ABC's of Creativity - Some of Our Favs

Back in January of 2013 Maria and I were working to get her newsletter setup and published. We talked about things to include and the idea of the "ABC's of creavitity" was mentioned. I thought that it would be great to have here on her blog and I offered to write the first one about being inspired by Art. So we started on journey last January 14 with A is Art.

Over the year every 2 weeks either Maria or I have written about a topic suggested by a letter of the alphabet that would inspire, inform or entertain you, our readers. There have been challenges along the way, including the time that Maria and Blogger did not get along; remembering who was going to to which subject and family committments. But together we were able to take you on this creative journey.

Today I am going to look back at some of our favorites.

My post B is Beads was fun to look at different types of beads and how they can be used. It was great to find information about some of the oldest beads ever found.

These ancient shell beads with manmade holes are among the oldest ones ever found. They could be about 90,000 years old. (from National Geographic News)

Maria's post C is Color was both informative and inspiring. It touched on the various color relationships and shared inspiring palettes and beadwork. Including this amazing collaborative piece entitled Teczak - The Rainbow.

This ultimate color wheel was designed as a fundraiser by Ewelina Rzad. 50 beaders from Poland participated. Soutache and seed bead wrapped cabochons are tastefully layered into a collar. Each cabochon is a mini work of art.

One of Maria's favorites is her post E is Embroidery. She was able to show the amazing embroidery with both thread and beads from across Ukraine and around the world.

This "sorochka" chemise uses beads to create a row between stylized flowers or acced their centres. It was created in Ukraine and is now part of Maria's collection.

The post J is Jewelry was fun to write as I looked as accessorizing from top to bottom. There is lots of eyecandy but also helpful images like this.

Guideline for necklace lengths

The two posts about Maria's areas of beading expertise are informative and inspiring - L is Loomwork and N is Netting.

"Costume of Kabuki" kimono on display at Bead & Button Show with designer and beader Takako Sako

Bead Shroud of Tabakenkhonsu @ MET

I enjoyed the challenge of preparing the post Q is Quills. There is limited information online about this unique First Nations art form. Using pictures Maria took during a class with First Nations' beadwork artist Naomi Smith, I was able to take you thru the basic steps of this variation of beadwork.

Maria's work in progress

And of course we could not take you on this creative journey without including S is Seed Beads. Maria's post does everything we were hoping do with each post; inspire and inform.

Czech seed beads with iris, silver-lined, matte painted stripe and opaque finishes.
From "Beader's Paint Box", 2013 seminar

I hope that you have enjoyed our creative journey thru the alphabet and that we have inspired and been informative along the way.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and creative New Year.

Happy Beading!

ABC's of Creativity - T is Texture

Colourful chicklets are stitched onto a zigzagging netted base.
By Sofiya Fedyna and Tetiana Chyhovetz, Lviv, 2008

Texture has many definitions, but the sum of pulling together of different elements creates an interesting look, a dynamic art piece and adornment.

Here are a few defiinitions http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/texture

Texture is a :  something composed of closely interwoven elements;specifically :  a woven cloth

textile texture - patched linen

Since interwoven elements are mentioned, beadweaving and loom weaving qualify for my presentation about texture in the bead world.

Elastic bracelet with three sections of fine seed bead mosaic (Peyote)  and strung pony beads between. 

Loomwoven 'gerdan' uses two different sizes  of seed beads. Fine seed are the connectors between loomwoven design and back strap. A combination of pony and fine seed bead form a swag front.

Contemporary Hutsul region 'gerdan' purchased in Ivano Frankivsk, Ukraine, 2008

A combination of pony and fine seed beads form a swag front.
Contemporary Hutsul region 'gerdan' purchased in Ivano Frankivsk, Ukraine, 2008

Texture is b :  the structure formed by the threads of a fabric

fragment of tapestry http://www.texturepalace.com

Netting and other stitches are created by beadweaving threads strung with beads into a netted fabric.You start with nothing and create a net one row at a time by passing through mesh points.

Texture Net with Saucers or Lanterns. The colour and size of bead create the pattern.
from Maria's narrated Netting Primer by CraftArtEdu.com

 Instead of using colour placement to create a pattern, use different sizes of beads to create the pattern. This works well in the understated monochromatic look which goes with today's fashion. 

