Hand Drawn Fuzzy Flocked Beads

Ooh!  Just look at this cute, oh-so-tiny, fluffy, fuzzy hummingbird bead.  (It's only half an inch tall!)

I also made a hedgie...

...and flowery vines...

...very groovy polka dots...

...and little Mr. Hootiepants, here.

Aren't they fun?  I used some fuzzy-coated beads I found online.  Flocked beads - who knew?

I bought mine at Fire Mountain, but have seen them elsewhere, too.

THE DIY

The technique turned out to be really interesting.  I drew on them with fine and ultra-fine Sharpies, but at first I found that the ink wanted to run and smear all over.  Then I discovered a very important trick.  Here's the HOW-TO!

Start with the ultra-fine point and do your black outlines.

Then add color - and immediately blot the color dry by rolling the bead on tissue or paper towels.

Do just one or two small bits of color at a time to avoid smears.  Keep adding color until your drawing is done.  Let it sit for 15 minutes before handling it much, in case there's a still a bit too much ink saturated in the fuzz.  That's all there is to it!

My vine bead is an inch and a quarter high and soft as a bunny's butt.

The thing I like most about this technique: you can get some almost painterly effects by adding colors and blotting in between.  Some bits even remind me of watercolor - you can see it pretty well in the hummingbird body!

Let me finish up this post with a couple of tips.

TIP 1.  I am not very good at drawing things, but I did once manage to teach myself a freehand owl, and never forgot how.  (To see, check out this old Halloween post.)  For the hedgehog and hummy, I googled "how to draw a hedgehog" and "how to draw a hummingbird," and practiced on paper first.

These flocked beads are usually pretty cheap, so I didn't mind messing up a few times.

TIP 2.  Do your best to avoid getting them wet.  Interestingly, this is not as critical as you might think.  I assumed they would be Gremlin beads, i.e., one should never never never get them wet!  But to my surprise, they can withstand a bit of moisture without any drama at all.  So just use common sense and come in from the rain.

What would you draw?  Ideas, please, because I have a bunch of flocked beads and want to make more.  I hope you enjoyed this fluffy post!