New Beading Video: Stitching Beaded Molecules

A few months ago I had the opportunity to film a series of videos based on four different areas in beading. The videos are now available at the Interweave Store both as instant high definition video downloads as well as in the DVD format. This is the third in a series of four blog posts on those video projects; check out the previous posts here and here.

Together with the team over at Interweave/F+W, we organized these videos with each level of beader in mind. Beginners can watch me weave each step of the project one stitch at a time, I share several variations for experienced beaders, and throughout the course of each video I include many tips and tricks that are useful for beaders of all levels. If you're new to my Bead Origami style then these videos are a great introduction to my approach to beadweaving, but if you're already familiar with my work then you'll want to check them out too as I cover a new project in each one.

The third video in this series combines two of my favorite topics: beadwork and chemistry!

I start the video with a little lesson in organic chemistry (don't worry: there's no test at the end!). I give a brief overview about the atoms that make up molecules found in living things and how those atoms are connected together to make molecules. I also talk about different ways to visualize or render molecular structures, from 3D renders that show the dimensionality of the molecule to the shorthand skeletal structures that form the basis for the beadwork in the video. I also review several of the beaded molecules that I've already covered in patterns on my website (such as caffeine, serotonin, and dopamine), and I explain why these "small molecules" are ideal for this specific method of making beaded molecules.

The main molecule that I focus on in this video is L-ascorbic acid, otherwise known as vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant small molecule made up of six carbon, eight hydrogen, and six oxygen atoms, and it's also notable for having chirality; it's the counter-clockwise or left-handed version of a pair of molecules that have the same structure but are mirror images of each other. As is the case with many organic molecules, only this left-handed version is biologically significant, and it acts as a cofactor in at least eight different enzymes that serve a variety of important biological functions. To keep the beadweaving simpler, we ignore the chirality as well as the hydrogen atoms in this beaded version of vitamin C, but being a stickler for such things I felt the need to point out the importance of chirality in molecular structures anyway ;).

After I show how to weave the beaded vitamin C molecule, I also demonstrate how to stiffen the molecule using a clear acrylic floor finish. It's a technique pioneered by Diane Fitzgerald and Jean Cox for firming up and supporting finished beadwork. Once called Future Floor Wax, it's now called Pledge Floor Care with Future Shine, but whatever the name it makes the finished beaded molecules stiff and supported.

With a few jump rings, a handful of drop crystals, and little bit of chain, a pair of these molecules make lovely chandelier-style earrings. I wove them in red and silver for a berry-flavored version, and I also made a grape-flavored pair in purples in greens.

Finally, this golden version uses smaller seed beads and a variety of colors of crystals for a more delicate, brighter variation.

This video is available both as a High Definition Video Download and in the DVD format, and includes a supplementary PDF pattern with step-by-step written instructions and a complete materials list for the pair of red and silver earrings shown in this post.

Thanks for looking!

Artist Profile in Bead & Button Magazine

If you've seen the August 2015 issue of Bead & Button Magazine, you might have noticed a cameo appearance of a Magic O Ball beaded bead on the cover.

Well, that's because I'm featured in this issue's Artist Profile on pages 46-47. It's an honor and it was a pleasure to be interviewed about my work and my artistic and scientific journey. (Though, it's rather surreal to read about myself from a third person point of view!)

I'm doubly honored that the Bead & Button editors found my own photos of my work fit to print. Generally, I try to optimize my photos for web viewing, so I was pleased that they turned out well in print too. They chose several of my geometric designs, such as the above Fiberoptic Dodecahedron beaded beads, and several of my chemical designs too.

I've gotten a couple of questions about the beaded chemical structures featured in this article, so I'd like to do a quick summary of them here. The golden necklace shown below features the chemical structures of the Serotonin and Dopamine molecules, which are neurotransmitters (i.e. chemicals that work with neurons) that have a couple of functions in your brain. Serotonin contributes to feelings of happiness and dopamine contributes to feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.

This necklace uses seed beads, jump rings, and a simple clasp, and the technique used to create it is a variation on Gwen and Florence's Infinity Weave. The advantage of this technique is that it results in flat but supported beaded structures, which are perfect for serotonin and dopamine because these molecules are mostly flat in real life. The beading pattern and kits for this piece are available on my website.

