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The Art of Beaded Beads
Exploring Design, Color & Technique
Published: 06-Apr-2010
Edited by: Jean Campbell
Beaders everywhere are discovering the extraordinary creative potential and pleasure of making unique, one-of-a-kind beads from existing beads themselves. This lushly illustrated guide. now in a paperback version, offers them a blast of inspiration, with 40 fabulous designs from today’s finest beadwork artists. Ranging from understated to pure dazzling glam, these projects showcase a range of innovative techniques. Among the standouts: a peyote-stitched Tetrahedron Beaded Bead; a Peek-A-Boo Bead, using steel nuts from the hardware store; and a cylinder-shaped Piñata Bead, decorated with smaller beads resembling tiny, colorful party balloons.
Booklist Review
This is a return to basics, so to speak, by taking the foundation of bead art, the bead, and re-creating it with itself. "What is a beaded bead?" editor Campbell asks, then answers through the creativity and vision of 23 designers. Most of the projects use seed beads to create "larger" beads. Few finished projects are bigger than an inch, making them ideal for beaders who want to begin learning off-loom, free-form bead construction. Each project is illustrated with a macro-color photograph of the finished bead and several graphics of how the beads are stitched together. All the basic tools, materials, knots, and stitching techniques are explained in the beginning of the book as a quick reference for readers who have some experience with off-loom bead weaving and stitching. The gallery sidebars showcase beads by bead artists to encourage readers to experiment on their own. An inspiring collection of projects for beaders who want to go beyond the basics. Jennifer Palmer