I often receive comments from
people intrigued by the intricate details of my beadwoven pieces. But what wows
me are designers who take wire and beads and string them and wrap them into
striking works of art. Sleek and modern, rustic and tribal, vintage, exotic,
iconic - how do they do that? To help answer that question, I signed up for
Deryn Mentock’s online design class, the Alchemy of Objects.
Last week Deryn challenged us to create
an asymmetrical piece. I started with a vintage button and a strand of
lapis rounds, then pulled together all the metal components and coordinating
strands I could find. (When the situation calls for more than seed beads, my
stash gets a little thin.) I did allow myself a single tube of size 8 seed
beads in zinc, which contrasted nicely with the shine and the natural gold
flecks in the lapis.
The class videos gave glimpses into the creative decisions that go into Deryn’s own enviable designs and were rich in examples for achieving both visual and physical balance.
I chose monochromatic with this
first attempt, and am looking forward to challenging myself with more color for
next week’s adventure: Texture.
Sign-ups for Deryn’s class are open until mid-October, so head over to her website if you're looking for an inspiring, nuts-and-bolts design class.
