If you are anything like me, you will have times when creativity comes and goes. You may have periods of frenetic inspiration, activity and production, then find yourself in a creative drought, unable to find direction or inspiration for your next project. At times like these, I look to my immediate surroundings with conscious awareness.
In order to kick start my creative juices into flowing again I arm myself with a camera, sketch pad, some sandwiches and a positive attitude. Out I go for the morning (or afternoon) and try to see my surroundings with a new set of eyes. Although I live in a city, my area is fairly leafy so I get squirrels running up and down the garden. My immediate neighbour's plot is usually a riot of colour with his multitudinous pots, hangers and various containers all spilling with plants and flowers.
As I look around me I can see lots of textures. The deep umber Larchlap timber fencing all around the garden, the multi-coloured pebble dashing down the side of the house, the corrugated roof of the workshop opposite for example. All these shapes, patterns, textures and colours can be incorporated into artwork or springboards for other ideas.
Around the corner is an old graveyard, where the headstones pose majestically, facing this way and that. Lichen and moss in beautiful rich ochres, siennas, reds and greens adorn these dignified memorials. As a knitwear designer as well as an artist, I find the colour and texture of these plants infinitely fascinating and great inspiration for new designs and stitch patterns.
My city still has lots of very ornate buildings dating back to the eighteenth century, and earlier, as well as more recent property which has been built throughout the various decades since. So walking down the street, I see tall and imposing Victorian mansions, with their ornate features along roofs, over windows and doors, elegant proportions and intricate detailing, next to neat, minimal, thirties semis with their cool light frontages and elegant curving window frames - architectural styles which are at two ends of a spectrum.
More recent structures, such as post war council housing, apartment blocks and 60's high rise buildings, which some would argue, are not as aesthetically interesting or pleasing, in my opinion, are still valid as possible influence for your creative endeavours.
Venturing further into the city, with the hussle bustle of shoppers, workers, students, busses, cars, shops and offices, I am faced with a melange of noise, movement, colour and differing styles, in both architecture, and peoples manor of dress and hairstyle. Large advertising boards and even massive plasma screens shout out their seductive messages into my subconscious.
Stimulation is all around me. The fruit and vegetable seller, his pitch bursting with row upon row of rich red and green apples, oranges, lemons and limes, the red cabbage, which is actually a beautiful shade of purple, yellow sweetcorn, rich aubergines, dark green kale.
Stalls where Indian ladies sell glittering, shimmering sari fabrics and the most beautiful haberdashery and embroidery braids. Each of these fabrics are laced with glittering sequins or beads, and they glint when the light catches them. The silky fabrics come in bold, luminous, dazzling colours - much more vibrant than we westerners would generally produce.
In the center of the city, I come to the magnificent and imposing council building, with it's huge pillars and intricately carved façade. The city square which it overlooks, almost guarding it, is thronging with people on foot, on roller skates, on scooters, babies are being pushed around in prams and buggies. They share the square with hundreds of pigeons, who glide and dive and whose feathery markings can become inspiration for many projects. You often see the odd person on the sidelines, with sketchbook in hand, around here.
If you don't live in the city, there is still inspiration around you in every tree and hedgerow, birds and animals, architecture, people, sea, sky, the texture, pattern, colour on everyday objects. When you are going through a flat period, don't expect artistic inspiration to come to you in a flash of lightening... it won't. That's not to say inspiration will never strike out of the blue again. Of course it will. There will come a time when you are tripping up over yourself with inspiration and ideas.
However, during those times when you are struggling for direction, you need to work at it, put the effort in, get out there, sketch, take photos. Experience your surroundings. You will be surprised at how invigorating and inspirational a bit of purposeful leg work can be.
Selasa, 22 Agustus 2017
Sabtu, 05 Agustus 2017
Dollhouse Decorating - For The Perfect Fabric Think Color, Pattern and Weight
If your inspiration for decorating dollhouse miniatures comes from interior design magazines or TV show, do not forget the scale in which you are working. It sounds self-evident, but so many of us lose sight of that fact, when we gaze at all the wonderful fabrics offered to us.
Following are some guidelines to stay focused on what is most important: you are searching for a perfect fabric to use in a dollhouse miniature. Now please don't say, "Duh!" just yet.
I strongly feel that when we focus primarily on color, and don't keep the "technicalities" of pattern size and the weight of the fabric in mind at the beginning of the design process, we risk falling in love with an inappropriate material. The color is gorgeous, but perhaps the pattern is too large, or the fabric too stiff and heavy. But it's such a beautiful color! Right, then we try to force this material into our project and the next step is usually to start over.
Fortunately, we can "audition' fabrics before we buy them.
Brick Mortar Stores
Educators tell us we all learn in three different ways: visual, auditory and kinetic - touching. The trick for teachers is to figure out which the three is the primary portal to the brain or each of their charges. We have a kinetic learner in the family. When he encounters something new, he says, "Let me see!" grabs the object. This darling is kept out of fine glassware and porcelain shops.
Fortunately for miniaturists, fabric stores give us the opportunity to hone our kinetic skills, without fear of breakage.
Choosing The Right Pattern
One trick is to cut a one inch square out of a piece of stiff paper or a plastic card. I prefer a plastic card because its convenient to keep in my wallet.
Scan the bolts of fabric in the rack and pull several that might be suitable. Remember, you are considering color, pattern and weight, all at the same time. To zero in on pattern, pass the one inch window over a fabric. This expands your choices because even large flowered prints may have areas like stems, buds and leaves that may be useful to your design.