The endorphins are also neurotransmitters, and they're also feel-good molecules. Unlike serotonin and dopamine, endorphins are a type of protein and they're significantly larger and have much more dimensionality, though they're still on the small side as far as proteins are concerned. There are a couple of different types of endorphins, and the specific structure shown in the magazine is the necklace-length alpha-endorphin.

I created this piece with crystals, bugle beads, and seed beads to accurately reflect not only the atoms in an alpha-endorphin molecule, but also the different types of bonds and its dimensionality as well. I entered this piece into the 2013 Bead Dreams competition (where it made the finals!)

The technique behind this piece uses a combination of specific, redundant thread paths and thread tension to mimic the 3D structure of the molecule. While I've applied this technique to other 3D molecular structures, I've yet to come up with the best way of explaining how to create the Endorphin Necklace. I like using a detailed, step-by-step writing approach for my beading patterns, however this isn't a feasible approach for a piece as complex as the Endorphin Necklace as such a pattern would be hundreds of pages long. A more streamlined method of explaining the technique may work, but it would be best-explained in the context of a collection of beaded molecules. Either way, it's something that I will have to carefully consider in the future.

In the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about this technique, I have written a pattern for the smaller ethanol molecule, which is the molecule of interest in alcoholic beverages. I paired them with a variety of fruit charms for a pair of earrings that can be made to match your favorite cocktail. The pattern and kits for the Cocktail Hour Earrings are available on my website.

Thanks for looking!

Molecular Holiday Beading

Presenting a beaded alpha-pinene molecule, the chemical responsible for the scent of Christmas trees:

Happy Holidays everyone!

New Pattern: Chocolate and Raspberry Molecules

I've been spending a lot of time beading up chemical structures over the past few weeks, satisfying a craving for delicious chocolate without consuming any calories! I couldn't resist turning these beaded molecules into my latest beading pattern!

Chocolate and Raspberry Molecules Beading Pattern

This pattern describes how to weave three different chemical structures; raspberry ketone, the compound responsible for the intense flavor from red raspberries, and two molecules found in chocolate; theobromine and phenethylamine. This design only requires three different sizes of Japanese seed beads, so you can quickly weave one or more of these molecules using the seed beads already in your stash. I've classified the project as intermediate because it requires the small 15° Japanese seed beads, and the molecules themselves are not particularly symmetrical, so many of the repeats in the pattern are not as predictable as in other beading projects. But the pattern includes over 70 photographs and illustrations, so advanced beginner beaders should be able to follow and understand how to weave the molecules.

Chocolate Molecule Necklaces

To explore the different kinds of jewelry that can be made with these beaded molecules, I started by making two molecules each of theobromine and phenethylamine from chocolate. I used a gold and bronze colorway with just a hint of purple, to mimic a strong dark chocolate truffle with a decorative gold leaf:

I attached one of the theobromine molecules to two lengths of beaded chain, connected to the two oxygen atoms in the molecule. The diamond-shaped chain is the one with O beads that I used previously in my Annular O Necklace and O Stars Pendant designs, but you could substitute another type of beaded chain such as a RAW chain or a spiral rope.

I connected the other three chocolate molecules together with copper jump rings and curb chain for a slightly more substantial necklace. I'm not sure if the metal approach works as well as the beaded chain approach, but I like how the theobromine molecule makes the focal of the necklace.

Food Chemistry Bracelet

For my last piece, I connected two phenethylamine molecules to one molecule each of theobromine and raspberry ketone for a chocolate and raspberry bracelet! I used silver-plated, red luster, metallic red, and opaque brown seed beads for this piece to give it a rich flavor. Can you tell that I prefer dark chocolate? ;)

The Chocolate and Raspberry Molecules Beading Pattern is available exclusively at beadorigami.com if you'd like to make your own chocolate chemistry jewelry!

New Kits: Serotonin and Dopamine Beaded Molecules

Beading kits are now available for the Serotonin and Dopamine Beaded Molecules!

First up is a silvery colorway based on CPK colors, a standard coloring system used in the sciences to color-code each atom in a molecule. In this system, the carbon atoms are black, the oxygen atoms are red, and the nitrogen atoms are blue. I made these molecules a little more fancy by using hematite, AB, and luster finishes in the seed beads.

