Today I decided to experiment with embroidery and watercolor. Since these are my two favorite mediums, I am always seeking ways to combine the two.
My goal was to try to create a portrait by making a stitched silhouette and then using watercolor to fill out the portrait.
I chose, as the subject of my experimentation, the couple in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, a personal favorite! if you haven’t seen this version yet, it is such fantastic quarantine binge! It’s available on HULU and I could not resist watching it again.
I used a mechanical pencil to sketch an outline of the couple onto unbleached cotton muslin.
I picked black thread to embroider my sketch with. I used one thread to sew the outline.
Here is the outline filled in with one strand of black thread. For the sake of experimentation, I traced my outline. Next time I will sketch it freehand. I like the parts that are more sketchy. It really loosens the piece up.
Next, I used my watercolor paint to fill in the portraits. It took many layers of paint which kept sinking into the fabric and disappearing. I wanted the ethereal look of the watercolors so I resisted using acrylic paints but I would also like to try that in the future. I used gouache to paint the white of Colin’s shirt.
Next I decided to fill in the negative space around the couple. I used some of the delicate floral designs from one of the book covers.
His big empty white shirt was begging for something so I added my favorite line from the whole book/series.
After many awkward mishaps between these two, as they clearly are falling for each other, Mr. Darcy finally makes his confession; “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you”. It sounds utterly ridiculous out of context but if you watch the series or have read the book, it’s the part that just makes you weak in the knees.
After adding the quote I realized it left Elizabeth a little unbalanced so I wanted to add something. There wasn’t a good place for text so I added some running stitches to represent Elizabeth’s reciprocal affection for Mr. Darcy.
There it is all together. I really loved this little experiment. It allowed me to combine painting and embroidery but also the added freedom of experimental embroidery.
Hope you enjoyed and feel inspired to try some experimenting of your own.
Thanks for stopping by!
Warmly,
Pam