Embroidered Dog Portrait

White dog portrait created in silks, yarn and thread on dyed fabric.

Lhasa-Apso Portrait of my little buddy in embroidery silks

After the success of the embroidered portrait earlier this year I decided to try to create an embroidered portrait of Sam, the white dog that has featured in a number of my paper artworks, and whom I painted previously in acrylic paints before, paintings which became an illustrated children’s book.

Hand painted portrait of lovely Sam which became a page in the book

I chose a teal/ turquoise cotton fabric that I had dyed. I chose the colour as it was the colour of Sam’s favourite toy, and echoes the style of the portraits that I painted on bright bold coloured backgrounds.

I gradually built the design using hand sewing, deciding to add fluffy white yarn that was left after I knitted the jumper on jumbo needles.

I was struggling to get a likeness and lost momentum in the project so decided to inject some energy by continuing the piece on my sewing machine with a transparent foot, and also with a darning foot to use free motion embroidery techniques.

This worked and I was able to sew into the design, develop the likeness and then finished the final elements by hand. Here’s a 43 seconds short video of how the work developed.

I’m pleased with the final outcome and can now decide how best to display the work in my gallery.

Related posts which feature Sam or similar techniques are here…

Painted Dog Portraits

Drawing with Silks – Cute Dog

Illustrated Children’s Book

Paperart Pictures

Jumper on Jumbo Needles

Thanks so much, I hope you’ve enjoyed being here and if there’s something bespoke you’d like me to create for you then best way to contact me is to email inspirebykim@outlook.com 😊

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Instagram Highlights

April was a bright and creative month, here are the highlights from my Instagram feed. Enjoy!

Better late than never!

First up was a cupcake themed cushion that I made for a close relation.

Lush pink, grey and teal design. It was a huge pattern repeat so I made a booster cushion with different parts of the design front and back. As I know I’ll be asked the question, the fabric was from Direct Knit and Sew in Sheffield.

Ta da! Here’s the finished cushion. It really was a work of love as it was for someone I love and I love the outcome. The pink ribbon edging the cushion really makes the colours pop.

I started work on a second hand sewn dog portrait. This time featuring Sam, who has been in many of my papercut paperart collage artworks and was the protagonist I’m my illustrated storybook.

I made pretty bunting for my sewing space. Dyeing the fabric using sublimation inks and then stitching into and embellishing the panels. The satin ribbon feels gorgeous.

I used trational machine stitch, love the clear acrylic foot – it’s an essential tool for me, and also used free machine embroidery.

The little boat and clouds are from fabric that I dyed at a workshop last summer at Stitched Up And Fleeced textile studio in Sheffield.

I tried something a little different with my Paperart on one of my favourite icons for a happy day, Ice-cream.

I repainted my Maison du Monde Smile sign to make it more me, white emulsion the flicked my favourite paint colours.

This large canvas happened out of a study for another piece. As it was drying we decided we quite liked it so this is how it is completed, for now. 😊

The above canvas artwork was created using a drag method I had been playing with.

The final make of the month was a peg bag using bright screen printed fabric, printed by a fellow student.

Here are stories that relate to these artworks. Enjoy seeing the backstories.

Sam’s storybook

Cute Dog – portrait

Paperart Pictures

Thanks for being here. Better late than never on this post. Hope you’ve enjoyed it.

Love, and peace to you, Kim xx

Instagram Highlights – Springtime

Here’s the latest spring brights from my Instagram. This is one of my favourite times of the year as I love the colours that start to appear in nature and in Easter related marketing.

Here’s the Easter message I created firstly in watercolour and then developed digitally.

Loved ones moving inspired me to create a new home card using paper.

An evening sketch walk in historic Warwick led to a series of juxtaposed sketches which together became a scene.

I created a short Ripl video for my Facebook page including my favourite paper art. See more paperart at the link at the foot of the email.

Joining the #illustrateapril challenge prompted a number of art pieces illustrating, “What spring means to me”. 

