Designers Guide to Color - BOOKS 1 & 2

 

I'm exploring colors for my dragons and dragon earrings.  I have a set of 5 books that are nothing but COLOR inspiration. 

 

These books are available used pretty cheap on Amazon. 

I completed my set with books 4 & 5 last week. 

 

I get into ruts of my happy colors.  Purple, Blue and Green (especially Teal Green)

 

 

 

 nothing but pages and pages of color combinations

 

 

 

 So book one looks like this

 

 

This book has mostly 2 color combinations

 

 

 

 

but is has a few 3 color combinations and

I have already beaded dragon earrings from them

 

 

and I plan to make a dragon from this

color combo in the bottom right corner

 

 

 

This is book 2

It has lots of 3 color combos

 

 

 and some 2 color combos

 

 

lots of combos I would never put together myself

but are very nice

 

 

 I am not into the pastel colors

 

 

 but bright vivid colors are my fave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Time to get back to my beading

 

I hope you go looking for color on your own

 

I have gone to fabric web sights and gotten inspiration

 

I used a 3 color parachute cord to get a combo so I went looking for more multi color inspiration

 

Where do you get your color inspiration?

I'm beginning a journey about color and how to put colors together - join me!

A little back story....  In July 2015, I started dreaming about a dragon necklace.  It would be 3D and it's feet would stick out...  And I made one.   It turned out pretty cool.

Then I made one that showed the colors better so I could make a pattern

Which can be found in my Etsy shop

Well then I started making them and naming them - playing with colors

And then my cousin dreamed about my dragon only as an earring.

and that night I came home to make this pattern

 

 

I was wanting to play out of my color comfort zone so I dug out these cool books on color

 

And I opened them to find color combinations



 

 

and I made these

 

 

And then these

 

 

made these

 



So I used books on color to come up with theses

I looked some other places to get color inspiration like at the striped parachute cord at the bead store I work at.  I picked pink, olivine and grey out from one of those. 

You can search for things like quilt squares or quilt fabrics to get inspiration.  Most of you can probably open your closet and find all kinds of combos in there.

So I'm going to try to document a journey on color inspiration

Happily Beading Through My life

So I have neglected this blog horribly. This time my absence is not due to bead block like is usually is… like the topic of my last post… in 2013. It’s actually quite the opposite but where do I begin. I’m going to try to do this one a week. I am going to focus on what I’ve been doing until I’m caught up to the present and then I will try to make sure I don’t forget this blog. I now work at The Beadman in Redding, CA. I spend my days at work, stocking seed beads and ordering things for the store. This is quite possibly the best time of my life. My body aches but my soul smiles so much I almost don’t notice that so much. I have beads and color all around me all day. Then there are the customers. I love the customers but I especially love when I get to connect with other seed beaders. Not only do I have the coolest place to buy beads and teach beading, but I am also there a couple days a week working. Since I have been working there, I have come up with some of my coolest designs. A friend also contributed to my burst of creativity by sending me all of her delica beads. I had never been friends with those little cylinder beads. Another friend had taught me the basic triangle so that is where I started playing. My first triangle design is one of my most popular patterns.

 

Celtic Knot Triangle On Etsy

And now I’m in love with these little cylinder beads….. I went Triangle CRAZY!!!!

 

 

Watermelon Triangle

Earrings

on Etsy

US Flag Triangle on Etsy

 

 

 

 

Heartwith Wings Triangle on Etsy

 

 

 

 

TriangleEarring BasicsSet

onEtsy

 

 

 

I ©U Triangle Set

On Etsy

 

Poppy Triangle Set

On Etsy

 



 Tree of Life Set

On Etsy

 

 

 

I’m pretty happy with the things I have been making triangles…  I have several more in the works including a hummingbird triangle.

 

Happily beading my way through my life.  I hope you are too!

 

 

Dodged Bead Block for sure!

A month or so ago, I was afraid I was entering a bead block...  non-beaders won't understand this but for a beader, it's critical.

Then I had someone comment that there was nothing new in the class display case, so I played the next day and came up with a new beginner bracelet & earrings.

 

 

Then I got pulled out the cabochons. I have a container of them - it weighs a ton and none of them beaded - just nekkid waiting to be played with. So I came up with a netting formula that worked on round and oval cabocons:

 

And then I peyoted around one of my decal cabs:

 

I will be doing a few craft shows, so I had to start playing with some earrings, and got the tila beads and the rivoli's out and came up with this new design:

 

 

 

Then I made a bracelet and decided I needed one for me too!

 

 

 

So then I decided to finish a couple unfinished bead projects today: 

 

 

An Elegant Netted Collar - tutorial in my Etsy Shop.  www.violetbead.etsy.com

 

And a triple Helix in tanzanite & lime green!  

 

 

I think I have averted the dreaded bead block!  WHEW!