s medium. Monet Beads What is your creative process like? My creative process goes in two directions. The first is sketching. My two favorite sources of inspiration are nature and art history. I love looking at paintings from my favorite artists and incorporating their color palette or designs into my beads. After I’ve sketched out some designs I head to my studio. I start b

  Artist: Margaux Lange Location: Brooklyn, NY Website & Blog: Margaux Lange Midge’s Mind Margaux, would you describe your work for us? My Plastic Body Series is art jewelry made with sterling silver, Barbie dolls and epoxy resin. It is an examination and celebration of my own, as well as our culture’s, relationship with Barbie. What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry? I was first introduced to jewelry making in my high school (Lake George, NY) which was and still is, very fortunate to offer jewelry courses to its students. I’ve been a studio jeweler for the past six years since graduating college (The Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD May 2001) I was a General Fine Arts major and took a variety of courses in various mediums until I decided to concentrate on jewelry. For me jewelry was a way of getting art off the wall and on to the body so it could be shared, experienced and quite literally felt. A

Best Beads Direct from the Czech Republic Exclusive Imports All shapes of Czech beads ~ pressed, lampworked, firepolished, and rhinestone Czech Beads Lots of handmade beads as well as molded and machine cut Wild Things Many hard-to-find specialty shapes Purebeads Arranged by color and sold in lots for good prices. Helpful articles too! Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

  Artist: Mary Tafoya Location: Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico Websites & Blogs: Mary Tafoya’s Seriousbeadin’ (Etsy shop ) Mary Tafoya’s Seriousbeadin’ (blog) Mary’s Flickr Photos Mary, how do you describe your beadwork? I think of my work as graphic. I worked as a graphic designer and taught graphic arts for several years, and I think that has greatly influenced my compositions, which I try to keep clear and readable. I think a lot about rhythm and unity in my work, as well as various forms of balance, which have all come to me through my graphic arts training. Recently, Beadwork Magazine’s Marlene Blessing used the work “iconic” in relation to my work, and I like that too. I often rely on myth, dreams and folklore for subject matter, as well as personal stories. I am also a fan of Jungian psychology (think “Women Who Run with the Wolves”), and the idea that archetypes are more or less universal and make for powerful subject matter that lots of people can conn

The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking I still love Cindy Jenkins’s book called Making Glass Beads , because it was the first lampworking book that I bought. But I have to say that if you are just beginning the artform now, I’d have to recommend Kimberley Adams's book. There have been some changes in availability of different tools, torches, kilns, and glass since Cindy’s wonderful book was published, and Kimberley writes of her gratitude to her early teachers. I found this book to be a wonderful refresher on the basics, plus it had intermediate and advanced sections with techniques that I’ve not tried before. If you think that making your own glass beads is beyond your reach, think again! This drool-worthy full color book will have you running for the phone to order supplies. Although I think it’s certainly possible to teach yourself to do lampwork from a book that has great information and pictures like this one, I still am glad that I did a weekend course from a qualified

Fun in the Sun The piece is now for sale at this link! I made this necklace for the Stringing Magazine quarterly challenge. The deadline for this challenge was Feb 4, so if you missed it, be on the lookout for the next one! I used C-Lon cord so that this would be a very light weight and breezy necklace. Here’s how I made it: Materials 3 pieces of C-Lon cord , 80” each 2 pieces of 20 gauge brass wire , 2 1/2″ each 2 brass cones 2 brass jump rings and a hook Fray check GS Hypo cement 10-20 each of several different kinds of beads in colors of your choice , including some metal Charms and jump rings 8/0 seed beads Tools Scissors Tweezers Measuring tape 1 Turn loops on the ends of your two pieces of wire. Turn them a bit past a full loop so that they will be secure. 2 Fold each of the long stands of C-Lon in half and string each through one of the loops. Knot each doubled strand and slide the knot up tight against the loop with your tweezers. Dot each knot

Crackling Copper uses a central strand on beading wire, with a chain and clasp set at each end. It’s a pretty simple necklace to put together, it just needs a certain amount of preparation before the stringing actually starts. 1. Stamp some copper discs with a crackle pattern, using permanent black ink. I used the Staz-On brand with good results. Spray the discs with a matte varnish if you’d like. 2. Slide some 6mm turquoise glass beads onto head pins, and turn simple loops for each. 3. String your beading wire with 4mm and 6mm turquoise glass beads, alternating with copper beads. I used copper open hex beads with 6mm turquoise beads inside them, and alternated with copper rondelles. Put the smaller 4mm beads inside the hexes that will have copper discs hanging from them so that there will be room for a jump ring. 4. Crimp the ends to a lobster claw clasp and a chain. Add a couple of beads on head pins to the end of the chain. 5. Attach a jump ring around a hex bead with a 4mm bead in