Textured Net in an subtle analogous palette. Beadweaving is best done in hand for good tension and to make all the different sized beads mesh together .
from Maria's narrated Netting Primer by CraftArtEdu.com

Textured Saucer Net sampler
from Maria's narrated Netting Primer by CraftArtEdu.com

Netted Chic Chevrons with mini rondelles inside silver zigzag.
NZ25 -Chic Chevron Collar kit, 2013
"Chic Chevron Collar", BEADWORK, Aug/Sep 2013, pgs. 66-68

Original extra wide netted collar with 2-cut green iris beads between metallic gold
Roey's Zigzag Gold by M. Rypan, 1994

Novel cubes and beads create picots as you vertically beadweave the netted base.
Note how flat the base is because it's all in one size seed bead.
 Triple 'V' Jewel kit, 2008
"Gerdany: Triple 'V' Jewel", ANPT, Festive 2008, pgs. 70-77

4mm jewel-tone facetted cubes are stitched on top of net.
 Triple 'V' Jewel kit, 2008
"Gerdany: Triple 'V' Jewel", ANPT, Festive,2008, pgs. 70-77

Same gold-tone cubes and crystals on two different netted bases.
Scythian Gold 'V' kit, 2009
"Scythian Gold", BEADWORK, Oct/Nov 2009. pgs 63-65 

"Kalyna" bead clusters on netted 'V'
by Nadia Kuzmych Emenalyova, Lviv, 2011

Berry cluster has mosaic-stitched (Peyote) leaves. Berried are opaque with a few transparent ones.

"Kalyna 'V" by Nadia Kuzmych Emenalyova, Lviv, 2011

 Texture is the visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance of something. Bead Embroidery qualifies here since bead are stitched onto a fabric.

Beaded icon with a netted halo. Faces and hands are painted.
"Madonna & Child" by Oksana Ivanochko, Lviv 2010 

Unusual shapes and objects are embroidered with bead  into this new series.
"Beaded Body Adornment" by Sherry Serafini, 2012

Texture is a:  essential part :  substance

b :  identifying quality :  character

texture  - broken dry soil www.123rt.com

Texture also means a: basic scheme or structure
  

b :  overall structure

By combining different sizes of seed bead sizes and other types of beads in the same project, you create more interesting, dimensional objects of beauty.
By using different shapes and sizes of beads in place of contrasting and accent beads of the same size, you can created interesting monochromatic palettes.

Fringes of random color and size come down from a randomly woven Diagonal Weave band.
By Sofiya Fedyna and Tetiana Chyhovetz, Lviv, 2008

Strings of random color and size beads are suspended from Diagonal Weave bands.
"Trypilian Pottery" by Sofiya Fedyna and Tetiana Chyhovetz, Lviv, 2008

Detail of two variation of Diagonal Weaves. One with strings of bead. Other trimmed with random fringes .
By Sofiya Fedyna and Tetiana Chyhovetz, Lviv, 2008

Diagoanl Weaves with contrast pony bead edges. Since there are two different sizes, working in hand is essential to lock the beads into place and let the band take shape.
Diagonal weave kits, 2009

The Bag of Beads Challenge included all sort of pressed glass shapes, bugles, sequins and buttons.
These make a very fun fringe to my netted kilim medallion.
"Sedona Kilim" TBS Challenge, 2000, by Maria Rypan

This brooch started with gluing down the bigger stones. Beads were then wrapped and stitched.
"Sea Breeze" Brooch by Maria Rypan 
created in a workshop with  Marla Gassner's, AZ, 2004

Hope you're inspired to try and add a few larger or unique beads or gemstones into your next beadwork. Would love to hear back with photos of you newest textured beadwork.

Happy beading! 

Maria

ABC's of Creativity - M is Metals

For most beaders metal appears in your design as the closure or finding. 

But metal beads, spacers, connectors can also be a design elements.

To help you work them into your design here is some helpful information.

Gold's purity is noted by its karat weigth. 24kt is 99.9% pure down to 10kt which is 41.7% pure. Its alloys are copper and zinc. In addition to karat weight gold you will also find the following: vermeil which is gold-plated sterling silver, gold-filled which is a base metal (copper or brass) mechanically bonded to sheets of gold, and gold-plated which is a base metal (steel or brass) electroplated with gold.

Silver like gold is alloyed with copper. This is noted as a percentage rather that karat weight. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver. Silver-plated like gold-plated is a base metal electroplated with silver.

Lower costing metals include copper, brass (copper and zinc alloy), bronze (copper and tin alloy), pewter (tin alloyed with various other metals), nickel and surgical steel.

For more information check this article by Lisa Kan.

How to decide which to use can be a matter of budget, available and design.

