Hopefully, you’ve read the first part of Beads for Beginners and know what kind of beads and wire or nylon fishing line to use for different animals. Here you will learn how to make the body of beaded animals.
The main animal beading technique is the “Back and forth” technique. It’s hard to believe that this is the main technique, because it is so simple. Okay, everything is slower and a bit more difficult if you want to get it right. However, after you have tried and done it several times, it will be child’s play.
Use this technique to make beaded animal bodies (and sometimes animal tails). Once you have finished the first row, make the second row doing the same thing again. In this way, it forms the rest of the animal’s body.
Let us begin!
- String the beads (usually one, two, or three, depending on what you’re doing) on each side of the wire. If you are starting a new chain of account animals, the account (s) in the center of the wire.
- Now, loop back with the opposite wire through the beads. If you are making the first row, run a wire around and through the first bead (s)
- Pull it very hard. If it’s not in the right place (not exactly next to the previous row), fold it until it looks even and beautiful.
Now here’s a important point:
if you’re making an animal that should be flat, then push the rows next to each other (and use wire). However, if your animal is supposed to round (3D), pull each row very tight so that they overlap. If it doesn’t help, just put the rows right in front of each other. After that, if you look at your animal from the side, the rows should look like a zigzag. One more thing: don’t forget about the eyes or any pattern of the animal, use different colors for them.
If you don’t understand something, click here for additional help with pictures for each step.
The next part will explain how to make your animal more realistic with paws.