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Excerpted from
The Beader’s Color Palette
(Watson Guptill, June 2008)
LIVING COLOR: The Briny Deep by Margie Deeb
Poet Mary Oliver writes of the ocean “This enormity, this cauldron of changing greens and blues, is the great palace of the earth.”
A dazzling array of hues lurk beneath the ocean’s surface, many of which we may never see. Someone with an outrageous sense of color concocted this vast realm of pastels, muted shades, vibrants, and jewel tones that sway and swim in the currents. Flash photography allows us to perceive a sea creature’s true colors untinted by the veil of water through which we view it with naked eyes.
Suggested Palettes Inspired by the Bringy Deep
With a hot pink and orange scarab, Jamie Cloud Eakin gives a nod to the Tropical Squarespot fish. She adds purple and exchanges the fish’s bright yellow for gold, making the scheme more palatable for jewelry. Yellow works fine for the fish, gold works better for the humans. Bead embroidery and edging. Photo by Margie Deeb.
  193. Wrasse. Wrasse are among the most colorful fish on the planet. More than 600 species sport an amazing range of extraordinary palettes, this (right) being one of the more tame ones! Black makes a lively accent, taking the blue-to-green analogous scheme from an evocative oceanic palette to a chic color combination perfect for high fashion. Delicas: DB-215, DB-793, DB-787, DB-724, DB-010
  194. Copperband Butterflyfish. I’ve rendered the Copperband Butterfly’s bold color scheme (right) in highly reflective and AB surface finishes. Flashes of pink and hints of green furnish more color than exists in the original palette. The overall effect is one of striking color and magical texture. Delicas: DB-160, DB-201, DB-063, DB-167, DB-001
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 196. Anemone. Attached to a bed of coral, a reef anemone undulates with the currents. Itsmany tendril-like arms transition in color from creamy off-white, to pink, to electric purple. A dazzlingly simple combination with so much potential. Delicas: DB-1491, DB-352, DB-247, DB-1345
About The Author
Artist, designer, musician, and color expert Margie Deeb is the author of several beading books, including the popular The Beader’s Guide to Color and The Beader’s Color Palette.
She teaches color courses for artists, interior designers, and beaders and her free monthly color column, “Margie’s Muse,” is available on her website. She produces a free graphically enhanced podcast, “Margie Deeb’s Color Celebration,” available on iTunes.
Her articles have appeared in Bead & Button and Beadwork magazines and BeadBugle.Com, and she writes a regular color column in Step-by-Step Beads. She has appeared on the PBS show “Beads, Baubles, and Jewels” speaking about color. Visit Margie’s website for her books, patterns, jewelry, inspiration, and more: www.MargieDeeb.com
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