Learning How To Bead
I guess there are many people who would read this article's title, "Learning How to Bead," and write it off as silly. After all, there isn't much more to the aspects of beading than there is to stringing popcorn to place 'round the Xmas Tree, right? That, and a free beading project to work on, and you're all set. What more is there to say? What else is there to discuss?
The reality, however, is that there is a lot more to learning how to bead than just stringing popcorn, and this content will have a closer look at what else you need to understand.
Learning how to bead involved learning in four basic areas. They might appear innocuous enough at first glance, but on closer examination, the inescapable conclusion is that there's a lot more to learning how to bead than first meets the eye.
The four basic "disciplines" you have to get good at to really learn how to bead are the following:
Mechanics
Patterning
Color Selection
Medium Selection/Mixing
We'll read through the particulars of these one at a time as a way of putting you on the path to learning how to bead.
The first step in your "learn how to bead" education is mechanics. If you don't have the mechanics down, then the rest does not matter. Thankfully, from a mechanics standpoint, it truly is about as easy as stringing popcorn. If you can do that, then you've already gotten this element of learning how to bead down, but even here, there is some subtlety. Did you know, for instance, that when stringing pearls, you need to tie a knot on either side of the stone to avoid potential damage caused by the stones rubbing against one another? Or that there are times when you only have to tie a loose knot as a "bead brake" on the end of the line you're not working?
So even where the basic mechanics are involved, there's a lot more to learning how to bead than you may first think. Certainly, however, this is the easiest of the four aspects to master.
The next discipline you need to wrap your brain around in mastering how to bead is the idea of patterning. Whole books could (and have) been published on this topic, and once you really get into it and start learning it, you'll quickly discover that of all the disciplines, this one is the most complex and involved. Certainly the one you'll spend the most time on when learning how to bead.
Color selection is one part skill and another part science. Art students learn about complimentary and different colors as a first course, and so are a leg up in this department, but there are several assets both online and off that will advise you through this field on your quest to learn how to bead. Don't skimp here. Proper color selection could make or break your designs!
Finally, the last major aspect to master in learning how to bead is medium selection and the correct mixing of mediums. This is mostly a practical, good sense discipline (ie., don't mix lower quality plastic with your semi-precious stones!) but even here there is some subtlety to be found.
Learning how to bead isn't too difficult, and getting a free beading project to practice with is very easy. Anybody can do it, and with practice, do it nicely. Just bear in mind that there's a little more to it than stringing popcorn!
Beading Ideas! - Five Ways To Increase Your Inspiration Easily
Are you in a creative rut? Inspiration all dried up? Or maybe you're just looking for some new ideas to keep both inspiration and interest up! If any of those apply to you, then you've come to the right place!
Bead Craft - Easy Solutions To Get Excellent Ideas
No matter which of the multitude of beading ideas I'm pursuing, I regard patterning as the single most important aspect of the hobby. A good pattern can cover a multitude of other bead craft design sins, and good crafters will spend a lot of time fiddling with their patterns to get them just right.
How To Design A Beaded Necklace Using Simple Procedures
If you are into the bead craft at all, you will definitely need to know how to make a beaded necklace.
Beading Ideas - 5 Pleasurable Christmas Patterns: Convenient, Nice Looking And Appealing
Christmas is the season of fun, and if you're a fan of beading and bead craft, then you can use your passion for the hobby to fuel a whole new look for your home this holiday season with a collection of free beading projects!
Different Shapes And Sizes Involving Bead Work Assignments
Beadwork, quite literally, is anything made with beads of any type. What first comes to mind is jewelry, and maybe second is adornments on clothing.
Beading Is One Of The Simplest Things To Master
Bead craft is one of the easiest things to learn. It is one of mans' first art forms or means of adornment. Might have been nothing more than an old shell with a hole in it threaded on a small vine, but there it is.
Bead Work Is By Far The Most Easy Things To Master
Beadwork stretches back to the beginnings of man, and is common from one culture to the next. As soon as someone took a vine, stripped the leaves off, found an old shell with a hole in it, and threaded it on, beading was born.