Next up is the orchid colorway, in soft lavender, tanzanite, and teal green. I created a necklace using five of these beaded molecules, which I've taken to wearing quite a lot lately!

Last up is a pink and gold colorway, using fancy gold-plated seed beads and pink and purple Duracoat Miyuki seed beads. I used nine beaded molecules to form a linked necklace in this colorway.

All three kits include enough beads to make a total of ten dopamine and serotonin beaded molecules. You can mix and match the types of molecules from this kit; you can make 10 dopamine molecules, 10 serotonin molecules, five of each, or anywhere in-between. The kit also includes jump rings and a clasp so that you can make a linked necklace like in the gold colorway above (crystals not included).

New Pattern: Serotonin and Dopamine Molecules

I've finished my final beading pattern of 2013, the Serotonin and Dopamine Beaded Molecules!

Beaded Chemistry!

This pattern describes how to make weave the beaded skeletal chemical structures of two molecules important to brain chemistry: serotonin and dopamine. Like the Morning Coffee Molecules pattern, this design uses 8°, 11°, and 15° seed beads for a simple approach to creating beaded representations of molecules. The resulting beadwork is flat and self-supporting, and I included instructions in the pattern on how to use an acrylic floor finish to stiffen up the finished beadwork. These beaded molecules can be attached to jump rings for individual pendants, or they can be strung together in a larger piece.

Neurotransmitters: Brain Molecules

As I previously mentioned on this blog, serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters; molecules that carry messages from one cell to another in the nervous system. Serotonin is associated with feelings of happiness and well-being, and regulates mood, appetite, and sleep. Many antidepressant medications aim to increase serotonin levels in the brain. Dopamine is part of the reward system of the brain, and it's the molecule responsible for the happy feeling after a rewarding experience.

Here are both molecules in CPK colors, a standard coloring system used in the sciences to color-code each atom in a molecule.

Lacy Molecule Necklaces

In addition to individual pendants, the serotonin and dopamine beaded molecules can connect together for fancy, lacy necklaces. You might remember this gold and pink necklace from a few months ago:

More recently, I also wove this purple and green necklace using two beaded serotonin molecules, and three beaded dopamine molecules. I wove one of each molecule in its mirror image to make the necklace look more symmetrical, and I explained how to do this in the pattern too. A 17 mm Swarovski briolette drop crystal adds a final touch to this piece. I love the lacy look of this necklace, and it has the most comfortable drape!

The Serotonin and Dopamine Molecules Beading Pattern is available exclusively at beadorigami.com. Kits for this design will be available in the new year.

In the meantime, I'll be traveling internationally during this holiday season, so I will not be shipping beading kits between December 19 and January 5. Patterns can still be purchased and downloaded, however all kits ordered during this time will ship on January 6. 

Have a very warm and Happy Holiday Season!

Brain Chemistry Earrings

I wove another 3D beaded molecule! Two, in fact, for a matching pair for earrings.

More Brain Chemistry

Continuing with the theme of beaded neurotransmitters, I wove a pair of earrings in the chemical structure of γ-Aminobutyric acid, aka GABA. I used the same color palette that I used previously for my endorphin necklace, so the two pieces form a matching set.

GABA

GABA acts as the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system; it essentially acts to calm down neurons, and it's also involved in the regulation of muscle tone. It doesn't have big name recognition like the other neurotransmitters that I've covered on this blog such as serotonin, dopamine, and the endorphins, but it's still an important part of brain function.

From a structural point of view, GABA is relatively simple. It has four carbon atoms connected to each other in a chain, with one nitrogen atom at one end, and two oxygen atoms on the other end. The carbon atoms not connected to the oxygen atoms each have two hydrogen atoms, while the nitrogen atom can have two or three. The oxygen atoms, paired with one carbon atom in the arrangement shown in this molecule, all form what organic chemists call a carboxyl group.

I've depicted this molecule as a zwitterion, which is a neutral molecule that has both a positive charge and a negative charge. The positive charge sits on the nitrogen atom, while the negative charge is shared among the atoms of the carboxyl group.