Wrinkles Are Good.
If you need pleats on curtains, dresses or furniture skirts, the fabric must hold a crease, Scrunch the material in your hand and see if it wrinkles. If it does, it's a prospect.
Stains Aren't Good.
Wet a small spot with some saliva and see if it stains. This will be important if you want to use glue anywhere and don't want it to show.
Fraying, Sometimes Good.
Check out the cut end of the cloth to see if it frays. You don't want to be sewing tiny seams and have it fray apart. On the other hand, you want it to fray a bit, if a fringe is in your plan.
Weight Control.
Pay attention to the weight of the material. If it is heavy, it may be too thick for miniature work. I feel comfortable working with cotton, light-weight wool, cotton and silk blend, rayon and some other light-weight fabrics - if they behave the way I want. Regular quilting cotton or similar materials have the qualities I like for most projects
Online Shopping
No local store can compete with the variety of fabrics available online. And you need not be overwhelmed by the number choices. A "long tail keyword search" gives you ample control on what is presented to you.
As an example, start with "fabric tiny prints." Narrow it down by adding "cotton" or "large weave." Use as many key words as you can, before the search engine gets totally confused and nothing but irrelevant choices are offered.
Using Both Online and Local Shops
Here is a recent experience I had. Custom made curtains are a popular item in my online shop, I received an order for pleated curtains in shade of gray that aqua throw pillows would love. The local JoAnns had nothing useful; same at Jay's Fabrics. Online shopping was next.
First I went to several tried-and-true websites and used the internal links to browse. Still no luck, so I went to my favorite browser and entered this long tail keyword string in the search field: "dollhouse curtain fabric brocade cotton gray" and got links to three possibilities. The descriptions of the fabrics looked good. I did a screen print of each and emailed them to the customer. She made her choice, I made and shipped curtains. All is well.
It would have been much easier, less time-consuming, ergo more profitable if I could have found what I wanted at a local fabric store. They sell to a mass market, and the miniature artisan gets lost in that demographic. In the end, there is always a way. Sometimes we just have to learn new things.
Following are some guidelines to stay focused on what is most important: you are searching for a perfect fabric to use in a dollhouse miniature. Now please don't say, "Duh!" just yet.
I strongly feel that when we focus primarily on color, and don't keep the "technicalities" of pattern size and the weight of the fabric in mind at the beginning of the design process, we risk falling in love with an inappropriate material. The color is gorgeous, but perhaps the pattern is too large, or the fabric too stiff and heavy. But it's such a beautiful color! Right, then we try to force this material into our project and the next step is usually to start over.
Fortunately, we can "audition' fabrics before we buy them.
Brick Mortar Stores
Educators tell us we all learn in three different ways: visual, auditory and kinetic - touching. The trick for teachers is to figure out which the three is the primary portal to the brain or each of their charges. We have a kinetic learner in the family. When he encounters something new, he says, "Let me see!" grabs the object. This darling is kept out of fine glassware and porcelain shops.
Fortunately for miniaturists, fabric stores give us the opportunity to hone our kinetic skills, without fear of breakage.
Choosing The Right Pattern
One trick is to cut a one inch square out of a piece of stiff paper or a plastic card. I prefer a plastic card because its convenient to keep in my wallet.
Scan the bolts of fabric in the rack and pull several that might be suitable. Remember, you are considering color, pattern and weight, all at the same time. To zero in on pattern, pass the one inch window over a fabric. This expands your choices because even large flowered prints may have areas like stems, buds and leaves that may be useful to your design.
Wrinkles Are Good.
If you need pleats on curtains, dresses or furniture skirts, the fabric must hold a crease, Scrunch the material in your hand and see if it wrinkles. If it does, it's a prospect.
Stains Aren't Good.
Wet a small spot with some saliva and see if it stains. This will be important if you want to use glue anywhere and don't want it to show.
Fraying, Sometimes Good.
Check out the cut end of the cloth to see if it frays. You don't want to be sewing tiny seams and have it fray apart. On the other hand, you want it to fray a bit, if a fringe is in your plan.
Weight Control.
Pay attention to the weight of the material. If it is heavy, it may be too thick for miniature work. I feel comfortable working with cotton, light-weight wool, cotton and silk blend, rayon and some other light-weight fabrics - if they behave the way I want. Regular quilting cotton or similar materials have the qualities I like for most projects
Online Shopping
No local store can compete with the variety of fabrics available online. And you need not be overwhelmed by the number choices. A "long tail keyword search" gives you ample control on what is presented to you.
As an example, start with "fabric tiny prints." Narrow it down by adding "cotton" or "large weave." Use as many key words as you can, before the search engine gets totally confused and nothing but irrelevant choices are offered.
Using Both Online and Local Shops
Here is a recent experience I had. Custom made curtains are a popular item in my online shop, I received an order for pleated curtains in shade of gray that aqua throw pillows would love. The local JoAnns had nothing useful; same at Jay's Fabrics. Online shopping was next.
First I went to several tried-and-true websites and used the internal links to browse. Still no luck, so I went to my favorite browser and entered this long tail keyword string in the search field: "dollhouse curtain fabric brocade cotton gray" and got links to three possibilities. The descriptions of the fabrics looked good. I did a screen print of each and emailed them to the customer. She made her choice, I made and shipped curtains. All is well.
It would have been much easier, less time-consuming, ergo more profitable if I could have found what I wanted at a local fabric store. They sell to a mass market, and the miniature artisan gets lost in that demographic. In the end, there is always a way. Sometimes we just have to learn new things.
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