Wow. This was the longest exercise
ever. Not only are French knots slow but they are BORING, so when combined with the procrastination they are even slower. I took about 2 months doing this one sample and then ended up not doing any course work for several months afterwards.
This stage consisted of exercises with primary colours, muted colours and working a sample in French Knots.
Here are the finished samples:
I'm really really pleased with the overall effect of the bottom sample - its exactly how I imagined. I wanted the sky to look pretty stormy with all those colours.
The course asks for a review here:
Were you able to mix and match colours accurately?
I think so yes. I definitely did better than I thought I would. At first I thought only really skilled people could get an exact colour match but I actually found it quite easy tweaking nearer and nearer to a colour - I just needed time and scrap paper!
Were you able to use colour expressively?
I know the colours work to express a feeling for me, but I'm not sure that they would evoke the same reactions in others.
Can you now see colour rather than accepting what you think you see?
This was the biggest learning point here for me. I was pretty surprised when I really looked at the colours.
Did you prefer working with watercolours or gouache paints? What was the difference?
I prefer the look of watercolour but found working with gouache easier. The gouache stayed wetter longer so the colours mixed easier.
How successful were the colour exercises in Stage 5? How did they compare to the painting exercises?
Obviously the hand sewing is slower! And the colours have to be blended together with fine blended stitching rather than mixing together into a consistent new colour. However I really liked the effect of the stitching.
Is there anything you would like to change or develop?
The standard answer here is that I'd love to have more time to try different colour schemes and different ways of doing things - especially with the stitching. But there is only 24 hours in each day and I'm happy with what I've done for this stage, and what I have learnt along the way.
