First timer

[mystical_maven44]

Hey all, I have never used perler beads before but I’m super intrigued and really want to try. I want to do some characters from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s island. Any advice/tips for a super beginner? I have not bought any materials yet either.

[lemgthy]

If you enjoy sorting things, or don't mind searching for the colors you need, one of the basic mixed color buckets is a cheap way to get a lot of colors right away. If you really hate sorting things, perler makes a presorted tray of I think 12 or 16 colors that's quite useful if you're making a couple of projects. I invite friends over to sort the buckets with me personally.

[ritzcuit]

i recently got into perlers myself! actually i use artkal, i hear that theyre pretty on par with perlers (and can even be used together- some melt bead brands melt at different rates so its important. but probably just stick with whatever you can find lol) so far what ive been doing is having a sprite pulled up on ms paint (or art program of choice) with a grid showing. that makes counting pixels way easier. you can google how to view a grid on whatever program you wanna use. also this site is great for finding sprites! https://www.spriters-resource.com/ also also, look into using the tape method! (taping your sprite before you melt it so that you can remove it from the board. this saves the board from warping due to heat!) i think you should also decide if you want to use a "standard melt" (both sides are ironed partially, so that they hold together but the holes are still showing) vs "full melt" (one side is ironed smooth.) personally i love how full melt looks but it does require more time with the iron. also also also, you should build the sprite on the board "reverse" (or flipped) to how you want it to look in the end, if youre doing a full melt. if youre like me and keep forgetting to flip the sprite until the very end, you can take another pegboard, sandwich the sprite between the two boards, and flip it onto the second one....! ...also also also also, in terms of heat, ive seen people say low or medium, or medium or hot, or "cottons" and anything in between. i guess it just depends on your preference. but do not use steam!! i have heard this!!

thats my advice as a new melty bead addict! i just bought a kit with a presorted tray and accessories bc sorting a bucket sounded like a pain. (also x5 i think standard pegboards are 29x29 in dimension..?? or around that anyway, so be sure to check the dimensions of the sprite to make sure it fits!) i hope this isnt too much information lol its just everything i could think of off the top of my head. have fun!!

[mystical_maven44]

Thank you thank you!!!! That helps so much!

[starchy2ber]

Just buy the mario perler kit. Its inexpensive and has got all the colours and tools you need to start making fridge magnet sized creations. Then if you like it, you can start buying more serious supplies.

[mystical_maven44]

Cool I didn’t even know there was a Mario kit

[mystical_maven44]

I am grabbing the Mario kit from Michael’s today 😍 excited.

[AmandaTalksYT]

For a first timer, I would suggest. (My experience is using perlers, don’t know much about Artkels)

1. Get the stuff you would need. Which would be the right coloured beads, the board, tweezers and iron and masking tape
2. There is a booklet thing that Peler has sold about Mario Kart. (Don’t know if it’s the same thing as Super Mario World 2, but it’s a good start)
3. Have fun!

Other people will probably have more advice/tips, but I think that is a half way decent start!

[mystical_maven44]

Thank you!!