Embellished “Watercolor” Landscape
I am still working on the “watercolor landscape” samples that I created. This one is nuno felted paper that has had watercolor applied after the felting process. It needs a bit more, doesn’t it?
I scanned the piece on my printer so I had the exact size of the piece printed out. I then drew a tree over the landscape in pencil. Instead of trying to transfer the design of the tree on to the piece, I decided to just mark where the edges of the trunk were on the top and bottom.
I didn’t get any photos of the stitching process as I stitched it mainly while traveling. I had found a variety of grey yarn that I couched down with a dark grey cotton machine thread. I tried to give an impression of depth of the tree with the values of grey. I followed my sketch but “edited” out some of the smaller branches.
Here’s a couple of close ups of the stitching.
The next step was to find a piece of background (matte) fabric. I stitched the felt piece on to this hand dyed grey background that I already had in my stash. Luckily, it was a blue grey tone that matched the watercolors. The piece was then stretched and laced around matte board. Then it’s ready for a frame.
Here it is in the frame and ready to go to the gallery. This piece in the frame is 8″ x 10″ and I have decided to name it “Solitude”.
18 thoughts on “Embellished “Watercolor” Landscape”
Solitude is the perfect name. The placing of the dark/light yarn to suggest light on the tree is clever and your couching stitches made a magnificent tree bark texture.
The backing fabric and frame are well chosen to enhance the beautiful picture.
It won’t stay in the gallery long 🙂
Thanks Ladies! I do like to use couching for tree trunks, it definitely works for more texture. Hopefully, it will fly out of the gallery 😉
Oh, Ruth, it’s gorgeous! I learned so many things from your process (e.g., paper Nuno felting, adding watercoloring, couching, and mounting on fabric instead of mat board). I do have one question…did you know that it would fit in the 8 by 10 frame all along. In other words, do you plan for the final framing size at the beginning or was it just luck that it fit at the end? In short, I often struggle with the displaying part at the end of the process. Usually the pieces just sit in my closet as I don’t know what to do with them – ha! Thanks for any advice!
Thanks! I generally don’t make pieces to size. I created a bunch of samples when I was making this piece and all were small but not exactly the same size. Usually the smaller pieces can go into a 5×7 or 8×10 frame. For my bigger and more planned out pieces, I take them to a professional framer so it doesn’t matter what size they are. I keep thinking that I should make things a standard size but I often use what’s already in my studio and so the size can be different depending on what fabric or felt piece that I use. We have had several posts about finishing and framing here. If you search for those posts, you can get some ideas. The other good thing about making different sizes is that I have a wide variety of price points to offer customers at the galleries where I show my work.
Lovely piece! I agree, aptly named. The tree bark couching is a wonderful result, the watercolour effect on the nuno-ed paper so very evocative of a barren landscape. Just a great piece!
Thanks Deb, I have enjoyed experimenting with various “watercolor” techniques. Each is different but I particularly like the nuno paper effect.
I also love the bark texture and watercolor landscape look that you created. I’ll have to look up your discussion of Nuno felt with paper. That sounds very interesting.
Thank you, I have written several posts about nuno felt with paper. If you search here, you should be able to find the relevant posts. It is very similar to nuno felting with fabric but requires a gentle and patient approach.
Wonderful piece, Ruth! I agree with previous comments, especially about the couching, on the tree’s bark. It immediately jumped out at me, in the photo, and made me smile 😃 at perfection!
Capi
Thanks Capi, I do like to use couching for trees. Makes it look more realistic, but nothing is ever perfection 😉
WordPress seems to be playing silly Bs again. I wrote a comment this morning and I now see that it’s got lost in the mists of the ether. Nevermind, what I said was that Lyn had taken the words out of my mouth and that I really liked the finished and framed picture. Bet it does fly out of the gallery.
Ann
Thanks Ann, WP has a mind of it’s own sometimes. Glad you like the piece and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will sell.
Magnificent, Ruth! I love the texture of the tree bark. A really exciting piece. Love it!
Helene x
Thanks Helene! This one is definitely all about texture 🙂
I love the tree, so effective with the colour choice along with the minimal colour palette of the main work. Gorgeous.
Thanks Marie, have enjoyed working with the minimal color palette, the less is more idea.
A great piece. it makes me think of after a fire, but not in a negative way. The watercolour background really works for this.
Thanks Ann, it does look like a desolate landscape and that could have been fire. Forest fire is a natural occurrence so I don’t mind depicting that kind of landscape.