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I get quite a few emails asking how I do certain things when it comes to beadmaking, so I am pleased to share some of the more common techniques here on the website. Have fun trying these!  Raised Flower Bead Tutorial These are the type of flower beads I am most known for, I think. Have fun! You will need an opaque color and a transparent color (or two, if you like) for these flowers. You will also need a creasing tool - razor, dental pick, etc. Anything pointed - use something you feel very comfortable with. I use a curved tungsten pick for mine. 1. Make your base bead, and melt in any designs you want under the flowers. Scrolls are shown in the picture. 2. Place opaque petal bumps in triangle patterns **all the way around your bead**. Make sure the bumps have a nice, strong footprint, so they don't pop off. When you're done placing your bumps, bathe them in the heat for a few seconds to make sure everything is still warm, but don't get them too hot. You don't want to melt them in - just keep them warm. 3. Add small center stamen dots all the way around. Any stringer in a complimentary color is fine for the center. Make sure the footprint is small - this will melt very fast when you're creasing the flower petals. Bathe the bead to make sure it stays warm. Do not overheat. 4. Add a transparent layer (or two, as shown here, if you like) on top of opaque petal bumps. Cover the bumps completely - you will have slightly more transparent than opaque glass, so the opaque doesn't bleed out. (Unless you want the bleeding as a design element.) Bathe bead.         5. Start with your first flower. Heat each dot and crease, moving the point of your creasing element toward the center. Tuck the point under your center stamen, if you can. Don't worry about being perfect - you'll touch up later. The trick is to go pretty fast, so the other dots don't melt in or pop off. Occasionally bathe the rest of the bead in the flame to keep warm. I know - it's a juggling act! Repeat this until each flower has your 3 (4 or 5) petals creased. 6. If necessary, using the same stamen stringer, put a little more onto your center stamen of each flower. I always do this without fail, because it makes for a prettier flower. Then, go back around and touch up each flower petal, making sure you creased hard enough so that the flower petals don't pop off later. 7. Bathe the bead one last time, but don't melt too much. Place in kiln. Batch annealing is not recommended for this type of bead, because the flower petals may pop off under your fiber blanket or in the vermiculite. It's best to put them in the kiln right away. It will likely take a lot of practice to get the timing right on all these steps, but don't give up!! I had a lot of melted messes when I started making these. It took me about a year to get them to the point where I was very happy with them.
Handmixed Brown Recipe This is probably the most frequently asked for when it comes to techniques and tutorials. I figured out this brown accidentally when I was trying to mix a light honey color, and it was the best mistake I ever made! This handmixed brown is featured in many of my bead sets now, some of which are in the slideshow on the home page. Okay - you'll need these colors to do it (they're all Moretti/Effetre): Handpulled Light Brown Transparent (018) Handpulled Opaque Sage (211) and Dark Topaz (016) Here's how I mix it: Take one rod of light brown and heat the end of it. Then paint a few small stripes of topaz along the end, about an inch or so. Then take another rod of the light brown and attach it punty style. With your flame up a bit, mix it untill it's well blended - it will look like a dark honey color at first. The longer you work it, the darker it gets. It's a striking color, so don't worry about the honey tones. Then you can pull your thin rod, and use the leftover for stringers. To get the color to really pop, make a small bead in sage, layer the mixed brown (just a small amount) over the sage, and then encase it again in the light transparent brown, and use that as your base. The longer this mix spends in a cool, oxidizing flame, the darker it gets. It will vary slightly with each batch, and it's difficult to achieve the same exact brown every time, so be flexible. :) Etching Glass BeadsI have a lot of customers who love the matte look of etched beads. Sometimes, the customer doesn't ask to have them atched, but realizes when the beads arrive, that they'd like to try the etched look. So I give the customer the option of sending them back to me for free etching, or trying it themselves. Here are some instructions for beaders and beadmakers on how to etch your own beads. First, you need to purchase a small jar of etch solution. I recommend Etch All Dip n Etch, or Etch Bath. These are usually sold at any craft store. The people at the store will usually know what you mean when you ask for glass etching solution. Once you have the solution, you need to wear some disposable gloves, and be in a well ventilated area (kind of like when using cleaning supplies). The etch solution is acid, so it's a good idea to have some baking soda around to neutralize the solution if it gets on anything. Use a plastic cup or bowl, place the beads in and then pour the solution over them until they are covered. Alternatively, you can string the beads on something non-metal and just pop them in the jar. Leave the beads in the solution for 5 or 10 minutes (read the bottle label - some solutions are different). Then, using a plastic spoon, scoop the beads out and rinse them completely. You might want to put a few spoons of baking soda in the rinse water with them to neutralize. You can then pour the etch solution back in the jar to use again (it can be used over and over for about a year). A plastic funnel helps. Don't use glass or metal utensils. Don't get the etch solution on anything porous, including skin or cloth. Wash immediately if you do get the solution on anything. The beads may have a white dust on them after etching. To remove this, you can use a toothbrush and soap and water. I hope this helps! |
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Kandice's Tutorials