MAKING FABRIC POSTCARDS Step Two

Step two. Layout the cards.

l like to start with three cards. I lay the bases out on my table. When working in landscape, there are five elements to consider.

horizon

sky

background

midground

foreground

Big or small, these elements are necessary for a good picture.

Lets consider each element.

HORIZON  Choose the horizon line first. As a general rule, dividing the canvas in thirds and placing the horizon line at one of the thirds makes the most pleasing picture. Some artists choose very low horizons to give a large view of the sky. Think of Turners very beautiful skyscapes.  A horizon line at exactly half is a little bit disruptive. For these pieces, my horizon line is going to be quite high--just because that's what I have decided.

SKY For this series, I have chosen plain black and dark purple for my sky. Starting at the top I lay a strip of each on the base. I have cut the strips the same length as my base and cut horizontally with a wavy edge. This gives me two strips. I overlap the strips on all three bases. I vary the placement.

BACKGROUND I want mountains in my background. I am using a lighter colour than the sky and have cut just large, curved pieces of fabric. I alternate the layers from side to side. I make sure that all of the base is covered but I don't really worry about edge to edge coverage. I just cut another mountain to cover gaps.  Just make sure that all of the base is covered.

Generally speaking, the background colour is greyer because there is that much more atmosphere between the viewer and the object. Because it is farther away, it is less defined. The edges are smoother and there are fewer details.

 

MIDGROUND The midground is going to be a water element. In the photo you can see that the strips have already be stitched down .I had to recharge my camera battery as I was half way through so I missed a few shots. If you want to put in a few defining waves, do that now. Just stitch a lie or two.

FOREGROUND There should be one larger element in the foreground. This is where you see all of the detail. I like the large hill covering the water. I like it so much that I think I will add maybe one or two more, overlapping them.

When I have three of these little  landscapes done, I take them to my sewing machine.

Thanks for stopping by

karenwholoveslandscapes