Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Bead Color Ideas: Picasso Dragonflies

Although every season has its good and bad sides, spring is one time of year where the division is greatest. There are beautiful, fragrant flowers, and allergy triggering pollen. There are wonderful bees and butterflies flitting about, as well as a steady march of spiders, hungry caterpillars, and the year’s first mosquitoes. Its interesting how much we can love some bugs, but not others. Naturally, some of the insects we like most are also the most beautiful - like dragonflies.

Recently I splurged on a strand of gorgeous Czech dragonfly coins, and it was definitely money well spent. The simple design and Picasso finish brings to mind all of the things we love about nature. Although I have some secret designs planned for them already, I still wanted to experiment a bit with color and see how well these beads can play with others.

Pond Water Bead Color Idea


I started slow with a simple palette of brown and green, going for a near match of the colors in the coins. Transparent lime green and dark topaz look gorgeous together, and provide a simple backdrop for the subtle changes in the Picasso finish. This Pond Water palette would look great in a flat stitch with a random pattern, perhaps as a cuff with a coin focal.

Reflecting Pool Bead Color Idea


Next I wanted to incorporate some clear water, so I started with transparent aqua blue. This color is incredibly intense, and could overpower the super soft green of the coins, so I added some soothing medium topaz to complement the dragonflies. Reflecting Pool would work well as a rope and pendant, especially with a repeating pattern to represent waves of cool water.

Evening Thunder Bead Color Idea


For the final palette, I started with another complement, but in a whole new direction. Instead of a light-filled green, I grabbed some transparent dark emerald. The deep green really brings out all of the colors in the coins, and the addition of dark blue iris adds a shimmer just the a dragonfly’s wings. Evening Thunder definitely calls out for something bold and fringe-covered.

Do you have a favorite spring insect? How does it inspire your designs?

Copyright 2014 Inspirational Beading
Subscribe to Inspirational Beading
Get inspired on Facebook and Google+


1 comment:

  1. Those are awesome beads. I like the first palate best. I am not a blue person. But the beads go perfectly with all three.
    Nicole/Beadwright

    ReplyDelete

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Inspiration Topics

accessories amulet Ancient Worlds Modern Beads animals April's Army art ArtFire astrology astronomy autumn awards awareness bangle beach Bead Inspired Bead Shops bead soup bead spotlight bead stash Bead Trays beaded beads beading theory beads belt bezel birthstones black blog spotlight blue boho bone book spotlight bracelet Bracelet A Week branch fringe brick stitch brown bugles buttons cabochon ceramic chain maille challenge charity chevron chain christmas collar Collections color Color Ideas color triads conservation craft shows crafts crochet crystals cuff Culled Beads current events Current Faves daggers Daily Sets daisy chain Delicas Destash drops Dutch spiral earrings Egypt Egyptian Gods embellishing embroidery environment etsy exotic fair trade fantasy fashion Favorite Beads Favorite Techniques feminine fibers film findings fire polish fixtures Flashback Test flickr inspiration flowers food found object free form fringe Geek Jewels geekery gemstones geography giveaway glass gold gray Greece green herringbone hex cuts history holiday home decor insects inspiration tip inspired beader Inspired by... Inspiring Links ivory Jewelry Stash knitting ladder stitch lampwork lariat leaf fringe leather lights literature loomwork macrame magatamas Master Class Medallions metal free metalwork Mini Collar a Week mixed media mixture Mood Board MOP multi-color multi-strand music natural beads nature necklace Necklace a Day Nepal chain netting New Beads ocean ombre orange paint paper patterns pearls pendant peyote photography Picasso finish pink Pinspiration PMC polymer clay poster sketch purple quick inspiration rainbow RAW red resin ring Ring a Day rivoli Rome Russian spiral scarf science seed beads shell silver soutache spiral rope spring square stitch St. Petersburg steampunk stringing stripes summer tagua TBT The Elements thread Tilas Time Capsule tools trade beads triangle weave tribal tropical turquoise tutorial two-hole beads Ugly vintage Wear it Twice weather white winter WIP wire wishlist wood World Beaders yellow
Blog Home * About * Beading Tutorials * Advertise

Learn About Sponsoring Inspirational Beading with Project Wonderful
Affiliated With ShareASale.com and Amazon.com