I love tulips so they featured in each of the pieces, one was a painting, one a pattern as though the spring flowers are radiating, as the sun does in spring.

This was a quick spring stretch which I added some textures I made previously and added those digitally.

I worked with watercolour shapes to create a series of motivational illustrations using simple characters.

This is my favourite of the illustrations and hopefully this is representative of how my art and illustration practice rocks forwards.

Thanks so much for being here to see my art and Illustrations. You can follow my Facebook Page and Instagram by clicking on these words.

Feel free to take a look around the website and if you see something you like pop across to my shop or message me for a bespoke piece.

Kim x

Related Links 🙂

Paper-Cut Pictures

My Life In Paper

Paper Art Time-Lapses

 

Paper Art Time-Lapses

I’ve been enjoying it Paperart again as a means of illustrating. Having seen the time-lapse videos by artists on Instagram I was keen to have a go. So camera on tripod I was all set to create and capture the process.

Paperart Scene for Summer Alpine Fun.

You can see my cheery paper art at these links:

My Life In Paper

Papercut Pictures

Animated Papercut Pictures

More Paperart Pictures

My First And Last Jumper

The first and last jumper I will ever knit. Love the end result and enjoyed the challenge of the process of the first and last jumper I will ever knit. ✅ Here’s the work in progress pictures…

Making without a pattern was challenging and brain engaging. Other people said I was brave, but I don’t regard it as brave, there was no threat of danger.

I’m hanging up my needles now so a pair of jumbo knitting needles are for sale. Message me if interested.

Here are related posts…

This week on Instagram…

The Inspire by Kim dress

Colourful Yarn – Dress Designs

Ladies Loungewear Designs

Inspired Bags

Thanks for being here…

Instagram Highlights

Time flies when you’re having fun! It’s been a while since I last posted but that means the highlights are sweeter.

For when we need to reach deep… and need to believe in ourself.

Paper cut seaside paradise. Tea and cake anyone?

I’m making a skirt in pretty bicycle fabric. I’ve been experimenting with sewn embellishments. Pretty sparkles and sequins.

Woohoo spring blooms popping up in my garden. 😀

A sunny break in Spain was colourful and inspiring. Here’s a juicy pic from Malaga market.

There’s something nostalgic about brightly painted bicycles and baskets. It’s a girl thing – summer days, wind in your hair, freedom of time and movement. Mmmm 😎

It’s winter, yet I’m sewing ice-creams and lollies. Bring on summer!

For more sunny posts see my Facebook and Instagram and see the posts here. Thanks for taking time out here, hope you’ve enjoyed it.

My First #Inktober – Reflection

My first #Inktober was a great experience. I was approaching from an illustration point of view – hoping to illustrate concepts and ideas from my head – getting them into paper.

I experimented with different ink products at the beginning but settled into the wonderful humble bic biro.

In the course of the month my practice developed into a process for approaching the daily prompt words – brainstorming the word, considering which nterpretation/ meaning fit best with my intentions to inspire and motivate people. I created rough sketches, then developed one of these and often the third drawing would become the final detailed drawing.

I had a ‘no tracing’, and ‘only original work’, principle for #Inktober as I wanted to create solely from my mind. Through the daily practice I started to feel I could represent the image in my head more effectively, felt that the pen sat in my hand as a multi mark tool that could be used for line, shading and definition and could see improvement in my pen control and precision through the month.

The daily practice and seeing the benefit has been inspiring for other areas of my life and I’ll be applying that daily practice principle for improvement in other areas.

Thanks for the inspiring prompt words, to the great global #Inktober artists, it’s been wonderful.

Here are my favourite #Inktober drawings…

Here are related posts:

#Inktober Highlights

#Inktober Week 4

#Inktober Week 3

#Inktober Week 2

#Inktober Week 1

#Inktober Highlights

Here are my favourite drawings from #Inktober in just over a minute. 

Feel free to share this and if you have an illustration brief please get in touch.