For design you may be inspired by the shape and styling of the bead or finding. But have you ever created a design based on the color of the metal? This wonderful article from the Art Bead Scene Blog about The Color of Metal. From the oranges and brown of copper and bronze to neutral greys of silver and pewter.

It got me think about pieces I have made with metal as strong design element.

I received some wonderful copper findings as part of a bead soup. To the warm brown copper closure I added  more copper, blues and purples.

Bead Soup 7 Bracelet, beaded by J. Woolverton

For this piece it is the contrast of the bright copper against the green lampwork beads that works well.

Dragon's egg necklace, beaded by J. Woolverton

These beaded beads have gold colored seed beads triangle beads. The yellow of the gold gives a lovely spark to the palette of green beads in the base.

Bellisimo beads, beaded by J. Woolverton

For this necklace the copper veining in the turquoise lead to the addition of copper spaces, copper colored Swarovski pearl and crysal copper Swarovski cyrstals. It is a classic combination.

Turquoise Copper necklace, beaded by J. Woolverton

I have only scratch the surface of metals in beadwork. I hope that you will be inspired to look at your metal components as more that just a finding.

Happy Beading!

ABC's of Creativity - B is Beads

A bead is defined as a small, usually round object of glass, wood, stone, or the like with a hole through it, often strung with others of its kind in necklaces, rosaries, etc. (from dictionary.com).

Beads have been inspiring humanity for millennium as personal decoration and status symbols. These ancient shell beads with manmade holes are among the oldest ones ever found. They could be about 90,000 years old.

Photograph Marian Vanhaeren and Francesco d'Errico (from nationalgeographic.com)

Of course for many of us, our first beads were either cereal or pasta strung on yarn. As we grew older and more beads became available to us we progressed to plastic and wooden beads. Now we work with glass, metal and semi precious stone. But no matter what you thread on to the thread or wire the beauty, colour and shape of the bead will inspire what you create.

These bright floral lampwork beads are accented with a zing of lime green, red rondelles and bali silver.

Beadwork by Maria Rypan, lampwork by Nancy Meisner

These beads evoked the styling of the pottery of the Trypillian Culture. Combining clay bead from Ukrainine, African spindle bead, dyed tagua nuts, terracotta beads and copper beads created three version of the Trypillian Spirit necklace. You can see that using the same beads in varying amounts creates dramatically different looks.

Beadwork by Maria Rypan

The soft pastel colours of these Swarovski crystal pearls are worked into a bracelet and earrings using a simple ladder stitch. The use of a fine beading wire ensures that the pieces hold their shape.

Beadwork by Maria Rypan

Beadwork on a bride's wedding gown inspired the selection of cyrstals and pearls for this stunning necklace. Watch for a more detailed blog posting about the creation of all of the beadwork for the bride.

Beadwork by Maria Rypan

This loomworked piece has small blue pressed glass flowers embellishing the mixed green base. The fringe effectively combines additional flowers and glass leaves.

Beadwork by Jo-Ann Woolverton

For this 3-D Snowflake Fanwheel's long twisted bugle beads form points. 6mm Swarovski AB crystals gives it extra sparkle.

Beadwork by Maria Rypan

New styles of beads are being made available to beaders around the world. Tilas (flat square two-holed beads) are among the hot new shapes. Here Kerrie Slade has used them to create stars that are joined to make a bracelet or singly as an earring.

beadwork by Kerrie Slade

Lampwork beads are miniature works of art on their own. They can be the inspiration for more that just a bracelet or necklace.

Owl, Book & Heart beads by Lucie Kovarova-Weir

Owl bead by Lezlie Winemaker

This set of bright blue, yellow, red and orange beads by Amy Waldman-Smith inspired a complete set of beaded boxes.

Lampwork beads by Amy Waldman Smith

Beadwork by Jo-Ann Woolverton

Elly Peters' lampworked blue beads with brown and red accents inspired this box.

Beads by Ellie Peters, Beadwork by Jo-Ann Woolverton

Beadwork by Jo-Ann Woolverton

There maybe times when you can't find that bead to inspire you, so you may have to make your own beaded beads. Using seed beads, crystals and other shaped beads you can make a bead to become the centre of a great design or a unique piece on their own.

Assorted Moorish Tile Beads, designed by Diane Fitzgerald

Crown Jewel, designed by Laura McCabe

Belissimo Beaded Beads, designed by Marcia DeCoster

I hope that you will let amazing beads take your creativity down a new and different path.

Happy Beading!