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A very different topic in both Class Act Chats last week--a discussion of where our design ideas come from. :-) Now, I confess to being an "old" English teacher, and I compare the creative process involved in designing needlework to attempting to teach creative writing. Techniques and forms can be taught, but the creative process must come from within each person.
At both chats, we talked philosophically about the creative process for some time. To attempt to summarize all that was said isn't the easiest thing to do, but let me try to give it a shot. Each of us is a very different person, and so, each of us sees things in a different way from other people. Several of us believe quite a bit our our perceptions come from our lifetimes of experience, as well as from our distictive personalities. Certainly, our tastes are all different, and not just the taste for food. ;-) Each of us seems to be drawn to particular things. In the case of needlework, many of us like particular design styles--samplers, nature, buildings, abstract designs, etc. The example I gave was to consider what might happen if everyone at chat looked at a particular building and was asked to do a chart of it. Many chatters agreed each design would be different, simply because each of us saw it differently. :-)
Everyone agreed design ideas for them come out of their minds and imaginations. A good point was made by several chatters: There is nothing new under the sun, so each design done has its foundation in everything that came before.
What inspires a needle artist to create a particular design? From our discussion, there are many inspirations. Some people are inspired by places they've been. Their ideas may come from the surroundings in which they have found themselves, among other things. For example, I may be taken by an old schoolhouse still standing on someone's farm, while another person in the same place may be inspired by a flower or tree. Not only images come from one's surroundings, but so do colors. For example, several stitchers said they love Southwest colors, and they use them when they design.
Quite a few stitchers told us they consider carefully the person for whom they're designing if they're doing a special stitchery for that person. The most often discussed attribute mentioned by members at the 2 chats was color. We may know the favorite colors of a person for whom we are doing a design, but it can go further than that. Some of us who design for particular people or groups may be able to "see" that person or group as a color or as a series of colors. So, they try to incorporate those colors in designs.
Of course, each of us has her/his own color preferences, too. At our Friday CAC, one stitcher commented she loves pastels, while another said she prefers bold colors. Is either of them wrong? Absolutely not. :-) Just a matter of personal taste.
In addition to color, quite a few other things inspire designs. Among those mentioned at the chats were stencils, samplers, textures, fabrics, and the ever-increasing variety of fibers we have available to us.
Given these things, how do people create their designs? Our methods seem as varied as we are. :-) Some designers begin with a drawing or painting and graph from their own artwork. I know of at least one designer who does no stitching or graphing at all, but she creates the artwork from which the her designs are taken. Other designers elect to stitch a design and then to chart it. Some of us chart and then stitch. And, of course, many of us use a combination of methods. For example, I may have an idea for a design (which I really do) for the next project I'm going to design for Class Act Chat. Because it will be sort of a sampler-type design, as the previous charts I've designed for CAC have been, I'll sit down to graph it first. Then, as I stitch my model, I'll come back to the computer many times to make changes in the chart itself. I'll do this until I'm satisfied with the project. :-) That's a pretty simplified explanation, but it's how I work.
Some of the members expressed concern about choosing colors for their designs--especially when it comes to shading. For me, that's come with experience. I will confess, however, I've never taken an art class in my life, and I cannot draw a stick figure. It seems, though, that after 28 years of working with embroidery floss, I've somehow developed an eye for both how colors will look when they're used and how shading will work. And I protect with my life my DMC color card. :-) It's the one tool I can't do without. If you are concerned about color and shading, I'd suggest stitching as you design. By doing so, you'll be able to see the stitchery evolve, and you can make changes as you choose.
One problem I've always had is my inability to transfer an image to a chart. What I've done for many years is to take my camera with me whenever I go somewhere. If I see something I think would make a wonderful stitchery, I photograph it. This all began before the computer age hit us, and as I said before, I literally cannot draw anything. But I hoped someday to have a way to create charts from some of the photos, and I've kept all of them. Now, I find myself with all those photos and a computer with a new scanner right here at home. :-) I can scan any of those photos I've taken through the years and, with my computer, create a chart of any of them. Boggles my mind!!!
