 Who are you? Where are you based? My name is Jamie Davies and I am 40 years old. I live in the UK, East of England. When and why did you first start making your art? I have always liked making things and so I like to try all different crafts. I started doing 3d origami a few years ago. I found it a bit limited so I then started doing 3d origami painting, which is basically pixel art. Because there aren't enough colours in paper I also then found this quite limited as well. That’s when I decided to look for other alternatives. My partner does diamond painting but I didn’t fancy that. I remembered Hama beads from when my children were younger and it just ticked all the boxes.  What inspires your artwork? Anything and everything. Do you remember the first piece you made? The first piece I made with beads was a small collection of super heroes.  What's the biggest piece you've ever made? The biggest thing I've done is a portrait of my friend’s son. It was 171x228 (pegs) and it used 38,988 beads. What is your art workspace like? I don’t actually have one. i just use a board and sit it on my lap usually. What are the tools of your trade? Just my boards, beads and tweezers. What's the most time you've spent on a project? The portrait I did took around 100 hours Can you talk us through your creative process? How do you go about planning and creating a piece? If it’s a portrait style piece I usually spend hours trying different apps/websites converting until I find a result I’m happy with. If it’s more simple and cartoony then I draw it out on a paint program. As I don’t have an actual workplace I do one board at a time. What are the most common questions you get asked about your art? How do I convert a picture? How have I got the patience? Have you had any art-related disasters? Quite frequently. I have a cat so she likes to ruin my life. Oh, and I knock the board when I’m moving it to the cupboard (safe place to store). I tend to somehow flick the tray of beads when I take it out too which sends all the beads everywhere. Do you have a dream project you'd love to make, but just can't justify yet? I saw a lady do a massive floor piece of all the pokemon. Something on that scale would be awesome. What was your most recent project? The portrait for my friend What are your favourite experiences you've had as a result of your art? Just the comments I get from people that enjoy what I do Do you have any projects in progress or in the pipeline right now? I’m now doing a couple of small cartoon designs that I’ve found (not my designs) and then I’m wanting to do a few more pinsplash style ones. Do you sell your art? If so, how can people find it? I don’t. I don’t think there is much want for it in the UK so I take it apart once I’ve took my photo. How can people find you online? Drop your social media handles, websites etc... My Instagram is @thecraftyphantom Anything else to share? Shoutouts, words of wisdom etc? I see a lot of people saying online that they can only make small pieces. They daren’t make big pieces. I think, if you can make a small one, you can make a big one. There’s no difference. Just have fun. If it goes wrong, do it again.
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 Who are you? Where are you based? My name is Anthony and I reside in Florida. When and why did you first start making your art? I started making 8 bit art about I would say almost 10 years ago. The first one I created was a blue mushroom for a friend as a going away present. After I made a few Final Fantasy pieces my other friend purchased.  Do you remember the first piece you made? Yes, Blue Mushroom from Mario. What's the biggest piece you've ever made? I made a Wreck It Ralph, which was made of 2 Inch cubes. What is your art workspace like? Usually a table. I am not too picky. What are the tools of your trade? My tools would be acrylic paint, Table end, some clamps, and a straight edge.  hat's the most time you've spent on a project? Most recently it was the Grim Reaper from Castlevania, but the piece that took a hot minute was a Zelda piece I made and traded for tattoos, my friend happened to be a great Tattoo artist. Can you talk us through your creative process? How do you go about planning and creating a piece? I like to look up 8 bit art and depends on my mood, for example, a few pieces I made this last year have been a tad dark. Also asking others what they might want to see created. That way its not just things I like. When I find one that I am going to make I draw it on graph paper with colored pencils. Count the overall pieces and colors. What are the most common questions you get asked about your art? What are they made of, how long it takes. Those are usually the most common questions asked. Have you had any art-related disasters? Yes a few have broken to my dismay… One or two have been broken while setting up at a Comic Con, so it was frustrating. Do you have a dream project you'd love to make, but just can't justify yet? I have one I want to do and install it somewhere. I would say the great wave and put it in a conspicuous place so people would see it. What was your most recent project? My most recent project is for my wife actually. She wants the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Happy wife, happy life. What are your favourite experiences you've had as a result of your art? The excitement people have when they ask for a commission and when it is done and delivered. I made a Mega Man out of one inch blocks for someone, but instead of the default colors I used wood stains. I like when people want something that I have not made, I like a good challenge. Do you have any projects in progress or in the pipeline right now?
