It’s funny how textile pieces change as you work on them. A week or so back, I posted on Facebook a progress report of ways of translating a computer design. This was originally a pastel drawing that I put through a Displacement map on Photoshop Elements.
One of the experiments involved in translating this to stitch was a method of hand stitching on rubber-stamped water-soluble paper. I placed the stamped design onto painted fabric, did some simple hand stitching and then dissolved part of the paper.
This led on to other trials and the whole project graduated to my ‘thinking board’. This is where I pin things that might become a series. I always find that the pinning method generates ideas. My workroom is also a main route to our back door so I pass through frequently and stop to move things about. The board contains all kinds of samples that link by colour or theme and might become part of a series one day.
It had now become enough of a compulsion to make a new piece for a background, so I worked on Craft Vilene, covered with a layer of gesso. Some cut-out shapes were pressed into the gesso and a palette knife was then used to apply a little Fibre Paste Texture Gel in between the shapes. When dry, I painted it with black Quink ink which gives a different shade of blue or grey according to whether it’s a gesso or gel. I left a few spaces for some pale yellow water colour, which I applied when the ink was dry.
You can see these steps below. The final piece, below that, shows that some of the shapes have been lost, which makes for a good background.
I thought I’d found my technique for the translation of the design – planned to cut it into strips and combine it with the water soluble paper stitching.
However, I then tried a (recycled) cut-out piece of stitching, featuring The Thee Graces on top and loved the result when I placed them on the background.
I’ve got just the frame for it, too. Oh well. I’ll just have to make another one for the displacement map.
