Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Bead Color Ideas: Cactus Stripes

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.

Pico de Gallo Bead Palette


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.

Desert Dawn Bead Palette


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.

Adobe Bead Palette


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+


1 comment:

  1. 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

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

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