Inspiration Tip: Fun with Photos

A recent post from the Etsy Success newsletter discussed the importance of having a balance of selection in a shop. Too many choices can make a customer less likely to find something that they like. The same is true for our bead stashes. Have you ever been in the mood to create something, but had absolutely no idea which beads to combine for just the right colors or textures?

Whenever I’ve been stumped by the endless color possibilities that comes with being a seed bead hoarder, I do a little photo editing. If I already know what sort of design I want, I’ll grab a photo of a similar project, and experiment with different colors using the Fotoflexer on Photobucket.

By adjusting the hue values in any given photograph, you can drastically change the appearance of a piece of beadwork. It’s even more fun when the original picture contains contrasting or distinctly different colors.

Often times, the results of sliding the hue tab is an instant inspiration - the colors come out great and I want to create a piece with the new palette. Other times, the results are a good example for a color scheme, as with the green and orange combination. The contrast is interesting, but some subtle changes in the actual bead colors would look much more elegant.

It’s also fun to see what a piece of beadwork would have looked like with a different selection of beads and colors.

Copyright 2009 Inspirational Beading