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Ursula's Alcove
Books : Ye Olde Trades
Making Glass Beads
by Kimberley Adams
Hardcover $24.95
ISBN 1-57990-572-2
ISBN 13: 9781579905729
Lark Books, 2005.
176 pages,
8.75" x 10.25"
Whether brightly colored, intricately shaped, glass beads
are tiny works of art that astonish and delight. An amazingly versatile material,
glass can be heated, sculpted, and embellished using little more than a torch,
some basic supplies, and tools that can be expanded upon as your skills grow.
Illustrated with hundreds of how-to color photographs, The
Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking takes you from the beginning to the
advanced stages of this remarkable craft. Artist Kimberley Adams introduces
all the favorite glass bead techniques as well as some newer, innovative ones.
Each technique builds on the previous one in complexity.
Glass beadmaking is more popular than ever and there are many
tools and materials from which to choose. As you become familiar with them, you'll
master such basics as using a torch to create simple undecorated beads. Enhance
basic forms such as barrels, discs, and cones by experimenting with color and
decoration, such as adding aventurine, which provides a lustrous, glittering sparkle.
Progress on to more involved techniques, combining and layering
treatments you've already tried. Dedge hot glass in baking soda to create an etched
surface, dust beads in mica powder to form an iridescent sheen, apply millefori to make
intricate designs, and more.
Finally, try some of the most advanced techniques being developed by
glass bead artists today. Experiment with floral and sculptural beads; make murrine canes
that feature encased images like stars, flowers, and faces; create hollow beads using a
special wrapping method.
Rounding out this comprehensive guide are color photographs of museum-
quality beads that provide an inspiring look at the bead as art.
Kimberley Adams of Hendersonville, NC, is a handmade glass
beadmaker and jewelry artist whose work is shown in galleries throughout the United States.
Her work has been featured in several books, including Making Glass Beads
(Lark Books, 1997). She also contributed the section on lampworked beads in Making
Beautiful Beads (Lark Books, 2002).
As an experienced teacher of both beginning and advanced students,
she has taught at several schools, including the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown,
NC, and the summer school of the Art Institute of Chicago (Oxbow) in Saugatuck, MI.
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