A Flexible Molecule

The GABA molecule is very flexible, which is important to its biological function. It makes for a lacy pair of earrings!

I'm thinking that it would make a good introductory project to the realm of 3D beaded molecules. What do you think? Would you be interested in learning how to make your own GABA earrings?

Arixtra Molecule

I finished my next beaded molecule: the anticoagulant, Arixtra.

Arixtra Molecule

As I mentioned last week, Arixtra is a synthetic anticoagulant drug that's related to natural compounds found in humans. It's also known by its generic name, "fondaparinux," though we always called it Arixtra in my doctoral research lab. It's a carbohydrate with a total of five rings, and it's related to the natural carbohydrates heparin and heparan sulfate, which are also used as anticoagulants (though those molecules are much bigger!)

From a structural point of view, an interesting aspect about Arixtra is that it has so many sulfates (the clusters of yellow and red atoms in the model above). Sulfates are more common in these kinds of carbohydrates compared to peptides such as my Endorphin Molecule necklace. From the beader's point of view, this changes the color balance of the piece, because so much more of the mass of the molecule is taken up by sulfates as opposed to nitrogen atoms. However, since my fellow-chemist friend that commissioned this piece specifically requested CPK colors, the big color decisions were out of my hands.

Chemical Flexibility

Like the Endorphin necklace, this piece is quite flexible, just like a real molecule.

Real molecules do, however, tend to prefer particular "poses" over others, which can change depending on their situation. We're not exactly sure which configuration Arixtra prefers in its molecular state, though it might look like a big glob of atoms like this:

Arixtra as Jewelry

Since this piece is an object d'art, it's not going to be incorporated into jewelry. However, it's about 7 inches long, which is just about the right length for a bracelet.

But since this piece is so asymmetrically dimensional, and full of branches of beads that might get caught on a stray thread from a sweater, I'd be much more comfortable wearing it as a necklace. I pinned it to one of my jewelry busts to see what it would look like as a necklace.

I may just have to make one for myself!

WIP Wednesday: Starting Another Molecule

For my next beading project, I've been commissioned by a friend of mine to make another 3D beaded molecule. My friend studies a class of molecules called glycosaminoglycans, or GAGs (yes, GAGs. Don't laugh!) One of the most widely-available GAGs is this one:

It's a synthetic anticoagulant drug that's related to natural GAGs found in humans. I generally call it by its trade name, "Arixtra," though its generic name is "fondaparinux." It differs from both my endorphin molecule necklace and the Morning Coffee Molecules because it's a carbohydrate, while the endorphins are peptides, and caffeine, caffeic acid, and trigonelline are small molecules. Arixtra is related to the natural carbohydrates heparin and heparan sulfate, which are also used as anticoagulants.

It's widely-available because it's made in the laboratory from other pure molecules, whereas heparin and heparan sulfate have to be extracted from animal tissue, usually cows or pigs.

Here's a 3D representation of this molecule:

My friend wants it to be a stand-alone piece, which saves me the challenge of figuring out how to incorporate it into jewelry. I'm guessing that it will measure about 7-8 inches end-to-end.

She wants her molecule in CPK colors, which are the standard colors used for each atom in molecular models like the one above. But I'm taking a few liberties with those colors to make it look prettier.

Now comes the challenge of beading it! Stay tuned for the results!

Endorphin Molecule

Endorphins

The endorphins are a class of natural feel-good molecules produced in your body. Indeed, the name "endorphin" means "endogenous morphine," so you can also think of them as your own personal pain relievers. They're neurotransmitters, like serotonin and dopamine, though they're polypeptides instead of small molecules. When you compare the sizes of these two types of molecules, the endorphins are  comparatively bigger (about 10-20 times bigger!)

There are a few different kinds of endorphins. Beta-endorphin is perhaps the most well-understood, and it's also the biggest at 31 amino acids long and about 500 atoms. Alpha-endorphin is about half that size, at 16 amino acids long.

And it's the perfect length for a beaded necklace.

Endorphin Molecule Necklace

This necklace depicts the molecular structure of the alpha-endorphin molecule in a three-dimensional, completely chemically-accurate representation, all rendered entirely in beadwork down to the last atom.

