Shopping Guide
Iron-on beads are a type of bead that can be heated up to create original goods in any motif you can imagine. Overseas, they are well known as Perler Beads or Hama Beads, but in Japan they are still considered a lesser-known item.
Nun is a creator who is fascinated with Perler Beads and conveys her interest in the hobby through publishing creations on TOM and holding workshops. First, we’d like to introduce some of her Perler Bead works.
Nun calls herself an “artisan who pixelates what she sees.” As can be ascertained from looking at her work, she designs pixel layouts of characters from series like Dokidoki! PreCure and Puella Magi Madoka Magica and creates “pixel drawings you can touch” using Perler Beads. Her designs are certainly cute enough to make viewers want to hold them in their hands.
She even transforms the Pokémon from Pokémon X/Y into pixelated characters using Perler Beads. By making holes for a chain to fit through, her creations can be attached to a bag or other item and carried around. She has even introduced the designs for making Froakie, Fennekin, and Chespin so you should definitely try creating them.
Even in addition to these, the possibilities of Perler Beads are nearly endless and their ease of use can be taken advantage of to make 3D versions of the aliens from Space Invaders or Hatsune Miku swinging a leek with the use of joint parts.
[Video 1] Cheerful Miku is waving pom-poms in both hands and cheering you on?!
[Video 2] Miku swinging a leek
Here’s an introduction on how to create characters using Perler Beads for those who want to make items similar to the ones Nun creates. First, you will need the following: Perler Beads, an iron, an ironing board, a special Perler Bead plate, and ironing paper.
Step 1: Arrange the beads on the plate to create a design of your liking.
Step 2: When you’ve finished your design, place the ironing paper on top, and with the iron on the medium head setting press it gently against the top of the paper.
Step 3: Press the iron against the paper until the beads melt together. Once it has cooled, peel off the ironing paper and remove the design from the plate.
Step 4: Repeat Steps 2 and 3 on the other side to finish your creation!
Nun has published guides for many of her creations including the Pokémon X/Y and Dokidoki! PreCure characters on her site and Facebook that make great references for beginners, so we recommend using them. We also recommend watching her easy-to-understand making-of videos for even more help.
Hatsune Miku making-of video:
Perler Beads can be purchased for a reasonable price, making creating with Perler Beads a low-cost hobby. We invite you to try it out and create your own cute Miku and Pokémon designs!
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
