NanC Meinhardt
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Bird Attitude (photo by Martin Konopacki)

Workshop

Art Sticks: I'm Not an Artist. I Can't Draw. I Can Only Draw Stick Figures

See workshop description

MATERIALS LIST WITH EXPLANATIONS

1. WOODEN STICK/S OF ANY SHAPE UP TO 10 INCHES LONG. The stick itself or its branches must be sturdy enough to embellish. Find a stick that “speaks to you.” You are looking for a stick that has some unusual feature/s to it whether the feature is the shape of the stick itself or how it bends, twists, splits into two or more branches. Perhaps it has an interesting texture, holes, or knots. You may perceive a figure (human, animal, or imaginary) when you look at the stick. Better yet, look for a stick that has interesting facets so that when you turn the stick you see something completely different. If you find a stick in which your perception of what you see changes as you turn or move the stick, then you have found THE STICK for you. You may also consider something other than a traditional stick. Perhaps you are drawn to a root or some other material. Materials that come from the ocean usually do not hold up for our purposes.

Here are a few suggestions for preparing your stick before coming to the workshop:

  • Leave any stick you find in a covered area outside your house for a few days before bringing it inside.

  • Using your pocket knife and/or your fingers, remove all or some of the bark from your stick. You can then see the grain of the wood. I find it easier to remove the bark if I first soak the stick in water for several hours. The bark almost peels away, though that may depend on the type of wood you choose.

  • You may also add bleach to the soaking water, to bleach out the color of your stick giving it an appearance more like bone or driftwood.

  • Consider shipping your stick ahead if you are traveling by air. Carrying a stick on board is not within the federal guidelines! Be sure to surround your stick with plenty of bubble wrap if you are packing it in your luggage or shipping it.

    THE FOLLOWING ITEMS CAN BE FOUND IN MOST BEAD STORES OR ON THE INTERNET. Please contact me if you are having difficulty finding these items.

    ON TO THE BEADS! Please note that my materials list is more a list of suggestions than requirements. Choosing your seed bead colors probably evokes more anxiety than anything else you bring to the workshop. My basic philosophy is, if in doubt, bring it with you. Ship the beads ahead if necessary.

    2. SIZE 11 AND SIZE 14/15 JAPANESE SEED BEADS: You will use size 11 and/or size 14/15 seed beads for most of the beadwork. Choose a palette of colors that you love, including subtle shading and high-contrast selections. Please include both shiny and matte BLACK seed beads in both sizes 11 and 15. Choose a variety of bead finishes as well as a range of colors. It is very useful to have the same seed bead color in both sizes: 11s and 15s. Bring as many colors as you wish. The more colors you bring, the more choices you will have. The quantity of seed beads that you bring will depend on the size of your stick. If in doubt, bring more than you think you will need. You may also include Japanese “one cut” (also called true cuts or Charlottes), “three cut” and triangle seed beads in these two sizes. If in doubt, bring it.

    3. SIZE 8 AND SIZE 6 SEED BEADS. You probably won’t use as many of these as the smaller beads. You will need three high-contrast colors of size 8 seed beads to use while learning free-form right-angle weave.

    4. OTHER BEADS: lentils, teardrops, daggers, off-center hole beads such as fringe beads, 2mm, 3mm and/or 4mm firepolish, 2mm, 3mm and/or 4mm crystals (use crystals carefully as they tend to cut your thread), pressed glass beads such as flowers, leaves, etc. If you are bringing pearls or gemstones please make sure they have holes large enough to use with right-angle weave, as few do. In other words, any bead you wish that works with right-angle weave.

    5. BEADING THREAD/S of your choice.

    6. BEADING NEEDLES. Two packages each of sizes 11 and 12. These can be regular or short, whichever you prefer.

    7. TACKY TAPE, which is a brand name of a very strong double-sided tape and can be found in bead stores or on the Internet. It comes in three widths. It doesn’t matter what width you buy, as you will be cutting it into small strips anyway.

    8. SMALL SCISSORS

    9. BEES WAX OR MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX

    10. BEADING SURFACE (beading mat)

    11. TASK LIGHT

    12. MAGNIFYING GLASSES OR VISOR

    13. FLAT-NOSE PLIERS for pulling stubborn needles through a bead

    14. SAFETY GOGGLES

    OTHER ITEMS TO BRING WITH YOU

  • Micron drawing pen 0.5.

  • ACRYLIC PAINT. You can buy craft-store-quality paint sold in plastic bottles to use as an undercoating on your stick. Bring a variety of colors that are similar to or relate to your choice of bead colors. These can include acrylic metallic colors as well. Craft-store-quality acrylic paint dries quickly and is water-soluble.

  • NYLON PAINT BRUSHES IN A VARIETY OF SMALL & MEDIUM SIZES.

  • A CONTAINER TO HOLD WATER FOR CLEANING THE BRUSHES.

  • STICKS TO STIR AND MIX THE PAINT COLORS.

  • WATERCOLOR DISH TO MIX PAINT COLORS. This is a plastic or ceramic dish with small wells to hold the paint you are mixing.

  • BLACK PERMANENT MARKERS, medium and fine point. Extra-fine point markers get clogged too quickly. Sharpie markers work fine for our use.

  • SANDPAPER: coarse, medium, and fine.

  • SMALL WOOD FILES/RASPS. These are useful to shape your stick.

  • WOOD GLUE. Wood glue is needed to make repairs or to join pieces of wood together.

  • Optional:

    • Dremel tool with accessories
    • Dust mask
    • Pocket knife
    • Small vise


    © 2010 NanC Meinhardt Studio LLC