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-   -   Sheep Tutorial (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4437)

NLC Beads 2005-09-17 10:14am

Sheep Tutorial
 
5 Attachment(s)
I found this in the WC files and thought I should move it over here. Unfortunately, the pics aren't included in the text - they're at the bottom, though. I did this a while ago, the sheep and photography have gotten better in the meantime. :)

Materials needed:
Base color rod
Wool color rod
Stringers for eyes and nose: white, pale trans., black, and pink
Graphite paddle or other flat shaping tool.
About 1/2 hour worth of time, give or take....

Step 1:

First make a base bead... For the sake of this tutorial, we'll assume you're making a nice innocent sheep with ivory skin and white wool. This is a great time to use up all those nubblies of ivory that you can't tell whether it's light or dark and don't want to mix the two. Mix away, since most of it will be covered!! You'll notice this sheep has a tattoo... It means fire, and it shows that I couldn't leave well enough alone with the basic ivory bead.

Step 2:

Once the base bead is nice and round, let it cool so it won't distort. Put a blob of ivory where the head should be and gently pat it flat with your graphite shaper or tool of choice. Two dots of white, again mashed flat. (I like a metal cuticle pusher for this - it's small enough to not interfere with anything else.) Research has shown that the cuteness factor is dramatically increased if the eyes are not quite even, as it looks like the sheep is tiliting it's head to look at you. Whatever pale transparant color dots you'd like for his eye color - yup, mashed flat again - with smaller dots of black for pupils (everyone together now) MASHED! And a little dot for a nose, I like pink since it again increses the cuteness factor.

It looks like there are legs and a tail on this one. (Probably because there are.) Again, I couldn't leave well enough alone so I added them but they really don't belong in this step. It is good to show where they are for the finished product, though....

Step 3:
DOTS!!!! I start around the face and keep adding more and more and more globs of white. On one of the smaller sheep, I counted 147 white dots before I gave up counting. So... Here we go. Just use a whole rod of glass or a thick stringer. Dot the bead, twirl it once while the rod gets another good dot all melty... Repeat... Too many times. About halfway through this you may think, "I never wanted to make sheep anyway. I always wanted to be a lumberjack." Get past this... The results are too cute to quit on. You might also be thinking at this point, "Wow! What a great way to use up bits of stringer!" I thought that too on the fire sheep on the upper left. It looks very very cool, BUT it took twice as long, so beware.

Step 4:

Once you've thoroughly dotted the sheep so it's all full of nice fluffy wool, take out your base color again. Place 7 dots of ivory on the wool - 4 legs, a tail, and two ears. Let the legs blob up and gently flatten the bottoms so he has a can stand on his own. The tail can be a blob as long as it sticks out from the wool. And the ears can be allowed to blob up, then squeeze them flat and push them towards the sheep so they're folded over. Rotate him a few more times to make sure he's evenly heated and pop him in a kiln or fiber blanket...

Ok, what did I miss?

And of course (warning! shameless plug!) if you don't want to make a sheep, check out my eBay sales....

Good luck!!!
Nikki

Rhapsody Fire Beads 2005-09-17 10:16am

Thank you Nikki! You are so generous to share!
We appreciate it too!
~Suzy~

NLC Beads 2005-09-17 10:34am

Not a problem, Suzy - I didn't realize the photos were so big - if they're too much, can someone please reduce them? Thanks!!!

Looking forward to more flocks of sheep,
Nikki

CorriDawn 2005-09-17 10:40am

This is wonderful! Thank you

dla 2005-09-17 12:00pm

Thanks very much Nikki ! Another great tutorial ! I have learned so much from so many ! Thanks !
Debbie A.

NLC Beads 2005-09-17 1:02pm

Everyone else is so wonderous with the info here, I would have felt remiss if I didn't share. I just had to dig through 431 pages of tutorials at WC to find it. I may have been better off retyping it!!! LOL!

PS - I don't tattoo all of them... But the plain bead looked so boring. ;)

Thanks for the kind words and rating - how cool is that?
Nikki

dogmaw 2005-09-17 1:20pm

Nikki, thanks for the tutorial! I don't think I have seen one of your tattoed sheep before. :)

UCBYCINDY 2005-09-17 3:20pm

I LOVE your sheep...I still haven't got one from eBay, but I hope to soon...and might even make a few of my own...thanks for the tutorial. :)

ltsexpressions 2005-09-25 5:50pm

Nik,

I just found your tut! I think it got buried below Mary's implosion beadie one. Thanks for going to the "research" to find your old text....

Now, just to see where that imploded sheepie is......







