Robert Dancik
9 - 4:30
Sunday

H118 - Not Your Same Old Bead

$ 140  

In this fast paced, low tech workshop, you will explore making hollow form beads that are at once, extremely durable, easy to make and utterly unique.  Using special blades that don’t break or bind (honest), and materials as common as Plexiglas, as new as Faux Bone™ and as unexpected as bicycle reflectors you will learn how to form hollow beads of varying sizes and shapes.   After they are formed, you will learn how to include other materials such as epoxy resins, polymer clay, rock-like paper pulp, and PMC as part of the bead.  You will also learn how to cut “windows” into the beads to reveal words, images or any thing else you may want to place behind the window or inside the bead.  The surfaces of the beads can be cut, carved, and textured: or they can be sanded to a smooth matte, or polished to a high shine.    Color can be applied with paint, alcohol inks, Prismacolor pencils or various other pigments.

The making and use of shop-made dapping dies for forming the beads will also be covered.

This is not a traditional beading class but rather an opportunity to make one of a kind artists beads that are just as useable in book arts, fiber arts, clothing and sculpture as they are in jewelry.

$20 Materials fee payable to the instructor at the beginning of class

Supplies Needed for Class:

·          Jeweler’s saw frame (I will supply special blades – they don’t break – really – they don’t)

·           Bench pin

·          One sheet each of silicon carbide sandpaper (wet sanding paper) grits 320, 400, 600,

·          Medium file (not needle file)

·          Writing implement

·          Circle templates or compass

Optional items:

·          Alcohol inks

·          Favorite acrylic paint colors

·          Pieces to attach to beads such as fired PMC, metal pieces

·          Images to collage inside the beads, found objects, beads, buttons

·          Small diameter tubing (brass, silver, copper)

·          Eyelets

CLOSED - CLASS FULL