How do you see your Trollbeads when you look at your collection?
Do you see a challenge and feel threatened? Do you keep your bracelet the same at all times?
Or, do you see a blank canvas with little tubes of paint bursting at the seams to get utilized?
I will take a wild bet and say that there are equal amount of collectors in each group. What I would like to do is help those of you feeling challenged to feel more comfortable and get you to see your collection as a collective group of possibilities and not as an insurmountable challenge.
For me it’s all about color, texture and balance. It’s really that simple. Take your Trollbeads and arrange them in color families. Once you have done that the trepidation in your mind will seem more manageable. It’s actually a lot of fun sorting through the colors and you’ll get to feel closer to the creative place of mind and that will help enormously. Now take each color group and put them in seperate little containers, I find the Lean Cuisine containers great for this because they are black which is neutral.
Now here is where you may want outside guidance. If you trust your taste and trust your instincts you may not need this next step but I find it a fun way to get started if I am looking to do something new. You need to find a color wheel. For the time being you can Google one to use on line but the colors will only be as true as your monitor. Any art supply store should carry them and at the end of this article I will leave an on line link to a source for them as well. They are around $5.00 and worthwhile owning. There are 2 different color wheels. The one most commonly used for art projects is the Primary Color wheel and the other one is the tonal color wheel, the tonal wheel is pictured just below. I find with Trollbeads both the tonal and the primary wheels are very useful because of the wide range of colors in the Trollbeads line.
Simply place your bead or beads under the see through window next to the best matched color. Then you just need to dial the wheel as it instructs you to and get guaranteed successful color combinations. It may sound involved but it is easy and you’ll feel confident in using your Trollbeads in combinations you never thought of before. I know there are many collectors who find their own color combinations but for the color challenged this is a fun and easy way to go! Look at the color on the wheel opposite the color your beads are close to and you'll find a great color combination. Below is the Primary color wheel.
The Primary color wheel takes into account the very strong colors such as purple, bright yellow and the strong pinks you'll find in Trollbeads. Below is a bracelet I made showing the use of the yellows and purples from across the wheel.
When it comes the silver Trollbeads you will need to become familiar with the textured beads and the smooth and shiny beads. For a good balance I like to see a little of both. My personal favorites tend to be larger beads as I like to make a statement. You probably already know what scale your prefer. For texture I like the Zanzibar Trollbead, Ocean, Treasures and Wine Harvest. My very favorite for smooth and shiny is the Spot bead and for a spacer feel I like Two Sides to Everything. Once I noticed the difference between having shine and not having any shine I make sure I always have it on every bracelet. Imagine a mantel piece in your home. You may have a wreath over it and maybe a couple of wooden candlesticks. It’s fine but it doesn’t feel perfect. Now take away the wooden candlesticks and place a set of glass candlesticks there instead. You’ll find the effect to be more pleasing to look at because the shine brings attention to the mantel piece. It is the same principal with your Trollbeadsso make sure you add some shine!
Color Wheel Source: http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?pn=H202073TL