Wow, this one was difficult to get off the ground. I am starting a new series, focusing on using photo’s printed on fabric in my quilt. I found this wonderful sea shell photo and decided to pull the colors from it and use it all in a composition. It is most likely a split complementary color palette . Contrast in value was attempted by using a very dark purple and a fairly light pink/peach tone. The shell is a close up, so I hope this meets the challenge guidelines. I’m not entirely pleased with my quilting on this one, as I don’t think it really helps the piece, so any suggestions on what I could have done would really be appreciated. I am happy that I was able to get some time in the studio during this already hectic holiday season. Comments are welcome.
I like how you have pulled the colors out of the original photo.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have split your composition almost in half. Both halves are nice. I especially like the subtle coloring of the lower half. But the two halves seem to be competing for attention.
Hi, this gets a wow for the beautiful colors. I like the way you continued these colors in the botom half. Was the top meant to be waves/water? If it is it could maybe benefit from some additional values to soften it. I would suggest your quilting in that area be softer and more undulating. The graphic quilting competes with the softness of the rest of the design.
ReplyDeleteHi Joni - Your quilt is beautiful as it is but I think it could be even better. I was playing with it and cropped off about 2/3 of the upper half. This served to emphasize the shell and its movement. The size of the black half seems to overpower the piece. You asked also about quilting. I think the quilting in the lower section is a good addition but the zig zag quilting stitch in the black distracts me.
ReplyDeleteAll that said, you have made beautiful use of color and fabric as done a great job incorporating a picture into a quilt.
When I first looked at this picture I thought you had done a folded and manipulated technique in the shell. It is very textured looking while remaining soft.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Roberta about cropping the dark area. Did you consider using horizontal quilting lines in the dark/water section?
Overall, it is a stunning quilt Joni!
Cherie
I really like the way you were able to find just the right colours for extending the shell. very well done.
ReplyDeleteI do like the stitching in the lower half, and also the stitching in the centre portion of the upper half. Would it be too difficult to redo just the side portions and do more of the flowing stitches like the other sections...or even some like the bottom, but with a colour that doesn't stand out so much?
I love the scalloped stitch on the edge between the top and bottom. It works very well and also gives interesting texture to the top part of the shell.
Sandy in the UK
I agree with Roberta - this is a great quilt, but could be even better with a few changes. The shell is almost perfectly centered, so you should consider the rule of thirds when composing your image. By cropping a bit of the black, you could shift the focal point and dramatically change the composition. You use of color is spot-on!
ReplyDeleteThank you ladies for your helpful comments. Fortuantely, I had not put the binding on the quilt yet, so am open to cropping. I'll do that first in my photo editing program. I'm thinking a square quilt might be good, taking off only the dark upper portion. I hate to use my seam ripper, but I should take out the zig zag quilting- I don't like it either. I might try to darken the quilt stitches in the upper portion so they don't stand out so much. I really appreciate your remarks, and feel they are going to help me to make a better composition. I will post again after changes.
ReplyDeleteJoni, this is a wonderful piece, great colors and such movement. I agree it would be more appealing if the shell was off center.
ReplyDeleteGreat work.
To crop or not? I love the blue undulating shapes on the dark background. It would be a shame to lose them. What would happen if you added a border to the right hand side and bottom? That shell is a stunning image and you have captured its essence in your free form lines.
ReplyDeleteHi Joni, this is lovely...hope the cropping goes well. The black part has does take over somewhat and that beautiful shell deserves to be the center of attraction! Wonderful job!
ReplyDeleteCynthia