By Katey Khaos

Artist Abby Malvestuto has rebooted one of my favorite childhood memories ~ perler beads! Inspired by all things “nerdy,” Malvestuto’s creates everything from coasters and magnets to wall art. I got a chance to catch up with Malvestuto in the midst of her beadwork to talk about her new company, Subatomicdeathkitten Designs.

How did SDK come to be?

It was honestly a decision of necessity. Back in March of this year, I went on medical leave and needed something to keep me busy. I realized it was soon becoming more than just a hobby when I got invited to share a booth at the third annual Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2).

Which video games have inspired you?

I’m inspired most by games that I grew up playing: Pokemon, Castlevania, Mario, TMNT and Sonic. My first console was a SEGA Genesis, and my first Nintendo system was a Gameboy Color, so I missed out on a lot of “true” 8-bit and retro games. It’s ironic, since they lend themselves so well to this medium.

How many different colored beads do you have in your collection?

You’re really going to make me count?! (Five minutes later.) OK, so I have 84 colors spanning the entire color spectrum, including six colors of glow in the dark beads and four colors of blacklight-reactive beads. I can also tell you that I’m missing five colors, and I hope to remedy that soon, ha, ha.

What was the first piece you created?

A large Leonardo from TMNT. He’s about 24 inches by 24 inches, and that was when I realized I had a knack for it.

Biggest piece?

Biggest piece to date is the 36-inch by 26-inch piece that is a re-creation of Alex Ross’ Shazam. It features over 16,000 hand-placed beads and was autographed by Alex Ross himself. It’s honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

Can you give us an idea how long a piece takes to create?

Each peg board (what I use to hold the beads in place) is 29 by 29 “pixels,” and each one holds 841 beads. One full board can take me about 30 minutes. It’s taken a lot of practice! However, the time it takes to make a completed piece is more than that. Most of my time is spent physically placing the beads. The Shazam piece took 48 hours to place beads, another 2½ hours to iron together, plus another hour or so to mount and frame.

Be sure to check out the rest of Malvestuto’s pieces at etsy.com/shop/SDKD.