Advanced Techniques

Advanced Perler Techniques

Pattern Making 

There are many ways to start to make a pattern that you will use to make your sprite creations. Some people might just find a pattern online, while others might freehand the pattern for original pieces. When Pixel Art Paradise started, I was actually screen capturing images from ROMS that were on my computer. In a photo editing program, I then cropped the sprite, increased the size, neutralized the background, and drew a grid separating the individual pixels. Now I do it about the same, only without the grid as they are very time consuming. You can see our personal collection of patterns on the “patterns” page (coming soon!). Sometimes I freehand patterns. It depends on the sprite being created.

Placing

The next part in making your creation is to place the beads on the grid. For those who've made many a sprite, you know that it can be a very time-consuming task. Unfortunately for us, a perler bead dispensing apparatus hasn't been invented yet. The idea is out there, and other people have thought about making one, but no one has invested in its creation. So what are we to do? How do we make perler bead placing easier or faster?

First off, you can start with the outline first. Whatever the piece is, always start with the outline. If your pattern doesn't require an outline, then just go with the same color. That brings us to our next tip, do one color at a time. While everyone places their beads differently (some do it row by row, or color by color, or alternating, etc), doing a single color at a time is the quickest way to go.

Sometimes larger patterns might be a little more complex with colors changing or being far apart from beads of the other color. If that's the case, then do a section of color at a time until moving on to the next bit. Remember, you can always use the beads that you've already placed as reference for the beads that you are now placing. This will get easier with practice. You can also carry a few beads in your hand at a time and drop them quicker when filling in a single color for a section.

Ironing

Using ironing paper and a hot iron, it's now time to fuse your beads. Make sure that your iron is heated all the way. Be patient, otherwise it won't iron out evenly. Medium-high heat works best. While ironing your beads, start out my moving across the top to apply a little heat. After you've heated it a bit, apply just a small amount of pressure, slightly melting the beads down. Start at one end and work your way up, completely ironing a section at a time. Feel free to re-iron in places that you might have missed. You don't have to wait for the piece to cool before ironing the other side. Carefully flip the piece over, place ironing paper on top and repeat the process.

For creating larger pieces, you might not have enough peg boards. In this case there is a technique that I like to use. I create larger pieces in sections by dividing up the pattern into pieces that will fit the space that I have to work with. The I only iron one side. When I'm making the next piece, I will leave open pegs where the other piece attaches. I then connect the half-ironed piece back on to the pegboards with the newly placed beads and iron that side only until the two are connected. Only that one side though. Continue the process until all of the section are complete and attached. Then flip the entire piece over and iron the other side as a whole. Now you should have one complete piece. For questions about pieces warping, see the troubleshooting section.

Display

So what the heck do you do with bead sprites? Well, whatever you want! There are many ways to display your creations or ones that you've purchased. When I go to conventions, I give the option of having your pieces placed on keychains or necklaces. I've also made magnets, hairclips, and pins. Bead sprites make wonderful accessories, whether you're a guy or a girl. Some people turn their bead sprites into coasters, wall décor, or mobiles. They can be framed (I've done some in shadow boxes) and hung on a wall, or incorporated into another art project all together (Such as gluing to a mural or canvas). The uses for perler sprites are endless, so it's up to you and your imagination to decide what to do with them.

Troubleshooting

Here are some solutions to common problems you may encounter while working on perler sprites. If you have questions or would like to request the solution to a problem you're having, please send an email to mtogg@live.com with the subject “Perler Sprites”.

Common Perler Bead Problems and Solutions-

Warping

My bead sprite warped, what do I do?

Warping makes pieces bend in ways that they shouldn't. Sometimes they curve and this prevents the pieces from being flat and displayed in ways that we might like. Perler sprite warping is caused by the beads not cooling properly. There are a couple of ways to prevent perler warps. The first is to use a separate piece of ironing paper for each side of your sprite. When you pull paper from a sprite while it is still warm, the pressure from the paper being removed causes the still warm beads to pull in that direction, creating a warp. Using separate pieces of ironing paper prevents that from happening since you're not creating a disturbance in the flatness of the beads.

