Ask Barb January 2000

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HI Beady friends! Here is my column for January, 2000.

Question: Dear Barb, I have so much trouble selecting and blending colors. Is there an easy way to pick the right ones?

Answer: Dear beader, what a wonderful question! Take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. First, there are no real 'right' colors. I struggled with color for years until I learned to take my lessons from nature. The Creator is by far, the best teacher of color combinations ever!

You don't have to take an expensive art class or even buy a color wheel. Your solution can be as easy as a walk in the park or a trip to the nearest nursery or even a visit to the library. Start to notice nature's colors. You have heard it said, 'Take time to smell the roses.' I'd like to revise that to say, "Take time to study the roses." (and other flowers/leaves/vines and grasses/trees/rocks and earth.)

When you look out over your lawn, what do you see? All one color? boring! Not unless you have astro turf! There are a variety of greens ranging from deep emerald to chartreuse! All mixed together complimenting and contrasting with each other, yet blending in such a way you hardly notice.

Take a stroll through your local plant nursery. What do you see? Bright, beautiful flowers and leaves in every shade of green/brown/red you can imagine! Who says a leaf has to be green! Ever seen a magnificent begonia? Have you ever just stood for a minute and studied nature? Ever stopped and looked at them through a child's eyes? Do you remember how? Remember when every color was a new discovery, a new adventure, a new world!

I remember standing amazed at the incredible colors and textures of flowers when I was a kid. In fact, I loved them so much that I snuck out my Mom's camera when I was eight years old and took a picture of her lovely garden. Mom wanted to know who had done it. Well ah.. I confessed.. well sort of.. 25 years later! And that is the truth!

If you don't have a nursery nearby, go to your local florist and buy a dozen mixed flowers. Get a wide variety. Take them home and study them. Notice how one color blends into the other, or how the most unlikely colors work together. Study the details. Someone said God is in the details. I don't know who said it, but it must be true. Ever looked at Queen Ann's lace up close? One huge flower? Nope. One flower made up of tiny flowers that are also made of mini flowers. Texture on texture on texture. Wonderfully devised piece of art!

Study nature. Is that really chartreuse on that tiny stamen in the center of that bright purple flower? Geez, chartreuse and purple? Who would have thought that combination would work? Yep, you guessed, it nature!

Another great source for blending ideas is the paint strips you see in paint stores. They are free, advertising their particular brand of paint. They go from very dark to very light shades in the same color. The strips are set up to work together so the hard work is already done for you.

Another good source of color blending is cloth. Take a walk through your local fabric store. Study the color blends on cloth that you are drawn to. If you really like it, buy a small piece to take home for future reference. Or better yet, buy the designer's flip-out strips. These are thin strips of every fabric in a designer's line that are bound together on a ring so you can fan them out and choose your color blends.

As for beads, there are a couple of things you can do. If the beads are on hanks, take two or three of them and twist them together. If your colors are in tubes, pour a small amount of each out on a white plate and gently move into a circular motion until the colors start to blend! Ah wonderful! The way the beads naturally integrate will also give you ideas on just how to blend the colors.

I get so excited about color these days. What used to be a chore, is now an adventure! I hope it will be for you too from now on!

Barbara Grainger is the author of:
Peyote At Last! A Peyote Beadwork Primer
Peyote Design Techniques

She is currently working on a third book which is scheduled to be available this Spring.
She also teaches workshops at various locations around the country.
You can contact her at Beadteach@aol.com