Walrus by Andrea Zuill
A while ago someone requested a walrus pattern. At the time I just wasn’t in a walrus-ie mood. Time has past and things change, so I present to you Walrus, aka I Love Fish.
Click on the image to get the full size pattern.
Archive for May, 2010
June’s Embroidery Pattern
Monday, May 31st, 2010Giant Burro Termites in Oatman, AZ!
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman, AZ
I have just returned from a trip to, and into, the Grand Canyon in Arizona. You all know that I do this trip once or twice a year and post photo’s of the hike down to the Phantom Ranch. So, in effort to not bore you to much I have instead posted photo’s of Route 66, between Kingman and Oatman, Arizona.
Route 66, between Kingman & Oatman, AZ
- I took all of my photo’s while riding in our car. This image lets you see how winding Route 66 can be.
- Between Kingman and Oatman there are the remnants of gold mining activity which took place in the 1800’s. The mining town of Oatman is a very complete “ghost town”. Artists, craft people, restaurants and gift stores now inhabit this very rustic REAL old west town.
Oatman, AZ and Giant Burro Termite
Beside ghosts, there are other inhabitants which infest Oatman, Gigantis Equus Mulus Isoptera . Better known as the dreaded Giant Burro Termite.
Oatman, AZ and Giant Burro Termites
The highly effective camouflage of the Giant Burro Termite lets it travel through out the town without the slightest notice of the residents or tourist.
Termite Damage
The Giant Burro Termite is a dry wood termite. Once you recognise the signs you can see that in fact the whole town is infested by quite a large swarm. The picture above illustrates how the damage can occur right in the open, in sight of visitors and residents alike.
It makes me wonder if the owner of this establishment knows the damage these wood eating beasties are inflicting on their building? Is there even enough orange oil is the world that could stop the greedy munching?
Black Hat
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
New Doom Girl print , Black Hat.
Embroidered Dog Portrait II
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Pattern transfer
I have transfered the design to muslin fabric. I used a Heat Transfer pencil.
Starting the embroidery
Sorry for such a bad image. I basically stitched ( using the stem stitch) all the lines ( of the dog only) in a dark grey. I have started putting in the black shading for the area of the eyes and nose. For shading I am using a runnning stitch that creates a nice dot pattern.
At this point, the portrait can go either way, good or bad. I have been known for ripping out a lot of embroidery if I am not happy with it. Buttons face colors so far are black and dark grey. I am hoping to put in some warm colors. I having a bit of trouble seeing the personality in this piece. His face is so furry it’s hard to catch his expression.
Embroidered Dog Portrait
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Here is the subject for my embroidered portrait, Button. You can’t tell from this photo but Button is only about 8 pounds. He is a little guy.
This is the drawing I’ll base the portrait on. The image has been made a bit more graphic and with embroidery in mind, such as the shading is done with dots. Not everyone would approach a portrait like I do. Another technique is a embroidered painting. A embroidered painting is created by filling the whole image using embroidery floss as your “paint”. Or, you could make the image more graphic, heavily stylized or even flat. For me the challenge is to create a a portrait that captures the subject. I don’t want a image that is a picture of a terrier mix but a portrait of Button.
I Think a lot about how I want this piece to look as I make the drawing. I constantly ask myself, ” How will I represent the hair?” or, “How will I add the deepth, from light to dark, to this piece?”. I have certain techiques I use, such as outlining, dotted shading, and flat filling stitches and I try to keep them all in mind.
Above is my finished pattern. Even though it is pretty detailed it is still just for reference. As I stitch the design I am free to make changes.
Compare the photo, drawing, and the pattern. You’ll be able to see the differences. I try not make an exact copy of the original photograph, but my own personal interpretation. I’ve added flowers to this piece which will add color and I just like stitching flowers.
Here is some other embroidered dog portraits:
Embroidered Dog Portraits
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
Purlene by Andrea Zuill
Some of my first needlework samples I ever posted where portraits of dogs.
Maggie by Andrea Zuill
I am a little dog crazy and these portraits where great fun.
I even got a commission to do the piece above. And, yes, that is the actual dog’s expression.
I have decided to try another dog portrait. This one will be of a dog named Button. Button is a terrier mix that was adopted from the Humane Society by friends of mine. I will post some of my steps I take to create a portait. Button will be the first hairy dog I have ever done. Wish me luck.
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Caterpillar Toy
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
New print at The Doom Girl store! Caterpillar Toy.
