Inside the Studio: with Summer Wind Art

Hello everyone, since I am fairly new to the Art Bead Scene Blog I thought I would give you a little peek at the process I use to make my wood burned beads. A little known fact about my studio is that it is actually in my bedroom. It is one of the many joys of living in a two bedroom townhouse. Luckily, my husband built me an awesome desk to work at, and I have beautiful natural light coming in through my window. 

When I am going to design a bead, I almost always start in my sketchbook. I have been doodling and sketching since gradeschool and I find that it helps me work out designs without messing up wood pieces on experiments. The best time for me to sketch is during church. It is nice and quiet and I can relax and doodle without worrying about all the things at home that I need to be doing. If church isn't your cup of tea, car rides or nice comfy armchairs work just as well.   

I don't have any templates, so I sketch each wood bead by hand. Here is a before and after picture of one of my bee beads. 

I use a regular old wood burned to create my designs. As you can see by the scorched block I work on, it took quite a bit of practice to get the steady hand I needed to keep my lines straight and even. 

Wood burners can be tricky things, so I suggest if you try it, to always have a scrap piece of wood handy. 

 Some of my bird beads, half painted.

All these beads have been burned and are now ready for a quick sanding, and then paint! 

Fun fact: I have been using the same paint cups for the past 7 years!!! I love seeing all the color drips on it. 

  Here is the finished product, all painted and sealed with a couple coats of polyurethane.

Most days, my time is consumed with making beads for orders and I rarely get to play with them myself. I am trying to make designing more of a priority. I have to say, the more I design with my beads, the more ideas I get for new ones. Here are some of the pieces I was able to make this month.

Thanks for reading! Hope you all have a great time designing! 

-Ashley Bonney