My Craftsy class, Jewelry Design for Bead Artists has been available for a week.After more than 6 months of work by myself and many others, I am proud! My husband and I have been watching portions of it at night and are so impressed by the HD quality, the graphics, the pacing, the ease of navigation, and the downloadable materials.

Over 150 students have enrolled in the first week, and I’ve received some great questions. Participants can ask a question right in the browser and attach photos of their work. I answer as soon as possible, usually within a day. Others can read the questions and answers as they watch the class videos.

I enjoy seeing others’ work as they ask me about the amount of repetition or variety they’ve used in the composition

. Before I answer these kinds of questions I ask them questions. I can give more helpful, accurate answers when I know what the artist was going for in their design. So I ask them what the goal of the piece was. Who is going to wear it and where? What’s the persona of the one wearing it? What do you want it to convey? And the most important question: What do you want the person wearing the jewelry to feel?

The first thing I set in my mind before I design anything is this: what do I want the customer to feel when they wear the jewelry I’m making? (By “customer” I mean anyone I design jewelry for, whether or not money is exchanged.) To me it’s the most important design decision I make, because it informs every other decision, from color, to length. I also discuss  this in my book, “The Beader’s Guide to Jewelry Design.

Please check out the class preview if you’ve not had a chance.