Rolling Basic Paper Beads.
This is the basic paper bead, I'm going to show you how to roll 1/2" beads using the simple roller I made in the previous tutorial. As always click on the pictures to enlarge them.
First of all gather your kit.
First of all gather your kit.
1 Paper, magazine pages are excellent for this, you want to pick pages with edge to edge colour, advertisements are the best, also unless you want plain beads you need pages that don't have large blocks of one colour.
2 Simple bead roller, you can roll without one but a roller does make it a lot easier. 3 Marker pen. 4 Craft knife. 5 Glue, it doesn't have to be a stick, any paper adhesive is fine. 6 Ruler(s) I have two, one for measuring and a metal one for cutting. |
Turn the page upside-down and place your metal ruler so the it runs straight from the 1/4" mark (which is now at the top right) to the bottom right corner. Cut this edge off. I usually discard it but it will roll, just bear in mind that it has one straight edge and one sloping so won't be the same shape as the others.
(The flower thing is to cover up a bare backside incidentally. In case you were wondering. I know we've all seen one before but there's always someone who goes out of their way to be offended isn't there.) |
To cut the next strip align the ruler so that it joins the extreme bottom right edge with the first 1/2" mark in from the top right and cut.
Keep cutting out the strips, working from right to left, with the wide end of the triangles alternating between the top and the bottom like in the diagram at step three. |
Simply roll the paper around the stick. Keep it as even as possible so that the finished bead is a nice shape.
I look particularly inept in that picture because I'm holding the paper and roller in one hand whilst trying to hold a camera in my other hand (I need minions). Obviously I would normally use both hands to roll the paper and keep it even. |
This is what you'll need for finishing the beads off. This will also make them a lot more durable.
1 Decoupage sealer, I make my own using three parts PVA glue to one part water and keep it in a screw top jar. Mod Podge is the best known commercially available one. 2 Glaze, I use Diamond Glaze, there are others available, or you could use a varnish suitable for paper or even clear nail polish in a pinch. 3 Something to pour the glaze into. Not vital but as it's going to be applied with a brush this does make it easier. 4 Cocktail sticks/toothpicks. 5 Brushes. 6 A lump of polystyrene/styrofoam. |
When the sealer is dry coat each bead with the glaze. Give them a little twist before glazing just to make sure that the sealer didn't glue them to the stick.
After an hour give them another coat of glaze (again give them a little twist to make sure they aren't stuck down) and then leave overnight to really go off properly. You can see now that they are shiny and smooth, they no longer look like rolled up magazine pages, in fact a lot of people won't believe that that is what they are made of. |
Go nuts! It is rather addicting once you start.
Experiment with different sizes and types of paper. Recycle your magazines, catalogues, junk mail, I've made beads from the telephone directory before and the instructions that come in boxes of hair dye. Use scrapbook papers, wrapping paper, old maps, if you can roll it you can make beads from it. My next tutorial will be on how to make chunky beads from thin paper. |