Handmade Beads

Ranked #23,768 in Arts & Design, #567,836 overall

Looking for the perfect purple bead with a gold stripe?  How about learning to make it yourself instead of tearing out your hair?!

From glass and clay to paper and more, there are many on-line instructors just waiting to introduce you to their art. To further your exploration, each topic below also includes the very best instructional books on the subject.

Lampworking ~ the allure of the flame

Schermobeads
An excellently photographed introduction to the steps involved in making lampworked beads.
Frequently Asked Questions
All kinds of information about hot glass.
Making Glass Beads
Beads that are multicolored, grooved, feathered or foiled, and decorated with spots, dots, eyes, and stripes: no matter which of these designs in glass you choose, the results will be beautiful. Detailed instructions and magnificent photos, along with scores of valuable tips and tricks, guide you through an awesome array of techniques, making this the best guide to glass beading ever.

"Rock Candy"



Lampworked glass beads

Polymer ~ let's play with clay

Polymer Clay Central
Lessons, projects, and instructions from some of the finest polymer artists, all gathered in one place.
The Polymer Clayspot
Frequently asked questions about what it is and how to use it.
The New Clay
This book has been around a while, and for a good reason. It's one of the best books for learning polymer clay techniques like millefiori and bead making.

"Whirling Dervish"



Polymer clay

Paper Beads ~ rollin', rollin', rollin'...

Lisa Vollrath
How to make basic paper beads, and even dress 'em up a bit.
Partz Paper Beads
How to make them, and what to do with them once you have!
Creating Extraordinary Beads from Ordinary Material
It is possible to make colorful beads of one's own from craft materials. Casey's beads are often humorous items made from glued strips of cloth, yarn, or paper and finished off with clear nail polish.

"Native Dance"



Mixed materials

All wired up and no place to go

Wig Jig Wire Beads
A few lessons and many supplies for making twisted wire beads.
Make Wire Beads
Concise and detailed how-to instructions for making a wide variety of different wire beads. All 44 beads in this book are fully illustrated both in color and black and white and along with the individual instructions.

PMC ~ squishing silver and gold?

PMC and Art Clay Silver
An online manual for success with the new precious metal clays.
Making metal beads
Register with the ArtJewelry site and receive a free download of Nanz Aalund's tutorial.
The Art of Metal Clay
Artist and instructor Sherri Haab demonstrates metal clay's remarkable versatility, showing how it can be textured, molded, carved, and sculpted to create gorgeous beads.
Metal Clay Magic
Packed with color photos showing each step of working with metal clay. Covers more than just beads, but has lots of techniques that can be used in making beads.

Guestbook ~ reader feedback

The place where you can share other resources that you think we all need to know about!

  • JaZilla Jan 31, 2007 @ 1:13 am | delete
    So I take it that you collect every bit of interesting junk that you find, too?
    *laugh*

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CyndiL

I am Cyndi L, a mixed media artist in Massachusetts.
My experience has been that life and art are intertwined. We are all works of art
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