Jewelry & Beading

June 17th, 2008

The Basics: creativity online

Online tools
Imagination Prompts
Are you looking for some random writing prompts or story starters for your journal, blog, or other creativity-related project?
Oblique strategies
A handy online version of Brian Eno’s creativity tool
Creativity and the periodic table
Roll your mouse over the table to see examples of each strategy
Excellent articles
Don’t wait for the muse
Apparently you shouldn’t sit around waiting […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

June 12th, 2008

Artist profile: Olivia Competente

Artist: Olivia Competente
Business name: Jewels By Olivia
Location: San Francisco
Website: Jewels By Olivia
Gallery: Museum of Craft and Folk art in San Francisco

Olivia, how do you describe your work?
I have always loved sparkle and color. I started out with beads and they have always been my first love. What I do now is and extension […]

By Cyndi -- 4 comments

May 22nd, 2008

Artist Profile: Billie Sanchez

Artist: Billie Sanchez
Business name: Wicked Oak Designs
Location: Flagstaff Arizona
Website:
Wicked Oak Designs
Wicked Oak Designs Etsy shop

How do you describe your beadwork, Billie?
I do mostly OOAK jewelry pieces and beaded objects. I love creating and building 3-D pieces and larger cabochon necklaces.
What is your creative process like?
Well, I usually start with a focal piece […]

By Cyndi -- 13 comments

April 24th, 2008

Artist Profile: Bernadine Stoopman

Artist: Bernadine Stoopman
Location: Brisbane, Queensland (East Coast of Australia)
Websites and Blog:
Bridal Jewellery & Hair Accessories by Bernadine
Designs to Love: Bernadine’s gallery
Handcrafted Jewellry & Special Occasion Creations
Hooked on Wire blog

Bernadine, your work is so unique. How do you describe it?
Inventive and inspired are probably the first words that come to mind when describing […]

By Cyndi -- 0 comments

April 10th, 2008

Artist Profile: Dulcey Heller

Mary of Burgundy, created for Beading for a Cure
Artist: Dulcey Heller
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Websites:
Dulcey Heller’s Beadwork
Buy the Kit

Rubber Gaskets Bracelet
Published in the June/July 2006 Beadwork
Dulcey, would you tell us how you describe your work?
My work is mostly driven by shapes, and to a lesser extent, colors, of things I observe. I am most interested […]

By Cyndi -- 11 comments

April 3rd, 2008

Artist Profile: Melissa Lee

Something Wicked This Way Comes
Artist: Melissa J. Lee
Location: Illinois
Website & Blog: ,
Strands of Beads blog
Melissa J Lee etsy shop

Kissing Bandit
Button in the focal piece by Sarah Moran
Melissa, how do you describe your work?
I like to think of my jewelry as being a little bit quirky, often reflecting my odd sense of […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

April 1st, 2008

The Basics: Online jewelry design tools

Help, help! I know nothing about formal design theory! What do balance, unity, line, color, movement, and contrast have to do with making jewelry? Don’t despair. If you don’t have time or funds for a college-level course on design, check out some of the best the web has to offer:
Informational Articles on Design:

Formal Visual […]

By Cyndi -- 6 comments

February 6th, 2008

Call for entries: The 6th Annual Ugly Necklace Contest

What’s Up Wednesday!
It’s not that easy to do ugly. I mean to do really gut-twisting ugly.
It’s easy to make a necklace that isn’t that great, but how about to make one that breaks all the rules of good design and leaves your viewer feeling squeamish? I can’t show you a picture of my entry from […]

By Cyndi -- 0 comments

January 18th, 2008

Pantone Fashion Color Report for Spring 2008

It gets to be totally ridiculous how far ahead color predictions are made these days. They’re not really “predictions” either, are they? By stating that these are the new colors for the season, the color industry makes it so. What power ;-)
For those who pay attention when planning their spring jewelry line. Pantone’s report […]

By Cyndi -- 3 comments

January 2nd, 2008

Online color training and tools

What’s Up Wednesday!

Color is important to every artist, but as a bead or jewelry artist, you probably haven’t been classically trained like a painter would be. Not to fear! There are a plethora of wonderful online sources to help you learn the terminology on your own and to teach you how to train your eye. […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments