Patatras!
Sometimes we introduce a color and Patatras!
Everything that had been carefully nuanced goes up in smoke.
Lately I’ve had some cold sweats.
As I progressed through the sleeve of the dress, I had to add a rather « cold » grey. I only have « hot » whites.
And the inevitable happened: my whites turned yellow!
But yes, because they are all whites with a hint of mixed yellow: « hot » whites.
I was talking earlier about the interaction of colors between them. This time we’re there.
How do I do that?
At this point in the progression of embroidery here is what happens:
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The cape is embroidered
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I chose my whites, I hope to stick to it (not won)
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The dress is tone on tone with the canvas, no contrast, we get lost …
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The sleeve and large outer sleeve are embroidered
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The inner part of the sleeve is in the making
Sometimes we introduce a color and Patatras!
in other words:
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Embroidering the cape proved to be a very comfortable and enjoyable exercise.
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The whites of the sleeve and the outer part of the sleeve were also very obvious.
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The inside of the sleeve was correct at the time and then became a « cata »
And yes sometimes it happens.
Sometimes we introduce a color and Patatras!
Worst of the worst, one color, one can wipe out all our previous work.
In this case a dark gray will turn all my whites into yellow! And not that my whites my other fake grays too.
I often use what I call « false » greys. These are de-saturated colors that embroidered near solid colors turn gray.
For example here I used purples that associated with whites turn gray-pink. But with that dark gray there! now they all turn brown!
It’s a horror.
Yet I was careful to take THE gray in the range of dark grays that contrasts the least with my whites. But despite this the worst has happened.
I remind this kind assembly that I have no other whites in the range than those chosen.
That is, this effect was inevitable.
I decide to continue at any cost and move on to the skirt part of the dress.
I have a very mixed feeling about what I do and especially what I see. In fact I see only yellow everywhere and it really does not seem to me to live up to it at all.
For days, I wake up in the morning and think,
- If I had to change a color, which one would it be?
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My very dark gray?
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Can I do without a very dark grey?
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Do I need so much contrast in this place?
Sometimes we are forced to embroider first parts that will corrupt for a time our vision of the subject.
As I move on to the next area, which is the skirt of the dress, I only see yellow and brown everywhere and really I have huge doubts. And I can’t say I like what I see.
At this point I understand that I will have to make a bet on the sequel. Bet that once the bottom of the dress embroidered things will rebalance on their own.
Often we are forced to embroider first parts that will corrupt for a time our vision of the subject. Because the point counted can only be achieved in a « as-you-go » progression, i.e. embroidering « as a result » (not, for example, the dark colors first and then the light).
I have to go through that. In short, while feeling like I’m losing my Latin, I’m going to hold on to my choices and what I believe. I will embroider tens of thousands of points before I can measure whether, the inside of the sleeve will remain an ordeal of the eyes or, if the magic will work and everything will take its right place.
I have the desire to move quickly in this part to have a clear heart.
I’m going to spend days and evenings there because I need answers.
Clinging is a huge value when creating.
As I walk through the skirt, I introduce a new white/broken and almost completely eliminates the « yellow » ones. I want to move very quickly to very clear whites to rebalance as quickly as possible.
So finally what I was hoping for happens: the yellowed whites become white again. Beautiful whites.
One of the lessons of this passage is that when you embroider on a canvas of the same tones as the threads, so without any contrast, you have no feedback. We’re moving blind. This is the case here since I have a white marbled canvas with shades of grey/ivory and my colors are very similar. Sometimes we encounter totally opposite difficulties with a ubiquitous canvas that induces choices of colors re-raised to the maximum. This was the case with The Fairy Queen whose red canvas « eaten » literally all colors.
Between this canvas that offers no contrast and the essential colors that disturb the general game emotions can be strong and doubts too.
Despite this, one must believe in oneself and its global vision.
Sometimes believe in what you know and not what you see.
It is a permanent gymnastics between these two states: to be persistent on the outlines while constantly changing the details.
Once the set is validated The rest of the dress becomes a formality and I find the happiness of the original embroiderer who blithely trots from dots to points.
See you for the sequel: Viviane Episode 5…
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Viviane, The Lady of the Lake, by Nimuo after an illustration by Elph’s Zephir.
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