How to Make a Bead

How to Make a Bead in 85 Easy Steps

written by: Valerie Hollis Without Frames

Materials:

Polymer clay in assorted colors, work surface, sharp blade, pasta machine, needle tool, toothpick, sandpaper, soft cloth

What You Should Know...

Let's Begin!

Part I: Combining Clay and Making Bull's Eye Plugs

Step 1

Begin by choosing what colors of clay you would like to use. For this tutorial, I chose 2 parts yellow, 1 part white-pearl, 1 part silver, 1.5 parts turquoise, 1 part navy- blue, 0.5 parts light-pearl-blue. These colors will be mixed to form 4 new colors.

Step 2

Condition clay thoroughly. Combine colors to form the following: light-yellow and dark-yellow, dark-blue and light-blue. You can choose any color combinations you like - the idea is to have a light and dark shade of one color and a light and dark shade of another, contrasting color.

Step 3

Roll the light-yellow and the dark-blue through the thickest setting on the pasta machine (#1 on an Atlas). Shape the dark-yellow and light-blue into logs.

Step 4

Wrap the the yellow log in the yellow sheet. Smooth the seam.

Step 5

The result will be a simple bull's eye cane that looks like this.

Step 6

Roll the remaining yellow sheet through a medium setting on the pasta machine (#3 on an Atlas).

Step 7

Wrap the blue log with the the thinned yellow sheet. Smooth the seam.

Step 8

Now there should be two bull's eye canes, some scrap yellow, and the dark-blue sheet.

Step 9

Wrap the yellow/yellow bull's eye cane in the blue sheet.

Step 10

Roll the remaining blue sheet through the pasta machine on a medium setting (#3 on an Atlas).

Step 11

Wrap the blue/yellow bull's eye cane in the thinned blue sheet.

Step 12

Now there should be a yellow/yellow/blue bull's eye cane, a blue/yellow/blue bull's eye cane, and some scraps. (You will need the blue scraps later.)

Part II: Making the Cane

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