 If you don't have more paper, or are impatient, you can iron your piece and then place something flat and heavy on top of it, such as a book or game console, or whatever else you might have that's flat and heavy. If you don't have anything flat and heavy, you can cover the piece with the peg board itself, peg sides down, and place something heavy on top of that.

How do I fix an already warped bead sprite?

If you made a sprite or bought a sprite that's already warped, you'll need to re-iron both sides. Only ironing the warped side will not work. Iron both sides and place something flat on top. This will un-warp your bead sprite.

Sticking

Help! Beads are sticking to the paper! What do I do?

Use a new sheet of ironing paper. The waxy coating on the paper does wear down over time and will need to be replaced as it does. If your sprite is sticking, or begins to stick, put your hand over the paper, over the sprite, and slowly pull the paper back a little bit at a time until the piece comes out. If there are small pieces of paper that have torn off or stuck to your bead sprite once you've removed the paper, pick them off and remove any remaining residue with a wet cloth. Bead sprites are water proof, paper isn't. It should come off easily. If some beads stick before the piece is complete, and beads are misplaced, check out the 'Mending' section below.

Too Much Melt

My beads melted down too much, now the colors are blending or look funny, what do I do?

Turn your iron heat down until you find the right temperature. Make some sample patches of beads, such as a simple shape, to test until you see what the right heat and amount of pressure are for your sprites and particular iron. Not all irons are created equal. Test any new iron before working on more projects. I've worked with 4 different irons so far, each was different.

Short Beads

Sometimes you might get a bead in your batch of beads that is shorter than the rest, and so doesn't melt evenly with the other beads in the sprite. You should try to catch short beads before you place them to begin with, they can be disregarded. If you placed one and have already ironed the piece and that bead isn't taking, you can replace the bead with a new one after the beads around it have been melted already. Wait for the piece to cool first before doing this to avoid warping. Patience is needed.

Alternatively, you can use the tip of your iron (the part where it comes to a point) and iron the short bead just enough to cause it to stick to the others. When you flip the piece and iron the other side, that bead will be even on the other side (since it's on a flat surface and lined up when you placed it).

Mending

I've only partially ironed my sprite and the piece is sticking and beads have come up and it's ruined! AH! What do I do?!?!

First of all, chill out. Secondly, gently remove the paper and stuck beads, doing your best to keep the ironed bits in place on the pegboard. Slowly, carefully, put the stuck beads back where they go. Just because a section is ruined doesn't mean you should give up on the project all together. Be patient, it can be fixed. If beads don't stay in place (Since they expand when you iron them) then only do a little bit at a time. Only iron a little section before replacing the beads and ironing the next. Yes, it does take more time, but not as much time as it would take to re-make the entire piece. This is mostly a problem encountered with larger bead sprites.

Dropping

Oh no! I dropped/bumped the pegboard, there are beads everywhere! What do I do now?!

Be careful next time. Not much you can do but clean up your mess and do it again. Of course, if it's that frustrating, you could always buy sprites from me. I offer free shipping in the US. Send me an email at mtogg@live.com to find out how!

Boredom

I'm bored of placing beads, this is taking too long. Is there anything else to occupy my brain while I do this?

Well, yes, but beginner spriters should stick to focusing on their projects when first starting out. When you're getting a feel for the craft, you don't want to get distracted right away. You will make mistakes if you do that, not that that's a bad thing though, it's a great learning experience! Later on when you get a better feel for making bead sprites, you can do a variety of things. Listen to music, watch a movie, whatever doesn't require your full attention. Beading is also a great group activity. Try organizing a sprite party for yourself and friends! Bead sprites are also a fun activity for families and a great way to spend time with people. Everyone works at their own pace so be patient, with yourself and others. Have

fun!

Questions? Comments? Send me a message mtogg@live.com