Immediate gratification. That's what my jewelry is often about. I love to create. I find the process meditative and relaxing BUT I also love the results. There are two things that really drive me; one is having something fabulous to wear, give away or sell at the end; the other is the knowledge: a new technique, a combination of color or shapes that I've never tried before.
The reality is that my attempts are often hit or miss - and I think most people would say that. But, one thing that I'm just learning - and lord knows it's taken me a long time to get here - is that planning my design
would save me a lot of the 'misses' in the scrap pile.
For the first time ever, I'm using a bead board. I'm pretty embarrassed to admit that I've never actually laid out a design on a bead board before. I've used them to store beads - but never to actually lay out the beads and plan the design.
It's kind of funny because this design isn't even complex, but I thought a graduated strand of moonstone would look so much better than a random strand. I laid them out and arranged them by size on the back of an envelope. I thought the flap line would help me line up the beads, but a ruler was more effective. I also eliminated a few that just didn't match in terms of thickness or where the cut was too irregular.

I use a bead board for my necklaces, but i need to start scetching more for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThe bead board worked great! I could kick myself for waiting so long to use such an easy tool.
DeleteI looooove my sketchbook and I hope you get one. It's such an easy way to keep my jewelry work with me when I can't bring the tools or project.
Thanks for stopping by!
Lisa