The small hydrogen atoms are represented by clusters of silver seed beads, while the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms are represented by light aqua, emerald, and light purple (respectively) clusters of bicone crystals. The slightly larger sulfur atom is represented by a cluster of slightly larger golden shadow bicone crystals. Like its molecular namesake, this beaded alpha-endorphin necklace contains 120 hydrogen atoms, 77 carbon atoms, 18 nitrogen atoms, 26 oxygen atoms, and one sulfur atom. The bonds between each atom are represented by silver bugle beads; one for single bonds, and two for double bonds.

The choice of crystal and metal-plated beads is a nod to the field of “crystallography,” which is a scientific technique used to make crystals out of molecules in order to study their chemical structures. Therefore, this piece is a new twist on the term "crystal structure" :)

A New Way to Bead a Molecule

The wonderful thing about this design is that its techniques can be applied to create a beaded version of almost any organic molecule! The Morning Coffee Molecules design is great for beading flat molecules such as caffeine, which is composed mostly of "sp2" atoms which make the molecule flat. However, most organic molecules are made up of a combination of sp2 and "sp3" atoms, which have a tetrahedral, 3D geometry to their bonds. The thread paths in this technique mimic both of these geometries, and the piece retains its structure through thread tension without any glues or stiffening agents.

Like a real polypeptide, this necklace also retains some flexibility, allowing it to bend and fold in on itself. But most remarkably, the atoms in this necklace can rotate around each single bond, just like in a real molecule!

I've tested it with other peptides, sugars, and small molecules, and I'm continually amazed at how well it works with so many different kinds of compounds. I feel like I've only scratched the surface of all the possibilities of this design, and I see a whole line of beaded molecules in my future beading projects.

Bead Dreams Finalist

This piece made the finals in the Finished Jewelry category in the 2013 Bead Dreams Competition. If you're going to the show, check it out in the display cases next to the registration desk!

If you're not going to the show, you can see this piece and all the other Bead Dreams Finalists here, and you can also vote for your favorite for the People's Choice Award.

Caffeine Molecule Prototypes

I often don't show the numerous prototypes to my beading designs, mainly because they're usually, well, ugly. My prototypes are often missing several beads, contain loose threads, and look little like the final piece. However, I usually keep them around in a big jar, because sometimes I will come up with an idea but not get it to work, only to revisit it at a later time. I like having my previous attempts around so I can see and feel how the design didn't work as I had envisioned. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my caffeine beaded molecule was one of these ideas.

Beaded Caffeine Prototypes, Circa 2007

During a recent studio re-organization, I found some of the first caffeine molecules that I had ever beaded! These date back to sometime in 2007, before I started writing beading patterns.

As you can see, I had played around with the idea of using round beads to stabilize the rings of the molecule. The atoms were represented by an 8° seed bead, with the bonds represented by smaller seed beads. However, even with the round "core" beads, these were too floppy for my taste, and rather, well, inelegant.

(I was also into blue colorways, big time)

Snowflake-Style Caffeine Prototype

The key to the finished beaded caffeine molecule was realizing that it needed multiple, redundant thread paths, and multiple layers of beadwork. My snowflakes design was what led me to this idea, as I blogged about last December.

Using the snowflakes design as a guide, I whipped up this prototype using the geometry of a caffeine molecule:

As you can see, it looks much more like the final design, but with some snowflakes elements such as the 15° seed beads in the centers of the rings. Each atom branching off of the rings is slightly different, as I was experimenting with different ways of beading these branched atoms each time. By the time I finished the last branch, I came to a conclusion about the style that I wanted to use.

Finished Coffee Molecules

The finished design is a bit more streamlined, and works with several different kinds of flat molecules, not just caffeine!

The caveat to this style is that most molecules are much more dimensional, and therefore much more challenging to render accurately in beadwork. However, that's a subject for another day...

Do you keep the prototypes to your beading designs? Have you ever found a beading design many years later? Drop me a line in the comments and let me know!

Dopamine Molecule Earrings

On the heels of finishing my serotonin and dopamine necklace, I've continued this theme of beaded neurotransmitter molecules with a pair of matching earrings.

