Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Roanoke Cottage


9" x 12"
Thread-Painting
Snippets
Watercolor crayons
Pigma pen

I based this quilt on a picture of one of my favorite homes. The bushes and flowers were thread-painted on water soluble paper and tulle. The grass was added after I put together the quilt sandwich in an attempt to add depth. The leaves on the trees are snippets of fused fabric. I used watercolor crayons to add some shadows where the chimney steps back from the entryway. And then used a black pigma pen to draw bricks around the door and add detail to the birch tree. As always, I welcome any comments. Thanks for looking.

9 comments:

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi Roberta,
Your cottage is charming...I love the fabric choices and the details of climbing vines and flower bed. The white tree blends somewhat into the sky and feels "cooler" than the rest of the picture which has warmer colors. Maybe a little brown or gold pigma pen or thread and more leaves?

The shadows on the house by the chimney and on the steps as well as the slope of the roof and the wonderful tree in foreground are very effective in creating the depth and perspective part of this challenge. Congrats!
Cynthia

Carole said...

Really pretty Roberta, I could live there. I like your flower garden.
I agree, your white tree is a little too white, maybe even a little more gray, is it a birch?
Carole

Unknown said...

beautiful,,,just one thing , I agree that the tree needs a bit more textureing?? is that a word? lol

Roberta Ranney said...

Cynthia, Carole and Cathy - thanks for taking the time to comment on this work. I totally agree about the tree but everything I do to try and improve it makes it worse! It is time to stop and look up some pictures of a birch tree on the Net and try to make mine a bit more realistic. I had a birch tree in that yard long ago but it's no longer there to serve as a model.

Roberta

Susan B said...

This piece is so charming, I wouldn't change a thing. I don't feel like realism is an issue here. The white birch conveys the sense of a birch and that seems sufficient since it is after all a fantasy house. The colors are bright and happy. The fact that one side is predominately light and the other is darker but with the light windows, seems to create a nice asymmetrical balance. It looks like a wonderful place to live.

Susan B

Kathy Angel Lee said...

Lovely cottage. Thanks for sharing how you achieved the different effects.

Cherie in Del Mar said...

I would love to stay in this cottage. I expect someone to open the door and offer a "cuppa tea". Your thread work is great...excellent job!
Cherie

brendaj said...

This is a lovely piece. I particularly like the thread painting and the fabric you used for the roof. As to the birch, I think just adding more snippets to blend the trunk pieces into the skyline would do the trick. Great job!
Brenda

Betty Donahue said...

Such a pretty house. I love your flower garden.
Maybe the tree could use a few more leaves.
Betty