Embroidered Collage

I had forgotten how much longer bead embroidery could take than regular stitching since with each stitch I had to scoop up a few beads.  I positioned the smaller disks first and then added the swirls of size 8 seed beads.  When I envisioned this piece I had honestly expected to do more beading, but I think I'll stop for now and see what happens when I add some normal embroidery on to the surface.

I embroidered and beaded the kite shape until it was fully covered with embellishment.  The next two pictures are just progress pictures, going backward in time.

I created the patterning of the stitches as I went.  I based my improvisations on the concept of thirds, which is throughout the piece, and on repetition and variation of the threads and stitches.  In the first progress picture you can see the chevron stitch which takes up most of the available area.  I used spanish feather stitch on the bottom and a knotted buttonhole variation on the top.

In the second progress picture you can see where I added a couple a bit of herringbone in multiple places, a line of cable chain along the top, and began to fill in the diamonds with a knotted upright cross.  I also echoes the diagonal arms of the chevron stitches with a metallic, both so they would stand out a touch more and so the gold incorporated into the one thread wouldn't stand alone.

For the beading I worked primarily from a bead mix that I already had in my stash.  There's a little more color and finish variation than is easily determined from the scan.  I put the larger beads in appropriate places and worked around them with seed and bugle beads to enhance the design. 

I began stitching with the intent to create something highly textured and detailed, so it would have more than one reason to draw the eye once attaced to the canvas, and I feel I succeeded.  I've already begun witht he embroidery directly on the canvas, so that will likely be my next installment. 

I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to purchase when I went to Beadfest this year.  That is a recipe for pocketbook pain when wandering a convention center floor full of booth containing wonderful and beautiful beads.  Admittedly, some of them don't apply to me at the moment, such as the gorgeous lampwork art beads or the sterling silver components, which are wonderful for jewelry but not worth the price for inclusion in wall art. 

As I took my first pass by the booths I decided to look for some focal beads and build around them, maybe I could do a series of works.  There were a number of larger stone beads, circles and squares two inches across, that caught my eye as I wandered before I returned to pick up these particular ones.  The shopkeeper said they were Kalambah Jasper.  They're greener than you can tell from the picture and it was the swirls of green and black containing smaller circular shapes that inspired me.

With focal beads in hand I went hunting.  I picked up smaller flat disks in green, black, and a mix of the two from another vendor.  Then I went to one of my favorite boothes from last year, with hanks of seed beads hanging from the walls.  They glimmer so much more than when confined in plastic containers and it is fantastic to feel them in your hands. 

I pulled a whole basket of colors, greens and blacks and light greys, then started slimming my choices down.  I wanted to make sure I had a light color to use as a highlight.  As I was sorting, it occurred to me that the limited value range might become monotonous, so I started looking for something to add.  I went the easy route, going across the color wheel to a near complement.  I found some great pinks and peaches to work with, in a range of values.  My final haul is shown below. 

I know I will be doing a series of twelve works of the same size, likely either 9 or 12 inches square, at some point, but that's all I know.  I'd like to do some sketches and think about it, or maybe I'll make the first piece completely improvisational and work from there.  I do need to gather up a collection of threads and potentially paper and fabric as well.  I want to use the materials as a deliberate attempt to see what I learn on working through a series.

I had picked up these materials for a swap I ended up not participating in due to time issues, but this swap gave me another chance.  I played with my fabric paints first, looking for what happens when I just drip a little on, if I smear it, how heavily, how much does it cover.  It was good to see that I could get quite a range of effects.  Previously I'd only tried painting with a brush on blank fabric.  The beading was a lot of fun, seeing what positions I could manipulate the little people into.  I still have four face beads plus extra bodies and limbs.  So I want to do another piece, maybe a 4x4, with what I learned here, that just a few manipulations can make stick figures very engaging.