Step 1
Gather the materials shown above. If you don’t have shiny or clear beads just use three different shades of the same color for the body. You could also use the same color if you don’t have that. For the string I always don’t measure exactly, I used like a wingspan and a half of string but I estimated it to be 7ft.
Step 2
Put three head color beads and one belly color bead on the string. Pull tight tie it off and cut the short end of the string off.
Step 3
Add a belly color bead and pull through the closest head color bead. Add a head color bead and pull through the next head color bead. Add another head color bead and pull through the last head color bead. Finally add a belly color bead and thread through the other belly color bead.
Step 4
Thread through the closest belly color corner. Add another head color bead and thread through the next corner. Add another two head color beads this way. Finally add a belly color bead and thread through the final corner bead and the first bead of this row.
Step 5
Pull tight
Step 6
(For the rest of the pattern when I say add a bead I mean putting a bead on the string and threading it through the next raised bead of the last row. If this doesn’t make sense see the photons for help or comment on my forum about the tutorial.) Add two eye color beads. Then add two belly color beads. Finally pull the string through the first bead of this row.
Step 7
Add two head color beads then a belly color bead and finally a head color bead. Then thread the string through the fist bead of this row.
Step 8
Add one head color bead. Then add two belly color beads. Net add one final head color bead. Last pull the string through the first bead of this row.
Step 9
Add your first solid body color bead. Then add a belly color bead. Add two more solid body color beads. Finally pull the string through the first bead of this row.
Step 10
Add two belly color beads. Then add two clear body color beads. Finally pull the string through the first bead of the row.
Step 11
Add a belly color bead. Then add three shiny body color beads. Finally pull the string through the first bead of the row
Step 12
At this point you should understand the pattern of these rows. So, continue alternating rows of solid, clear, and shiny body beads until you have sixteen rows of the body.
Step 13
Tread your string through only the beads of the last row so, only the four raised beads.
Step 14
Pull tight. And tie off but don’t shut the string.
Step 15
Tread the string into a belly color bead, then put a fin color bead on your string. Tread the string into the body color bead across from the belly color bead. See the diagram I drew for help.
Step 16
Tread the string into the other belly color bead and thread through the fin color bead and the other belly color bead like the last step. This fin bead will now be referred to as the base fin bead.
Step 17
Tread the string into the closest belly color bead and the base fin be
Step 18
Add seven fin color beads to the string and pull back through the base fin bead.
Step 19
Add three new fin color beads to the string pull through two of the new fin color beads and the base fin bead
Step 20
Thread the string into the first three beads of the seven fin beads you added in step eighteen.
Step 21
Thread the string back through the first two of the seven beads along with the base fin bead.
Step 22
Thread through the last two of the seven beads added in step eighteen.
Step 23
Add two fin color beads to the string. Thread it through all three of the beads added in step nineteen.
Step 24
Tie off. At this point you could cut the string, I didn’t but that’s just because I still had a lot of string left.
Step 25
In red is the path I used to get to the first two body color beads above the belly color ones. Once you get to the first of those two beads add three fin color beads to the string. Then treads into the body color bead next to this one. In the blue I showed what you would do if you cut the string in the last step, it is essentially the same thing except after you treat the string through both beads the ends of both sides of the string is poking out and you just tie those ends together and cut the string
Step 26
Get the string to the other side of the fish and repeat whichever method you used to make the fin in the last step.
Step 27
Tie off and cut the string.
Step 28
Thread the remaining string through the second bead of the body. Make sure there an equal amount of string on both sides and thread both ends of the string through a fin color bead.
Step 29
Thread the string into the next body color bead then add another fin color bead the same way you did in the last step
Step 30
Just like in the last step threat the string through the next body color bead and add another fin color bead.
Step 31
Again, thread through the next body color bead and add another fin color bead.
Step 32
Thread through the next body color bead and then thread on side of the string back through the last fin color bead so they are on the same side.
Step 33
The the two ends of the string together and cut the ends
Guys I finally finished, this was so much more work than I thought it would be. Hope you all like it!