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with Sue Heaser
Bead making is such as satisfying pastime. Working with different
combinations of polymer clay and various techniques, you can create your
own unique beads.
Bicone beads are almost magical to make and only need a little practice to
get them perfect. You will need the following tools and materials; polymer
clay in the colour of your choice, a piece of clear Perspex about 4 in
(10cms) square or a clear CD case and a large needle
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Step 1
Make some round beads following the instructions here. It is
best to start with beads that are fairly large - about 3/4 in (20mm)
diameter. Lay a bead down on your work surface and lightly press the
perspex or CD cover onto the bead.
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Step 2
Gently rotate the sheet in a small circle as though you were trying to
simply roll the clay into a ball using the sheet instead of your hand. The
centre of the clay ball will begin to form a point.
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Step 3 Continue rolling and
the point will become more apparent. You will need to adjust the size of
the circling motion of the sheet in order to refine the shape. A wider
circling motion will give a higher point, a smaller one will flatten the
bead.
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Step 4 This shows the bead from the side - a
sharply pointed double cone - or “bicone”. The point can be made
more rounded or indented by gently pressing the bead from the top until
you have achieved the desired shape.
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Step 5
Piercing the bead: Allow the bead to cool so that
the clay becomes firmer and piercing will not squash it unduly. To pierce
the bead horizontally, it is best to pierce it through the top third of
the bead so that it hangs well. Hold the bead without squashing it and
push the darning needle through from one direction to about half way and
then from the other direction right through. This minimises distortion.
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Step 6
To pierce the bead vertically, hold it in your
fingers and push the darning needle through the top of the point to about
half way. Then pierce again from the other point. If you find the clay is
too soft and the points are spoilt with piercing, you can drill the bead
with a pin vice after baking.
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bead can be decorated using a number of techniques. Texture stamps such as those from the
Lisa Pavelka range will add patterning to the surface, mica powders such as Jacquard Pearl-Ex
can be smoothed over the surface before baking and then sealed with a
varnish, and cane slices can be added to the round bead before rolling and
flattening into the bicone. |