Cardinal & Fitz Response

My samples inspired by the Etsy shop Cardinal & Fitz feature simple stitching with defined shapes, as this is the style they use to create their pieces.

I took this artist research as an opportunity to improve on my palmistry sample I created on silk. The shape of my previous sample was formed by drawing around my own hand, which did not give an accurate, precise finish. To create the shape of this hand, I looked at a few different hand images to create a more realistic form. I made the fingers all different shapes, thinking about defining the bones, particulary in the thumb.

After doing further research, I discovered the placement of the symbols weren't in the correct place on my last sample as they were meant to be at the base of the fingers. I've added more symbols and placed them in the correct place for this sample so it is possible to accurately refer to this for understanding palmistry. As I found with other samples, I preferred using calico as I fund it easier to stitch through. Cardinal & Fitz also use calico in their pieces so it links in with my artist. The hand Cardinal & Fitz have stitched has a less defined bone structure with words instead of symbols. I decided to use symbols instead as I think it creates a more engaging sample with fascinating lines. To develop this sample idea I could add more colour so it's more eye catching. For my next sample I am going to take inspiration to the crystal ball so I can experiment with adding colour to my samples.

To create a neat circle, I drew around the outside of the bottle with a pencil. I added the base of the crystal ball, looking closely at Cardinal & Fitz shape. I back stitched the entire shape and added some grid-like shapes to create some shading. To create the cloudy purple texture I used acrylic paint. I mixed blue and red acrylic on a palette to create a few different shades of purple. Starting from the centre I applied a heavier amount of colour. Towards the left I watered down the acrylic to add tone. I placed newspaper underneath the sample to protect the surface incase any paint seeped through the fabric. I'm rally happy with this sample due to the vibrant colours, making it a more intriguing piece. Unfortunately, I was careless when tearing the fabric which resulted in m pulling away some of the stitching from the top. Luckily I had taken a photo of this sample prior to doing this. When tearing calico I need to make sure I don't tear so close to my stitching.