(*giggling and jogging out of this thread....*)

NLC Beads 2005-09-25 6:36pm

*stern look* You're a trouble maker. And my first implosion barely looked like a bead, much less a sheep... maybe next time. :)

Lara 2005-09-27 7:50pm

Nikki

I was over at papermart placing an order and I saw this tissue paper and thought of you and your sheep beads.

http://www.papermart.com/templates/s.../43-50-388.jpg

NLC Beads 2005-09-27 8:27pm

*grin* I love it. If I didn't have boxes of recycled tissue paper that I already pack beads with, I'd be so on it. When I use this up, I'll go there. (hahaha... I'll never use this up.)

Thanks!!!!

Lara 2005-09-28 12:27am

Yeah, I was only there cause I have used up all my recycled tissue paper. Now, I have boxes of bubble wrap. SIGH.

Glad you like it!

NLC Beads 2005-09-28 7:40pm

Bubble wrap is a good thing. With the hurricanes, the supplies of it are short. :) Luckily I use a little square per bead... And I snag everyone's tissue paper while we're opening gifts at Christmas. :D

busy_beads 2005-10-02 7:26am

Thank you Nikki!!!!!

( I snag bubble wrap at the local everything for a dollar type store.. they get a lot of theings delivered in it there and some of the clerks will give me a sack full of it from time to time..)

Jacinthe 2005-10-05 1:09am

HEY! Thats my sheep!
I love you Nikki! :D
Your sheeps are soo cool... wonder if I can find my one sheep bead pic...

NLC Beads 2005-10-06 5:48pm

Elise - I always snag it from work, too. I have too much now, so I can hold off. :)

Sarah - Yup, your kids. :) Thanks for the kind words, I do like the sheepies myself, too. But if they all stayed here? They'd take over the house.

mystykbead 2005-10-09 6:43pm

2 Attachment(s)
This is my attempt at your awesome tutorial! The pics are bad they are a hit and miss. but you get the idea.

Bruna 2005-10-09 7:06pm

purtty!!!

maybe I'll show mine when I get a cam, though my mom and sis said my first attempts looked like poodles... and the first one like a sea urchin!! :( LOL

NLC Beads 2005-10-09 9:21pm

We like poodles and sea urchins, too!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
Aww... the little teal one is a cutie. (The white one is, too, but the color is quite striking!)

glassroger 2005-10-11 2:06pm

Ohhh!! SHEEPS!! :biggrin:
Nice work on the tutorial Nik!
Now I just might be able to make a sheep? but I'll have to do it descretely, cause the dragons might get a little jealous??

NLC Beads 2005-10-11 2:45pm

If we can cross-breed them without jealousy, I'm sure it will be just fine. :) Thanks for checking it out, now I'm eager to see yours.

Bruna 2005-10-14 2:54pm

Here they are... the sea urchin... one-eye lambchop and the patchwork gang. The reason they're patchwork is because I used all the left over stringers I had, taking whatever was in place. :)

NLC Beads 2005-10-17 6:52pm

OMG - What a hoot!!! I can never get that big of a gang here at the same time - they all leave me! Too cute!
*applause*

Bruna 2005-10-17 9:21pm

Thank you Nikki,

These won't go anywhere... they'll be hanged!!! above my torch, to keep me company, that way nobody will think I'm a loony talking to myself... I'll just blame it on them. :P

NLC Beads 2005-10-18 7:40pm

Oh, that's the best way... Wish I would have thought of that instead of just talking to myself or the beads as they're being worked on... But mainly that's HEY! Stop that eye from sliding off!!!!! :D

glasser 2006-05-11 3:36am

My 1st sheep bead
 
There will be more cuz this was fun to make. I know he isn't great but I like him! Need to work on the eyes, and yes I did mash them. Too big a dot I guess. Thank you for the tut! Pam


BarbFaughn 2006-05-12 6:36am

Thank you Nikki! Great Sheep Tut! I'll try it this weekend.

I have "sheep envy" ... just LOVE your sheep! I'm really liking your lizards and frogs also!

Thanks so much for sharing! :happy:

Heather/Ericaceae 2006-05-24 1:29pm

Glasser, I have to say I love your sheep! It's totally got coke-bottle glasses on! :) You can just tell he's an introverted young genius with allergies. Hopefully not wool allergies! :) :) :) Awesome tut, Nikki! -H.

NLC Beads 2006-05-24 5:44pm

Awwww.... He's a cutie, it's not his fault his eyes are too big for his stomach. ;)

Barb - Thanks for the sweet words, I'm getting hooked on the amphibians myself, too. ;)


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