Taking you through my process of creating a representational fibre art piece. First things first – tidy studio, clear desk and print out photos. I usually use my phone for reference photos but for this size piece I find it useful to physically print them out to get the main positions correct.
For some pieces I cover the whole piece in a block colour of fluffy cared wool and then work over that for the details. In this piece I used the carded wool to block out the shapes. The carded wool helps give the piece depth and also creates a softer surface for the more delicate layers that follow.The piece goes from fuzzy carded wool to focused as the silk mawata goes on.
For the sky I’ve used the middles of the blue silk hankies (mawata). These are very thin silk layers that give a smooth finish. For the trees I’ve used the edges of green dyed silk hankies for the texture.
Starting to add some structure to the stones and shadows. Lots of mottles and specks. Found some perfect curls for the stone wall.
Once finished the piece is carefully lifted off the mat to prevent warping and stretching as areas that have been worked more with warp more when lifted. Final finishing touch is to flip the piece and tidy the edges, then let the piece rest a few days before running over it with a needle again to catch any fibres that have lifted as the piece breathes.
This piece measures 90cm x 40cm
This original artwork is now in a private collection. Browse my available original fibre artworks in my shop here.
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