Need help with a large art horse quilt
06-30-2013, 10:34 AM
#11
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Originally Posted by Jan in VA
Queen size?? A horse-only quilt??
I'm sorry, I can not even imagine having a nearly full sized horse standing on my bed, in a quilt or not. How weird. Wouldn't a picture transferred to fabric be the easiest way? Can one do that?
Jan in VA
Okay, that Tony Whitney stuff is amazing, I agree.
I'm sorry, I can not even imagine having a nearly full sized horse standing on my bed, in a quilt or not. How weird. Wouldn't a picture transferred to fabric be the easiest way? Can one do that?
Jan in VA
Okay, that Tony Whitney stuff is amazing, I agree.
LOL! Me either! She owns the a horse boarding and horse camp down the road. Wonderful lady, and her house is the cutest. If you could see her home it will go perfectly. Her bedroom walls look like a light tan leather, she made the effect with paper bags and decopage glue. Its stunning! I mentioned the photo paper to her and well... I didn't know a persons nose could wrinkle like that. She wants applique....
06-30-2013, 10:37 AM
#12
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[QUOTE=alisonquilts;6151960]Wow, Toni Whitney is good...
My suggestion for designing your own pattern is to convert one copy of your color photograph into black and white. This will allow you to see shading and color/value shifts that are not as obvious in a color photo (at least not as obvious to me!). I have found if I reduce a photo to black and white, then trace it (over a light box or against a bright window) only marking the most obvious color/value shifts it becomes less overwhelming to build a pattern, and I am sure to include the lines that are most critical to the composition. You can always add detail back in through fabric choice (batiks are awesome, and Bug Fabric has a lot of great textural fabrics for doing fur and foliage), embroidery and quilting.
It sounds like an awesome project - exciting and challenging, and I hope lucrative for you! And I totally agree with retrogirl02's advice about getting customer approval at several stages: a non-quilter can have no idea about how long this project is going to take, and why it is going to (and should) cost a fair bit of gold.
Alison[/QUOTE
Thank you, you've given some wonderful advice. I'll be trying the black and white photo idea. And yes I'm getting paid VERY well for this one. I told her in advance that it wasn't going to be an easy one to make and we've already agreed upon the pot of gold, half in advance.
My suggestion for designing your own pattern is to convert one copy of your color photograph into black and white. This will allow you to see shading and color/value shifts that are not as obvious in a color photo (at least not as obvious to me!). I have found if I reduce a photo to black and white, then trace it (over a light box or against a bright window) only marking the most obvious color/value shifts it becomes less overwhelming to build a pattern, and I am sure to include the lines that are most critical to the composition. You can always add detail back in through fabric choice (batiks are awesome, and Bug Fabric has a lot of great textural fabrics for doing fur and foliage), embroidery and quilting.
It sounds like an awesome project - exciting and challenging, and I hope lucrative for you! And I totally agree with retrogirl02's advice about getting customer approval at several stages: a non-quilter can have no idea about how long this project is going to take, and why it is going to (and should) cost a fair bit of gold.
Alison[/QUOTE
Thank you, you've given some wonderful advice. I'll be trying the black and white photo idea. And yes I'm getting paid VERY well for this one. I told her in advance that it wasn't going to be an easy one to make and we've already agreed upon the pot of gold, half in advance.
06-30-2013, 10:39 AM
#13
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Originally Posted by feline fanatic
Toni Whitney does realistic horse quilts with batiks and fusible applique.
Go here for inspiration
http://www.toniwhitney.com/
Go here for inspiration
http://www.toniwhitney.com/
06-30-2013, 10:42 AM
#14
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Originally Posted by retrogirl02
Lee,
I would hand sketch applique by hand & stick to solids or non-distracting fabrics for the applique...I might even consider hand dyed for that brown to get some variation in color. Additionally, I would ask for my client's approval for the final sketch and explain each of the pieces required and the hours already spent on the design.
In the approval meeting, I would also provide a small sample of a simple design with an explanation of how long the simple version took so they understand the amount of time required for this project. If you have difficulty drawing realistically by hand, I may have someone I can refer for assistance.
Best of luck,
Heather
I would hand sketch applique by hand & stick to solids or non-distracting fabrics for the applique...I might even consider hand dyed for that brown to get some variation in color. Additionally, I would ask for my client's approval for the final sketch and explain each of the pieces required and the hours already spent on the design.
In the approval meeting, I would also provide a small sample of a simple design with an explanation of how long the simple version took so they understand the amount of time required for this project. If you have difficulty drawing realistically by hand, I may have someone I can refer for assistance.
Best of luck,
Heather
06-30-2013, 10:46 AM
#15
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This is the way we did this sort of thing in art school. First you need the size of the subject. Next, tape a piece of tracing paper the size of the image on the wall. take a good pic of the subject, animal or human, put the picture into a projector and project the image on the wall onto the paper. You can now trace all the important areas of the subject. Use that tracing to place your applique pieces.
After selecting your fabrics to match your subject, iron on pellon interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric, cut out your patterns from you pattern and fuse them to your background. The background should have a tracing of the subject for placement of the patches.
After selecting your fabrics to match your subject, iron on pellon interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric, cut out your patterns from you pattern and fuse them to your background. The background should have a tracing of the subject for placement of the patches.
06-30-2013, 11:51 AM
#17
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Check out the websites of some of the major pictorial quilt designers...Cynthia England, Caryl Bryer Fallert, Kathy McNeil, and maybe take the Craftsy class to give you some ideas on technique (I know nothing about what the class covers or how good it is).
http://www.craftsy.com/class/Art-Qui...-Techniques/38
There are some good books on the technique as well. I have England's book (hers are pieced, but the drawing step is similar)
http://englanddesign.com/content/pic...ctorial-quilts
and there's one by Marcia Stein, too.
http://books.google.com/books/about/...d=fV5aBzA0vLkC
You could also ask applique, a member here on QB. She does beautiful appliqué of all types. http://www.quiltingboard.com/members...ue-u16436.html
Enjoy the journey!!
http://www.craftsy.com/class/Art-Qui...-Techniques/38
There are some good books on the technique as well. I have England's book (hers are pieced, but the drawing step is similar)
http://englanddesign.com/content/pic...ctorial-quilts
and there's one by Marcia Stein, too.
http://books.google.com/books/about/...d=fV5aBzA0vLkC
You could also ask applique, a member here on QB. She does beautiful appliqué of all types. http://www.quiltingboard.com/members...ue-u16436.html
Enjoy the journey!!
06-30-2013, 12:23 PM
#18
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ohhh I just had an idea!!! when you are going to get ready to cut out the fabrics trace a pic of the horse and then project it on the wall to the size that you want and then trace it out on the fabric the way that you want it to be. and you can even have the lady look at the fabric with the horse on it with the projector on. this way she can get an idea of what it will look like and size wise. my mom used to do this with paintings and murals. worked wonderfully. But that is if you can get your hands on a projector. I think that we all would love to see a pic of the finished quilt and i would love to see some of the steps that you are taking.
06-30-2013, 01:30 PM
#20
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Location: Illinois
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Have you ever done this type of work before? It sounds from the questions you are asking that this is something you really are not sure about "how to do". Like Jan I cannot really see just a horse's head on a queen size quilt plus shams with the same likeness! Maybe you should rethink doing this commissioned project
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