Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Bead Journal Project - January 2011

I'm off to a late start with my 2011 Bead Journal Project - I was determined to complete 2010 first!

I spent a lot of time pondering what direction to take with this years project; it's important to me that I not just complete the project but that I also learn from the project.

So this year is going to be technique based - I'll be using this image of a trillium rising from the leaf litter as my inspiration:


I hope you like it, you'll be seeing it twelve times!

I will be creating a 4" x 6" beaded piece using twelve different beading techniques, one each month. Different techniques yield such different looks and when you add in different size and finishes of the beads themselves the possibilities are endless!

The first beading technique I learned was loom work - I wanted elaborate beaded bags to accompany my Edwardian outfits, so that's where I'm starting this project.
This piece uses size 15/0 seed beads; the pattern is 91 beads across. I decided to go with a modern interpretation, a period look would have a solid background and a very stylized look to the trillium.

Loom work is really meant to be viewed from a distance, for instance on a bag, not up close - the colors blend at a distance, up close you tend to focus on each individual bead. It takes strong contrasts for the pattern to work.

I've not yet decided how I will mount this piece, so for the moment I'm leaving the warp threads as is - they'll need to be dealt with at some point.

I'm excited about this project, but I'm hoping I don't get too bored with the same image - time will tell!

7 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! That is just amazing. I love the shading and details you were able to capture.

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  2. Stunning piece... so pretty! I can't wait to see the next month.:)

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  3. Wow! Its just beautiful! I always wanted to loom a piece. I know that I will some day. I can't wait to see your next piece!!

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  4. Wow! I think you are the first person to do a loomed piece for the BJP. How wonderful! Your idea to keep working the same image in different ways for the entire year will, indeed, be a challenge, yet should teach you much (your goal). I am very excited to see how this pans out.

    Note: if it gets too boring and you find that you aren't going to do it, switch something about it... size, do the image in reverse, do it upside down, change the colors... anything to keep you going with it. This is a fantastic way to explore technique!

    Robin A.

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  5. Какая красотища! Очень аккуратно и красиво! Желаю удачи в дальнейших работах.

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  6. I love what you have done on the loom. Beautiful! Did you use a computer program to decide on which beads to use? If so, which program? I've done some in the past, but wasn't happy with the program I used.

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