I have found a few things one is the Turtles, but I have another idea for a TMNT, which should be getting done soon. Do you sell your art? If so, how can people find it? I do, I have/had an Etsy and sold a few there, but honestly on Instagram. It is a mix and I do commissions or if I have one in stock. Everything I have ever made is on IG. How can people find you online? Drop your social media handles, websites etc... @dis_tract on IG. I have what I have made on there. I am thinking of making another account, just for my art.  Who are you? Where are you based? My name is Jon DeStefano and I am 38 years young with 2 wonderful daughters. I am from the home of Dean Martin, Steubenville, Ohio. When and why did you first start making your art? I’ve been making art my whole life. As a child my dream was to be a comic book artist and I would draw from the comics I would read. I’ve gone through many phases in my art journey but I started out sketching and did that for many years. Then I dabbled in painting for a while and really found that to be therapeutic. I would paint cartoons, comic characters, and pixel art! About 3 years ago on Christmas eve I was at my mothers house for a party and my brother pulled out these beads and asked me if I wanted to make something. I figured it would be an easy transition from painting pixels so I gave it a shot. The rest is history  What inspires your artwork? I find inspiration all around me. It could be a song I heard, a show I just watched, or even a few cases where it was just a word a friend said that got the gears turning. My Sho’Nuff piece was inspired by a co-worker I was emailing and he replied with shonuff. So really anything and everything inspires me but my friends have probably been my biggest inspiration. Do you remember the first piece you made? Like it was yesterday, It was Roger from American Dad and I actually have it in a frame. What’s the biggest piece you’ve ever made? The biggest I’ve done so far is The Green Bastard, I’m really not sure about the bead count but I'm guessing its at least 20k + It's a 36’ x 36’ canvas and takes up entirely too much space on my wall lol What is your art workspace like? It’s a little cramped and serves many purposes but it’s enough…for now  What are the tools of your trade? The things I get most asked about are my iron and tape. For tape I only use Scotch Blue painters tape, I’ve tried other brands but wasn’t happy with the results as I always poke holes in my tape. My iron is the Cricut Easy Press 2–9” x 9” version. I also use the Cricut Easy Press mini for touch up jobs. What’s the most time you’ve spent on a project? Probably the 2 weeks I spent on the 3 Jokers project (which was incredibly fun) Can you talk us through your creative process? How do you go about planning and creating a piece? I’m not really sure if i have one or not, most of my pieces are pretty spontaneous. My inspiration is all around me so really whatever I’m feeling at that time has the most to do with how I pick a subject matter I would say. Maybe I do have a process, it’s just unpredictable. What are the most common questions you get asked about your art? “What the hell is that made out of?” followed by “How long did that take” haha Have you had any art-related disasters? Oh yes, plenty. The worst one though was the 3rd joker I did. I was still making rookie mistakes when ironing with my new expensive Cricut toy. I had been pressing and holding in 1 spot for too long and then moving to the next and so on and by the time i had gotten back to a certain spot it had cooled and was curling and separated from the non melted beads and I lost a huge chunk of it so i trimmed it and was able to make a sale of what was left. I constantly have the iron moving now when finishing the bigger projects and haven’t had an issue since. Do you have a dream project you’d love to make, but just can’t justify yet? I have a few in mind, but until i have the room to put them it’s gonna be just that, a dream.  What was your most recent project? My most recent project was my favorite cartoon character ever. Randy Marsh as Lorde. What are your favourite experiences you’ve had as a result of your art? First and foremost all of the wonderful people I’ve gotten to know in the bead community. It’s been a bright spot in a terrible time we are all living in with the pandemic. One of my favorite shows is Trailer Park Boys and now Jacob owns the piece I made of him!  Do you have any projects in progress or in the pipeline right now? I just finished Randy today so I have absolutely nothing planned as of right now. Do you sell your art? If so, how can people find it? I do, most pieces I sell are by commission. I do however have shops on Etsy and Mercari. what I’ve done in the past is whenever someone wanted to buy from me online I have made a listing so all sales are done through either one of those. My Linktree is in my Instagram profile How can people find you online? Drop your social media handles, websites etc… instagram.com/koruptidperlers Anything else to share? Shoutouts, words of wisdom etc? Big shoutout to the Cricut Crusaders! you know who you are :) |
AuthorMy name is Iain and my addiction is making pixel bead art. My main inspirations are comics, video games and movies. Archives
June 2021
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