Cloud Bead Persistence and Progression

There’s something enchanting about clouds. They’re just lovely things to look at. For ages I’ve had this thing about creating beads that are evocative of wispy white clouds in a blue sky, a bit like these ones :

Every now and then I’d get an idea for a cloud bead, do a bit of experimenting and then it wouldn’t turn out like I wanted it to so I would temporarily shelve the cloud bead plans. I’d been doing this every few months for about three years and about a fortnight ago I finally cracked it. I’d tried everything – frit, enamel, raking and swirling glass about, encasing and not encasing. The beads below are some test beads that I made this time last year.

As you can see these don’t really look like clouds. They look like white enamel splodged on a blue base and cased with clear which of course is exactly what they are. Also I had trouble with the base bead and enamel bleeding onto the casing layer. Not a good look. I made the cloud beads below a couple of weeks back and I think you’ll agree that they’re a one hundred percent improvement on the ones from a year ago.

Exactly the same ingredients went into them but a year on my encasing skills have developed and I was finally able to get somewhere near the effect I was aiming for. I still wasn’t totally happy with the encasing, though. I wanted to case the beads with a really thin layer of clear. I spent a few more lampwork sessions getting it just right. They ended up just like I wanted them to – soft, white clouds drifting across a blue sky.

I think the point I’m trying to make with this post is that if you have an idea for a bead design don’t give up if it doesn’t work straight away. Although I had the idea for these in the bead department of my brain for years I just hadn’t developed some of the lampworking skills that I need to make them a reality. By continually revisiting my cloud beads I was able to see my beadmaking skills improving until the actual beads matched the imaginary ones in my head.

Laura Sparling is a full-time beadmaker in Southampton, UK. She sells her beads through her website www.beadsbylaura.co.uk.