Dopamine Earrings

These earrings were woven using the same color palette as the necklace, and depict the skeletal chemical structure of the dopamine molecule. I attached the beaded molecules to the ear wires at the nitrogen atom.

For reference, here's one of the dopamine molecules that I used in the original necklace, along with its skeletal chemical structure:

A Smaller Variation

I scaled down the bead sizes in these earring versions of beaded dopamine, resulting in slightly smaller beaded molecules. They're about 3/4 of the size of the original beaded dopamine, as you can see in this photo:

I discuss how to scale down the bead sizes in my Morning Coffee Molecules pattern, where I show both the original and smaller sizes of the beaded caffeine molecule.

Left- and Right-Handed Earrings

Some molecules exist in both right- and left-handed forms, a concept in chemistry known as chirality. The most common example of a chiral molecule is an amino acid, which I'll discuss in detail at a later date. I previously discussed this general idea in beaded DNA, where I explained how most DNA is in the right-handed form (B-DNA), however it can exist in a rare left-handed form that looks quite different from the DNA structure that everyone is used to. This concept is sometimes lost graphic designers, and it's not uncommon to see a depiction of B-DNA incorrectly illustrated in the left-handed direction (as shown here, here, and here). Once you study it in detail, it gets to be a bit of a pet peeve (like how it takes an astrophysicist to notice that the globe in the opening of the Daily Show is actually spinning in the wrong direction).

But I digress...

Dopamine is not a chiral molecule, so you can take any two dopamine molecules, and after flipping them over and rotating them around, you'll find a way to superimpose them on top of each other. So when it comes to depicting dopamine in a skeletal chemical structure, you can draw it in several different ways, even in right- and left-handed orientations, and you're still depicting the same molecule.

Since I thought that one earring of each orientation would be more aesthetically pleasing when worn, this is how I depicted these dopamine molecules. I like how this method of creating beaded molecules satisfies both my aesthetic ideas as a jewelry designer, as well as my nitpicky science pet peeves :)

For more of the science behind beaded molecules, check out my serotonin and dopamine necklace, and my Morning Coffee Molecules pattern.

Serotonin and Dopamine Necklace

I finished another project! This necklace features beaded representations of two important brain molecules; serotonin and dopamine.

Serotonin

Last month I wrote about serotonin, a molecule in the brain associated with happy feelings. I also blogged about the process I went through to create beaded serotonin, where I went through several different colorways before arriving at the one that I liked. I settled on a colorway of metallic gold and pink, with accents of purple and peach:

Dopamine

Like serotonin, dopamine is also a small neurotransmitter. It is the key neurotransmitter of the reward system of the brain, which produces feelings of pleasure after rewarding experiences such as a delicious meal, sex, music, or finishing a beautiful beading project! In fact, any kind of reward experience will increase dopamine levels in the brain. However, dopamine levels are also increased in response to drug use, and it's linked to other kinds of addictive behaviors. Its precise roles in these and other complicated neural responses is still an active area of scientific research (which is scientist-speak for "we're still learning more about it!")

Dopamine is made from the amino acid tyrosine, which has one six-carbon aromatic ring, as opposed to the two-ring indole group of serotonin. Two oxygen atoms are connected to the ring, along with a branch of two carbons with a nitrogen on the end. The resulting beaded dopamine molecule is slightly smaller than serotonin, but from a structural chemistry point of view, both are still described as small molecule neurotransmitters.

A Happy, Rewarding Necklace!

To create this piece, I wove several beaded serotonin and dopamine molecules using the principles that I describe in my Morning Coffee Molecules pattern. I then painted the backs of the beaded molecules with several coats of acrylic floor finish, which made the beadwork stiff and sturdy. Then I connected the molecules together with jump rings, and attached them to a clasp to complete this necklace.

For a little while, I wasn't sure if this necklace was done. I debated adding crystals or fringe to this piece on the jump rings between each molecule, but I didn't want to detract from the beaded molecules themselves. This piece also has so many shiny metallic beads that any additional beads will either recede or clash with the molecules, so I relented, and decided to let this piece stand as-is.

...But my next neurotransmitter necklace will have an abundance of crystals!

If you're interested in the beading techniques behind this piece, check out my Morning Coffee Molecules pattern, where you can learn how to create a beaded caffeine molecule!