Page 28 - The Digital Cloth Issue 6

Painting the Kaka – The Painting the background –

birds were painted in a I painted a light sky wash
watercolour method. I lay over all of the
down a warm brown wash background and dried it
*a blow-drier handy to stop with a blow-drier. I used a
bleeding if needed. While sponge to apply
the fabric is still damp, lemon, green, navy, black
I outline some feather and white, leaving some
shapes with damp layers of areas sky blue still showing.

brown. I add shadows and I built the colours
highlights, gradually gradually, lighter at the
building depth, following top and darker at the base.
the photo carefully as I To prevent sponged paint
paint. from getting onto the birds
and flowers, I placed paper
over large areas and used
Painting the Flax Flowers a fine paintbrush in small
– The flowers are painted areas. When the painting
with straight paint. I paint is dry, I heat set it with an
deep purple shadows first. iron.
Then I load my brush with

two colours at a time, Thread Sketching for detail
*yellow and red for some – I add vibrancy with bright
flowers and pink and red, threads stitched onto the
for others. I paint each painted layer. I stabilise
flower or bud with one or the fabric in an embroidery
two strokes. The paints are hoop.
transparent so the purple
shadows show through, Selecting the thread

creating interest. colour – When selecting
the threads, I make the
Painting the Branches – shadows darker, the
I paint dark purple on the colours brighter and the
lower edges of the highlights lighter. This
branches and up into the brings the work to life.
base of some flowers or Stitching the direction of
buds. Mid purple is on the feathers is important
most of the rest of the and I follow the photo
branches. Finally, I add carefully.
white to the top edges to
create highlights. When top left: finished
painting picture, middle left: Hooped
dry, I heat set it with an
work for
iron. stitching, bottom left:
Detail top stitch.

top right: Painting photo with paper
photos
middle right: Painted blue background
bottom right: Close up on sponging
and