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 The Art of Color for Bead Artists
Same Colors, Different Position
by Margie Deeb
 I had the honor and pleasure of teaching color and beading classes at the Great Lakes Beadworkers’ Guild. What an energetic, generous, and talented group of bead artists live up in Michigan! It was a joy-filled week, and I came back to my studio recharged and inspired.
 One class I taught was the “Collar of Glass and Light” project from my book, ’The Beaders Color Palette: 20 Creative Proj ects and 220 Inspired Combinations for Beaded and Gem stone Jewelry.
“Collar of Glass & Light”
necklace by Margie Deeb
One of the class participants, Rhonda Gross, approached the project uniquely. I so enjoy the effects Rhonda achieved by repositioning the color arrangement in her version that I wanted to share it with you and note the differences.
 The book version of the “Collar of Glass and Light” distributes an analogous range of colors throughout the piece in such a way that each color gets equal focus: no one color is dominant or more important than the other. This results in a mass of mosaic-like sparkling color and light.
Rhonda Gross’s version of
“Collar of Glass & Light”
Rhonda began with a silver foundation. Using the same group of colored glass triangle beads (from Fire Mountain Gems), she ordered them dark to light, creating a dark-to-light gradient from the neck outwards. Rhonda’s positioning of colors creates the illusion of depth, whereas mine offers a flatter, more patterned effect. Her ordered arrangement is a bit more quiet and gentle, and the use of cool-toned silver rather than gold adds to the calm. In contrast, the book’s version is livelier and a bit more chaotic. Note also Rhonda’s elegant custom clasp. (See next page for close-up photos.)
I am always inspired by what other artists do with ideas and designs I present to them. It is one of my life’s greatest joys to always be learning from each other and growing together.
Materials kits for the “Collar of Glass and Light” (and other projects from The Beader’s Guide to Color) are available online at www.margiedeeb.com/store
 
“Collar of Glass & Light” necklace by Margie Deeb
The book version of the “Collar of Glass and Light” distributes colors throughout the piece in such a way that each color gets equal focus, resulting in a mass of sparkling color and light with a tesselated patterned effect.
 
Rhonda Gross’s version of “Collar of Glass & Light”
Rhonda Gross ordered the same group of colored triangle beads in a dark to light gradient from the neck outwards, creating the illusion of depth. Her arrangement is a bit more quiet and gentle, and the use of cool-toned silver rather than gold adds to the calm.
Rhonda can be contacted at: r12dz@comcast.net
If you are interested in having your local bead store or bead society sponsor my teaching of color or beading classes , please contact me at margie@margiedeeb.com
About The Author
 Artist, designer, musician, and color expert Margie Deeb is the author of several beading books, including the popular The Beader’s Guide to Color and The Beader’s Color Palette.
She teaches color courses for artists, interior designers, and beaders and her free monthly color column, “Margie’s Muse,” is available on her website. She produces a free graphically enhanced podcast, “Margie Deeb’s Color Celebration,” available on iTunes.
Her articles have appeared in Bead & Button and Beadwork magazines and BeadBugle.Com, and she writes a regular color column in Step-by-Step Beads. She has appeared on the PBS show “Beads, Baubles, and Jewels” speaking about color. Visit Margie’s website for her books, patterns, jewelry, inspiration, and more: www.MargieDeeb.com
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