How do I get started?? (from janetlasher.blogspot.com)

I often start new beading projects when I have to sit on a plane for a few hours. About a week ago, I went to Arizona, so with a total of 8+ hours on a plane - I started a new beaded figure. The reason I like to start projects on an airplane is that it forces me to narrow the design options to what I can carry in my re-purposed cosmetic bag that I have as a carry-on. This forces me to focus on what works really well when designing with beads - rhythm and repetition, rather than the drawers full of beads in the studio.

I usually work intuitively when I do beading. I start with fabric that has colors or a gesture in it that I like, cut a piece of it off and usually back it with a piece of acid-free paper. The paper helps keep the fabric from being too distorted from the stitching. I then go over to my beads and select a group of beads of various sizes and finishes that seem to go with the fabric. I look for colors that blend and contrast with the base fabric. I make sure I have a few different sizes and finishes and pack them up. This usually happens about 30 mins before I leave for the airport, so I don't have much time to obsess over selections. So by being captive in a plane (or a hotel room) with a small selection of beads, I have to work with what I have. When I get home, the piece has already been established and has taken on its own personality. As I work in front of the TV at home, I am less enticed by the plethora of beads available.

Cutting Paper (from janetlasher.blogspot.com)

Too many years ago, I took a photography class and one of my favorite images was a still life of a pomegranate. I love pomegranates as a food and as inspiration for my work. While visiting the Huntington Library and Gardens near Pasadena California, I found a very nice very small pomegranate plant with fruits left to over winter on the stem. The fruits were bursting open showing glistening seeds.

I often work on new images by cutting solid black paper with a sharp blade to see the negative and positive space created. All the paper cuts are saved in a large sketchbook full of only black and white images. Each small piece of paper is glued down to the sketchbook, sometimes this is easier said than done. Tweezers and the tip of the cutting blade help maneuver the pieces into place. I have also been known to scan these and "fix" them up in PhotoShop.

I loved this image and worked a bit studying the form and shape. I usually don't work directly from photographs but use a set of photographs to inspire new shapes and forms. In this case, I worked from that small fruit in the photo.

Sometimes these simple pieces become stencils just as they are cut, and sometimes I re-work the shapes many times to get a more detailed image for more complicated printing tools. And sometimes they live in the sketchbook for awhile until I get inspired again with the image. Right now there are about 6 paper cuts of pomegranates waiting to be used in the creation of some project. I need to read up on myths and those faited 6 seeds that were so tempting...