Many books on learning the art of beadweaving recommend experimenting with colors by weaving samples - collections of beads in panels such as peyote stitch - as a way to learn about the way that beads look together. Even when I was just starting out, I didn’t have nearly enough patience for bead homework, and I’m not much for doing beadwork that won’t ‘be’ something when I’m done. I have however, discovered the benefits of playing with color before starting a project.
For our last set of bead color palettes, we looked at some combinations for pretty striped glass beads from Java. One of the palettes looked so great, I ended up using it as inspiration for a project, and it turned out perfectly. This month, I want to give it another shot.
I have another strand of striped Java beads, this time in a lovely deep green with red and yellow stripes. The colors and shapes make me think of cacti, and had me leaning towards Southwestern themes for most of the palettes.
I started with some complements. Pepper red looked great with both the base green and the stripes - tangy and vibrant. I wanted to add another element that would help remove any festive tones, and decided to use another green to push things over the edge. Cactus green was a perfect match for both the red seed beads and the stripes in Pico de Gallo.
I wanted to see how things would go with a more neutral palette, and started with bone white for a nice, sandy background. The green and soft beige worked really well together, but needed just a little extra color. Just for fun, I added some soft orange and got a cool Desert Dawn.
Finally, I couldn’t resist a splash of turquoise. Rather than go with the obvious coral red, which might not have left any room for the striped beads to stand out, I added some Autumn Tucson gold. The combination of bright blue with a more natural yellow really enhances the colors in the Java beads. Adobe reminds me of brightly painted buildings in the sun.
Do you ever experiment and play with beadwork for fun or for theory?
Copyright 2013 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading
Get inspired on Facebook and Google+
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Inspiration Topics
accessories
amulet
Ancient Worlds Modern Beads
animals
April's Army
art
ArtFire
astrology
astronomy
autumn
awards
awareness
bangle
beach
Bead Inspired
Bead Shops
bead soup
bead spotlight
bead stash
Bead Trays
beaded beads
beading theory
beads
belt
bezel
birthstones
black
blog spotlight
blue
boho
bone
book spotlight
bracelet
Bracelet A Week
branch fringe
brick stitch
brown
bugles
buttons
cabochon
ceramic
chain maille
challenge
charity
chevron chain
christmas
collar
Collections
color
Color Ideas
color triads
conservation
craft shows
crafts
crochet
crystals
cuff
Culled Beads
current events
Current Faves
daggers
Daily Sets
daisy chain
Delicas
Destash
drops
Dutch spiral
earrings
Egypt
Egyptian Gods
embellishing
embroidery
environment
etsy
exotic
fair trade
fantasy
fashion
Favorite Beads
Favorite Techniques
feminine
fibers
film
findings
fire polish
fixtures
Flashback Test
flickr inspiration
flowers
food
found object
free form
fringe
Geek Jewels
geekery
gemstones
geography
giveaway
glass
gold
gray
Greece
green
herringbone
hex cuts
history
holiday
home decor
insects
inspiration tip
inspired beader
Inspired by...
Inspiring Links
ivory
Jewelry Stash
knitting
ladder stitch
lampwork
lariat
leaf fringe
leather
lights
literature
loomwork
macrame
magatamas
Master Class
Medallions
metal free
metalwork
Mini Collar a Week
mixed media
mixture
Mood Board
MOP
multi-color
multi-strand
music
natural beads
nature
necklace
Necklace a Day
Nepal chain
netting
New Beads
ocean
ombre
orange
paint
paper
patterns
pearls
pendant
peyote
photography
Picasso finish
pink
Pinspiration
PMC
polymer clay
poster sketch
purple
quick inspiration
rainbow
RAW
red
resin
ring
Ring a Day
rivoli
Rome
Russian spiral
scarf
science
seed beads
shell
silver
soutache
spiral rope
spring
square stitch
St. Petersburg
steampunk
stringing
stripes
summer
tagua
TBT
The Elements
thread
Tilas
Time Capsule
tools
trade beads
triangle weave
tribal
tropical
turquoise
tutorial
two-hole beads
Ugly
vintage
Wear it Twice
weather
white
winter
WIP
wire
wishlist
wood
World Beaders
yellow
Blog Home * About * Beading Tutorials * Advertise
Learn About Sponsoring Inspirational Beading with Project Wonderful
Affiliated With ShareASale.com and Amazon.com
Learn About Sponsoring Inspirational Beading with Project Wonderful
Affiliated With ShareASale.com and Amazon.com
Sometimes I can't get past the playing with colors to make a decision! I really love playing that way! I like these palettes too!
ReplyDelete