I've been very lucky recently to have been proof-reading and technically editing a new book on wire beaded butterflies and bugs. When I was first asked I had visions of basic pieces which were very childlike but when they arrived I was truly amazed. These pieces, made by the obviously talented Nicola Tedman, were miniature works of art, small sculptures which just happened to be made of beads and wire. Not what I expected at all, I was quite sad to send them back...

The publishers realised that the one thing missing was a caterpillar to complete the set, hence my playing with beads, thread and fine wire (no fun when all your finger tips are burnt). I'm not super experienced with these techniques, only ever having made basic pieces before, so checking the book was a real education and I used far more complicated (but still easy to learn and do) techniques than I would if asked to do the same thing a few weeks ago.

I was aiming for a caterpillar with obvious 'bumps and lumps' along its length and some 'fluff' such as this beautiful one. After a few hours of experimenting I think I got there in the end. I apologise for the poor photo, I was photographing it late at night before posting it the next day.

To make up for it here are some more photos from the last day of my course.