Striped Paper Beads

I love the way these striped beads came out. (I know, I always say that--I'm not posting pictures of the ones I didn't like the way they came out!)

I made these with a 12x18 inch piece of paper. I loaded my paintbrush with the blue-green paint and painted in a paintbrush-width column down the page. In practice, what that meant was that I had lots of color at the top of the page and next to nothing by the bottom. I did that all the way across the page.

I cut strips that were 5/8 inch on the bottom up to 5/16 at the top. This left triangles between them that were 5/6 inch at the top down to a point at the bottom. When I rolled a bead, I rolled the fatter strip first, then continued with the thinner strip. This meant the paint went from green to white and white back to green, which made these lovely stripes.

As always--have fun experimenting!

Granite Paper Beads

I just had to post a picture of these newest beads I listed on my Etsy site, because they might be my favorite ones yet! Can you believe this set of beads began life as a sheet of plain white paper? These beads are the result of the experiment I mentioned several posts earlier--the one where I was trying to imitate a restaurant wall I loved. To me they look like a polished granite countertop.

I used a mixture of blue and green paint to create that deep turquoise color, then I added some bronze paint and sponged it all over my paper. Then I cut strips that were 1/2 inch on one end, narrowing to 1/4 inch at the other end. The spacer beads are 1/4 inch triangles. I gave these beads four coats of the polycrylic gloss.

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again... the wonderful thing about art is that it's ALL available to you. Any idea is open for trying. You may fail spectacularly, like when I tried rolling sandpaper into a bead. (Hint: that doesn't work!) Or you may create something beautiful. But the fun is in the experiment.

Art Overcoming Fear

I was in two different restaurants yesterday (yes, it was one of those days), and in each of them I found a wall that I longed to turn into a paper bead. Of course, I realized pretty quickly that even if I'd had access to said walls, I can't roll a wall into a bead. But I've been thinking a lot more about painting my own paper for beads.

I've done some of that. I've made a couple of bead sets that started out as white paper I painted before cutting. More often I've added paint to scrapbook paper to enhance the colors already there. But I'm really longing to experiment more with color and texture and combinations to make beads that are truly original pieces of art.

There's fear there, though. I feel inadequate when it comes to painting. Nothing ever comes out on paper quite the way I'd envisioned it in my head. I realize the more I practice the better I'll get. But that means fighting the voices that tell me I'm inadequate.

I guess that's what all art is about--gathering the courage to leave your mark despite your fear of inadequacy. Maybe even worse than inadequacy is the fear that nothing you have to say is original or necessary. Being an artist--of any kind--means announcing that you believe your imaginings are important.

I choose to believe. I will leave my mark. How about you?