Next, I decided on the size and placement of the seed heads. And, I pinned down (literally) the flower centers. Finally, it was time to add stems. Then, on to some much needed shading (below.) This helped create definition between the petals. (Compare the before image above, and the after, below.) To create the shading I used […]
Since I wanted to show all the stages of these flowers, I needed to add in a few buds. (I left the seed heads alone for a little while longer.) At this point, the two small buds (near center top) gained an unexpected 3D effect. Since the petals were not stitched down yet, they flared […]
20Hmm. Yeah, that last flower (on the right) was a little too large. Although it looked fine, I knew that it would crowd the rest of the composition, causing the flowers to overlap too much. That would make it harder to tell them apart, and I’d lose the nice contrast with the background. So, I […]
(If you want to see where this all began, start here.) After constructing the first flower, I worked on the second one, in the same fashion. Again, I delayed adding the dark center,. However, I folded some dark fabric and pinned it in place, just to get the proper effect. Hey, looking good! At this point, […]
After the background was complete, it was time to start creating the flowers. The photo below shows my set up. (BTW, I have my blog set up so you can always click on a photo for a larger view.) My composition was on the left design wall, with my design cartoon on the right one. I […]
Before I tell you about my design decisions, perhaps it would be helpful if you knew a little about the technical aspects of my process. Construction starts on a design wall. This is housing insulation covered with felt. I pin up a piece of white background fabric, as a base. Then, I begin to pin […]
I’ve finally learned enough Photoshop Elements to use it as a design tool. (Which is to say I can eventually figure things out, with the help of a good tutorial book.) I put those skills to work in creating the composition for my latest piece which features Black Eyed Susans. First, I isolated several of the flowers, […]
As part of the upcoming Transformations art exhibit, I’ve been paired with poet Marcia Denius. The idea is for us to share our work with one another, get to know one another, and allow the experience to influence new creations. This is being loosely termed collaboration, but we’re not actually working on one another’s pieces. […]
I’ve been busy. Busy cutting and placing fabric for my current collage. As you can see, I’m using a wide variety of yellow fabrics. Using a collage technique means that I cut various shapes for my compositions. That creates SCRAPS! I only keep those that are bigger than my fist, but I have several friends who […]