Bead Work And Its Details
At it's most basic, that is really all you need. Clasps on jewelry are nice, but not necessary. You can bead a loop at one end, and a ball at the other. Thus the one loops over the other joining the two ends of your necklace.
The reality, however, is that there is a lot more to learning how to bead than just stringing popcorn, and this content will have a closer look at what else you need to understand.
Learning how to bead involved learning in four basic areas. They might appear innocuous enough at first glance, but on closer examination, the inescapable conclusion is that there's a lot more to learning how to bead than first meets the eye.
The four basic "disciplines" you have to get good at to really learn how to bead are the following:
Mechanics
Patterning
Color Selection
Medium Selection/Mixing
We'll read through the particulars of these one at a time as a way of putting you on the path to learning how to bead.
The first step in your "learn how to bead" education is mechanics. If you don't have the mechanics down, then the rest does not matter. Thankfully, from a mechanics standpoint, it truly is about as easy as stringing popcorn. If you can do that, then you've already gotten this element of learning how to bead down, but even here, there is some subtlety. Did you know, for instance, that when stringing pearls, you need to tie a knot on either side of the stone to avoid potential damage caused by the stones rubbing against one another? Or that there are times when you only have to tie a loose knot as a "bead brake" on the end of the line you're not working?
So even where the basic mechanics are involved, there's a lot more to learning how to bead than you may first think. Certainly, however, this is the easiest of the four aspects to master.
The next discipline you need to wrap your brain around in mastering how to bead is the idea of patterning. Whole books could (and have) been published on this topic, and once you really get into it and start learning it, you'll quickly discover that of all the disciplines, this one is the most complex and involved. Certainly the one you'll spend the most time on when learning how to bead.
Color selection is one part skill and another part science. Art students learn about complimentary and different colors as a first course, and so are a leg up in this department, but there are several assets both online and off that will advise you through this field on your quest to learn how to bead. Don't skimp here. Proper color selection could make or break your designs!
Finally, the last major aspect to master in learning how to bead is medium selection and the correct mixing of mediums. This is mostly a practical, good sense discipline (ie., don't mix lower quality plastic with your semi-precious stones!) but even here there is some subtlety to be found.
Learning how to bead isn't too difficult, and getting a free beading project to practice with is very easy. Anybody can do it, and with practice, do it nicely. Just bear in mind that there's a little more to it than stringing popcorn!
Beading Ideas! - Five Ways To Increase Your Inspiration Easily
Are you in a creative rut? Inspiration all dried up? Or maybe you're just looking for some new ideas to keep both inspiration and interest up! If any of those apply to you, then you've come to the right place!
Bead Craft - Easy Solutions To Get Excellent Ideas
No matter which of the multitude of beading ideas I'm pursuing, I regard patterning as the single most important aspect of the hobby. A good pattern can cover a multitude of other bead craft design sins, and good crafters will spend a lot of time fiddling with their patterns to get them just right.
How To Design A Beaded Necklace Using Simple Procedures
If you are into the bead craft at all, you will definitely need to know how to make a beaded necklace.
Beading Ideas - 5 Pleasurable Christmas Patterns: Convenient, Nice Looking And Appealing
Christmas is the season of fun, and if you're a fan of beading and bead craft, then you can use your passion for the hobby to fuel a whole new look for your home this holiday season with a collection of free beading projects!
Different Shapes And Sizes Involving Bead Work Assignments
Beadwork, quite literally, is anything made with beads of any type. What first comes to mind is jewelry, and maybe second is adornments on clothing.
Beading Is One Of The Simplest Things To Master
Bead craft is one of the easiest things to learn. It is one of mans' first art forms or means of adornment. Might have been nothing more than an old shell with a hole in it threaded on a small vine, but there it is.
Bead Work Is By Far The Most Easy Things To Master
Beadwork stretches back to the beginnings of man, and is common from one culture to the next. As soon as someone took a vine, stripped the leaves off, found an old shell with a hole in it, and threaded it on, beading was born.
Bead Work And Its Details
At it's most basic, that is really all you need. Clasps on jewelry are nice, but not necessary. You can bead a loop at one end, and a ball at the other. Thus the one loops over the other joining the two ends of your necklace.