The Wonders of Black and White

I just finished a custom set of beads in black and white (and clear) glass and I couldn't help but appreciate how nicely these two "colours" work together.  I would absolutely describe myself as a colour person.  My first forays into art involved glossy, intense oil paints in vibrant hues mixed and melded to create even more colours.  Even when I sketch I tend to use coloured pencils so black and white isn't really a natural for me but every time I use it, I love the bright, clean, graphic results that can be achieved.

They're great glasses to use when trying out new techniques, too.  First, they aren't as horrifically expensive as some of the other glasses and they tend to work really well together.  They stay clean and don't blur and react the way some other colours do.

Also, I know that Effetre Black is actually a very dark purple but I like the way you can see that hint of purple when it's layered very thinly.  It gives the black and white beads a little colour which I find a bit more appealing than plain black and white.

Inspiration - Lampwork Beads

It's finally getting colder here in Canada and I've been feeling a little blah as a result.  So I started looking around for inspiration for new beads and found it in one place unexpected and in an old favourite.  Let's start with the favourite: design-seeds.com  This is a fantastic site for colour inspiration.  It is in fact, all about colour.  Beautiful photographs and lovely colour palettes to go with them.  I used this photo:

to create these two sets of beads:

Glass used in these sets include Effetre dark sky blue, antique green, oliva nera, dark chestnut, coral (sorry I have no idea which coral) and CIM Vanilla Latte.

And then for my unexpected inspiration.  I received the latest catalogue from Knitpicks with a gorgeous picture of their new yarn, Diadem.  So from this picture:

I created this set of beads:

Not quite as purple as I was shooting for but I really liked how they turned out.  The rich jewel tones with a cool, frosty vibe.  This set was made using Effetre transparent dark aqua, dark violet, dark turquoise, white, CIM glacier, and rainforest.  I kind of wish I'd put a bit of pale grey into the set but otherwise I was pretty happy.  Well, hopefully there's more inspiration around the corner.

Effetre Bright (Electric) Yellow

Effetre Bright (sometimes called Electric) Yellow is my all time favourite yellow.  It is technically a transparent colour but it quite often goes translucent when worked which creates a stunning cloudy, swirly yellow.  This colour is as clean and clear a yellow as you'll find anywhere.  No orange or blue tones, no brown murkiness, just a bright, true yellow.  Obviously with a colour like this a little can go a long way.  This set first started with thoughts of yellow and grey but I wanted to mellow it out with some caramels, browns and beiges.  Frankly, it turned out almost exactly as I pictured it in my head and that's pretty rare for me anyway.

For those bead makers interested in colour combinations this set of beads contains:  Effetre White, Effetre Bright Yellow, Effetre transparent Grey, Effetre transparent dark Grey, CIM Maple, CIM Adamantium, and CIM Vanilla Latte.  I did encase the Vanilla Latte in two beads and they seem to be fine.  I think some of my past cracking problems had to do with putting the beads in the kiln too cold.  I warm everything up a bit now right before plopping them into the kiln. 

Bright, Holiday Discs

I really don't know how people who make tons of spacer beads stay sane.  I thought making 40 disc beads in multiple, bright colours would be easy.  Not so much.  It took a fairly long time (although I imagine if I did it more often I would get faster due to sheer repetition) and by the time I was done, I really didn't want to see another disc bead again ever.  However, I love the effect of clear glass over a bright colour.  The clear glass seems to gather all the available light and give the beads a bit of a glow.  Very pretty and quite versatile.  I've gone ahead and listed them on eBay (even though I really don't like eBay) mostly because I have no idea what to charge for them.  If they sell, great, if not, then I may make them into something myself or pop them into my Etsy store.

I really like this picture just due the perspective.

CIM Greens - Shrubbery and Dirty Martini with Effetre Relish

I am currently in love with Effetre Relish.  It is just such a deep rich yellow ochre colour and it is perfect for fall.  It also works beautifully with pale pastel colours like the Effetre Light Pink and the CIM Dirty Martini that I've used in this set.  The other colours are CIM Shrubbery and CIM Key Lime.  I think the 3 greens contrast nicely with the pastel pink which is a bit bluer in tone.

I have to say that this is one of those combinations that needed to be etched.  I find that etching softens really vibrant colours and brightens more subdued colours and sometimes is necessary to help colours get along with each other.  

Before I etched them, the Key Lime, the Relish, and the pink all seemed to be fighting to be the dominant colour.  The beads just looked kind of busy.  After etching, they seem more balanced and the designs pop a bit better.

CIM Cookie Dough and Hazelnut Mouse and Nutmeg

Another set of beads made mostly with Creation is Messy glass.  I'm going to have to start using some of my other glass just to be fair.  This set turned into a creamy confectionery of pastel strawberry pink, milk chocolate brown and hints of sweet nougat.  I'm working on my fine lines which still need some practice but they are starting to come out the way I intended.

These are the largest beads I've ever made and I realized that it is harder to make large beads.  So much surface area to work with and it takes a lot of time to form and decorate.  However, they do look very pretty strung as a single bead on a chain or a cord.  I'm also trying to put out beads with larger holes so that they can be easily strung on chains or cords.

Three new glass colours used in this set are Cookie Dough, Hazelnut Mousse, and Nutmeg.  Nutmeg turned out a bit paler than I expected but it is a beautiful pastel terracotta colour.  Cookie Dough and Hazelnut Mousse are gorgeous neutral colours.  It's hard to tell them apart in rod form but I found when melted that Cookie Dough was a darker, rich tan colour and Hazelnut Mouse was a creamy bisque colour.

They're all great colours to work with, melting easily with no bubbling or shocking.  I will definitely be looking to stock up on these colours.

CIM Blue Steel, CIM Iguana, CIM Lichen

I just got a new shipment of glass and couldn't wait to play with it.  These beads are made with all CIM (Creation is Messy) glasses and most of the colours are green.  Until recently, I wouldn't have said I was a really big fan of green but lately I can't seem to make anything without it.  And, of course, for this set, I went over the top with greens.  To start with there are 2 light greens called CIM Lichen and CIM Sprout.  The bead on the right has a base of Lichen and the bead 3rd from the right has a base of Sprout.  Sprout is a lovely, pale green that almost seems translucent (especially went it's not etched).  It melts wonderfully and creates clean lines and dots.  Lichen is a pale, very greyish green.  It is a lovely neutral colour and also creates clean lines and dots with a hint of translucency.  CIM Iguana and CIM Fiddlehead look very similar in rod form but Iguana melts to a much brighter green with less grey tones.  You can see Iguana on the 4th bead from the right.  This is a streaky colour so lines and dots get a bit wavy but it has a nice vibrancy without being a neon green.

To contrast with the many greens in this set, I've used CIM Blue Steel.  This is a hard colour to describe and I believe it will look quite different depending on the colours you combine it with.  In this set, because it's contrasting with the green, the colour is a bit more purplish.  I think if it was combined with blues it would look a lot more bluish.  Again, it was a good glass to work with and behaved pretty well in the lines and dots.  A bit of blurring but not too much.