Here are the related posts:

#Inktober Week 4

#Inktober Week 3

#Inktober Week 2

#Inktober Week 1

#Inktober Week 4 – The Finale

What an experience Inktober has been. An ink drawing a day for 31 days. This was my first #Inktober.

Week One, Week Two, and my favourite week Week Three, drawings are at these clicks. Interesting to feel the progression and development of daily practice has had on my drawing skills, I feel that I use and hold the pen differently and can mark the paper more accurately. My typography and lettering is much more how I’d like it to look as I try to convey different energy in the words. 

It’s been great to part of something global and see what different responses have been created to the prompt words (pictured). The challenge was to draw and instagram a drawing each day for 31 days.

‘Juice’ was Day 23’s prompt word. As I’m working on ‘series’ of illustrations I created series of fruity characters. #inktober2017 #inktober #illustration #illustrator #sheffieldartist #fruit #juice #lemon #orange #lime #grapefruit #pendrawings #strawberry #sun #eshortcourses #characters

#inktober ‘Juice’ character drawing developed further. They’re a cheery, happy, ‘look on the bright side’ kind of bunch. #inktober2017 #sheffieldartist #illustrator #illustration #juice #fruit #characterart #citrusfruit #lemon #orange #strawberry #lime #happy #uplift #motivation #positivity #eshortcourses

Day 24’s prompt word is ‘Blind’. Rightly or wrongly this is what came to mind.

After a muddy walk it was wash and hairdryer time. #inktober2017 #illustration #dog #ink #illustrator #dogsofinstagram #lhasaapsosofinstagram #inktober #poochpal

‘Ship’ – Day 25 of #Inktober was an enjoyable half hour. I always enjoy drawing sea creatures, waves and weather. #inktober2017

Day 26 – ‘Squeak’ made me think of how we try to make our voice heard through such a crowd of communication. I wanted to practice drawing faces. #inktober2017 #inktober #illustration #illustrator #portraits #sheffieldartist #ink #drawing

This #inktober motivation for the final days was rousing.

 

‘Today’s #inktober prompt word ‘Climb’ set me thinking about climbing over adversity aiming for a good life, our efforts supported by love, inspiration and experience – weighed down by fear, held back by negativity but helped along by resilience, determination and by those who believe in us. I’m really pleased with this piece as it’s very aligned with the values that underpin my work.

Clocks ‘fall’ back tonight – #inktober day 28.

United by Inktober – Pens for Peace. Day 29 of #Inktober – ‘United’ – it’s been great being part of a unifying global challenge in ink.

#Inktober Day 30 – ‘Found’ – Magic to be found within, my penultimate drawing of the 31 day #inktober2017 challenge.

#inktober2017 Day 31 – And that’s a wrap. Don’t ‘mask’ your light. Relieved and pleased to have completed the challenge of the 31 drawings from the official prompts. 😀👍✅

Feels great to see this😀

You can see my #Inktober drawings here:

Week One – My first #Inktober

Week Two – My drawings

Week Three – Past the midpoint

There’s  more from me at my Facebook page and Instagram feed and oodles of art experimentation and art challenges here to explore.

I’m looking for live illustration briefs to get stuck into so if you have one please give me a shout. I’ll be developing these drawings further under the guidance of your illustration tutor, working on sewn art and ski fitness for November too.  

Thanks for popping by😊. Happy November. 

Ski Fit Illustrations

After major knee injury my resolve ran thin after so many repetitive exercises. I needed new impetuous and accountability to push on with vigour.

As steps on my path back to skiing I created exercise boards to inspire me and illustrate the exercises that will help strengthen. I’m studying illustration at present with Bill Wright, from Central St Martins. 

Now I really have no excuse… I’ll schedule it in my calendar to try to get to it regularly. Maybe stating my intention here to do this 5 times a week will  spur me on…

Here are some posts that relate to this…

Knee Art For Healing
Knee Injury Reportage Illustrations 

From Injury to First Exhibition – Art Journey