Urban artwork using bead plates

Here's an, hopefully inspiring, Instructable on how to beautify your neighborhood. Admittedly this Instructable doesn't really pass the threshold of originality but if I at the end of the day inspired a few people to make their own urban artworks, I'm happy!

Step 1 Tools

Not much needed to do this project:

• Glue
• Beads
• Bead plates
• Iron
• Tweezers, preferably needle nosed
• Waxed paper

Comments

[harbison.ed]

god i love Bubble Bobble lol

[Zerker]

I played with these when I was little and made some stuff.
I have these things still so I can still make some sprites or pictures with them.

[indohughes]

What's a bead plate?

[Fylke]

It's a plate with little knobs sticking up for you to place beads on. You can usually buy them at toy- or hobby stores.

[EvilDeathBee]

I just ordered a tub of beads and some magnetic tape. I'm living on a military base, so I don't want to do permenant damage or anything. This will be a fun project for after work.

I work with plenty of gamers, so I'm sure we can get some pretty obscure characters made.

[Fylke]

Ohh smart! Magnetic tape is great, then you can make them into throwies and put them in "impossible" places and adjust them with a pole or something if they end up crooked!

[Zem]

What setting is your iron on?

[Fylke]

We had it on the lowest setting, but that might not be the best alternative since the bead plate became warped pretty quickly. So you might want to experiment using a higher setting.

[Zem]

Alright, thanks!

[JakkRabbit]

another good tip is to keep the iron in constant motion to keep the heat more even. also maby more layers of waxed paper could help?

[bruisylawless]

The main brand is called Perler. There is a Perler bead website where you can order specific colors.

[JasonMaggini]

Just don't put 'em up in Boston.

[itsachen]

loll I was just about to say

[Moonkyst]

I've always found these beads in the kids craft area at WalMart or at craft stores. I have a big bucket left over from when my son was little. Now I can put them to some use! I also wanted to mention that they also have glow in the dark beads.

[Zem]

Could you use magnets on the back? They could be like Throwies, except they couldn't easily be thrown on the side of a building...

[Fylke]

Yeah sure, but then you probably should choose a motive that you won't mind ending up upside down when you throw it.

[Ian01]

You could just put it up with a pole or something.

[thecheatscalc]

Actually, if you only put the magnets at the very top, it'll self right itself, as it should be heavy enough.

[Zem]

You could use them for shapes instead of characters.

[Ward_Nox]

might want to seal the front to keep it together one good rain storm and its gone

[Fylke]

It's industrial strength glue. Those plates won't come off for a good while... =)

[Ward_Nox]

OH my bad i was thinking you used aquadots PIXOS for some reason

[craig3]

their melted together so they don't dissolve in any water, their plastic

[Cristian1337]

He meant the glue...I think. Bead art usually has alot of holes so a quick rain can easily wash the glue and make the piece fall of.

[johanronstrom]

But, there is no glue. They are melted together with heat. There is nothing that can dissolve, so you're all safe!

[craig3]

maybe the glue keeping it on the wall, not the pearlers themselves

[johanronstrom]

Of course! Didn't even think of that! :-D

[Darmani]

Thanks for the answear, i found the beads, it took some time but finally i found them, now ive just got to save some money to buy them.

[Darmani]

Hi, i really liked your instructable, i want to make some bead art but im in mexico and i dont know wich brand or kind of beads youre using because the only beads i know dont melt with the heat of an iron. Can you tell me the brand and where you got yours?

[Fylke]

Hmm, not sure what to say, they're just generic plastic beads really. They're cylindrical, around half a centimeter high and made of softish plastic (you can bite down on it and it will be flat).

According to Wikipedia they're called fusible beads: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bead#Fusible_beads

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hama_beads.jpg

[Ninzerbean]

Urban art is something I have wanted to get into but I fear the video cameras that apparently are everywhere. You did a great job here - I hope they stay for a long time.

[johanronstrom]

Nice! In my town (Visby, Sweden) someone has cemented 8-bit motifs in ceramic tiles to buildings :-)

I have an instructable on making grid patterns in Photoshop that was featured a while ago:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Cross_stitch_pattern_in_photoshop_with_symbols/

[Ministryofhate]

there should be more bubble bobble instructables Nice work!

[whiteman1746]

I would really like to do something like this. However, I would like mine to be a super large scale version in black &white. Do they even make grey scale plastic beads?