Design for Realism
- An in-depth, detailed look at how to make fabric art imitate real life.
The first step of creating fine art is to create “good” art, and good art starts with good design. Quilts and other fabric artwork are no exception. But fabric is not a traditional fine art medium. Pictures designed with fabric in mind need to incorporate traditional fine art elements of design in their own unique way.
The challenges faced by quilters when creating realism-style art cannot be solved in the same manner as an artist using traditional medium. This lecture is focused on incorporating principles of good design into art quilt layouts with the intent of creating a realistic piece of art using fabric as a medium.
Using my own work as examples, I will teach:
- How to choose reference photos that work together
- How to identify sightline and type of lens used in a reference photo
- How to incorporate photos taken with different lenses into same picture (and when to break the rules)
- The relationship between picture size and detail
- What the difference is between color and value, and why they both matter
- How to incorporate lighting into a picture, such as how to make an object appear as though it's sitting in direct sunlight (and how to make a grey, overcast day)
- How to simulate atmospheric perspective to create an effective illusion of distance
- How to choose the best fabric colors and patterns for realism-style art quilts
- How to use stitching as a complement to the design
My personal passion is realism, but the concepts I will cover are very relevant to fabric artists of all artistic styles.