I decided to set myself up as the "guinea pig" for the design inspiration chats. I did so because I'm currently in the process of doing another HeartBlossom design for all of you to celebrate the first anniversary of Class Act Chat, which comes the end of October. Until this past week, I'd put absolutely nothing on paper. Instead, various ideas have been simmering in my mind since about July 1. Let me tell you about the process. :-)
There are quite a few things I have to consider as I design a new project for Class Act Chat. The first consideration is the group of people for whom I'm designing. Last year, to kick off Class Act Chat, I designed a Christmas ornament. Although it can certainly be used for Christmas, the design can be done in a variety of colors on a variety of fabrics and isn't limited to one holiday. I'm aware of the many beliefs in the group, so I again want to create something all of you can use. :-) Then, I decided to do something other than an ornament or a sampler because I've done of of each of those for you. I can tell you what I've chosen is a mini-bellpull, which can be finished as a bellpull or can be framed. As you may be able to tell by now, I try to be as flexible as I can to allow for your creativity when you stitch the project. :-) Another consideration for me is size. To be able to create a chart and to get it to you via computer, it's best to keep it fairly small. Another reason for a mini bellpull. :-)
At that point, I still didn't have in mind exactly what would be in the project. I did know, however, I'd like it to contain my wishes for you, whether you celebrate a December holiday or not. No, I'm not gonna tell you right now what that is. You'll have to wait to see. :-) But the next step for me was to decide the subject, which I've now done. Then, I trotted happily to my favorite stitchery shop, which has a huge selection of fibers and fabrics from which to choose. The only requirement I had when I went there was that the fabric has to be an evenweave because I'm going to teach more specialty stitches with this upcoming project. There will probably be more than one needlework technique included, as well.
I have to tell you I suspect those shop owners cringe when they see me coming. ;-) They know me well enough to realize I'm probably gonna spend a couple of hours going through all their fabric and fibers. Of course, I spend money, and I try to leave everything as neatly organized as I found it, but I do roam back and forth for some time. Usually, I look at fabrics first. I do have lists of colors available of most popular fabrics, but it doesn't help me until I see them. For the upcoming design, I selected 4 fabrics and then began going through specialty fibers to see what I liked and what fit with my emerging idea and the fabrics. Unless I'm definitely going to use DMC or Anchor floss, I don't mess with those at the shop because I have my color cards here to look at later. :-) I keep going back and forth between fabric and fibers until I narrow things down. This time, I came home with 2 very different fabrics and 7 skeins of various overdyed floss. I like the overdyes for sampler projects, and I especially like using something different. But I always keep in mind the fact that I want each design I do to be something every stitcher can customize to her/his taste.
I have since begun doing the design itself on my computer, with the fabrics and the floss right here with me. I've done this often enough that I can "see" the design in my head worked on both fabrics and with different colors as I go. There is a focus to this design--something I absolutely want to put in it. So, I've done that part first on the computer. What I'll be doing next is to add some other elements. This takes more experimenting for me. I'll put something in, look at it for a while, and if I like it, it'll stay. If I decide something else may look better, I'll copy the original base chart and add the new idea. When I add the elements, I consider, too, the kinds of specialty stitches or techniques I'd like to use and to teach. I want to be sure they will fit the design. The result is a chart I save and print out for myself.
Next, I sit down to stitch. Again, what I absolutely want in the design remains. I may change my mind as I stitch about what color or what specialty stitch I want to use, but the foundation is still there. I keep a pad of paper and a pen on the table next to my stitching "nest," and when I change something, I make a note of it. If I decide I don't like the way some of the additional elements look, I come back to the computer to see what I can do differently. Of course, this process requires a lot of frogstitching from me (rippit, rippit), but eventually, I find a result I like. So, the design isn't completed until the model itself is stitched and finished. The whole thing evolves as I go along.
If I choose to import an image from a scanned photo for a chart, the process is a little different for me. I've found that to select colors, to smooth the lines of a graphics file, or to alter something, it's easiest for me to do in my paint program. At different points in the manipulation of a photo, I save it to my zip drive. I often have as many as 12 files of the same photo at different stages. If I'm not sure I like something I've done, I can go back to an earlier file and change it without having to start over from the beginning.
Again, please remember, there are as many ways to design a piece of needlework as there are people. :-) I've simply used myself as an example.
Copyright 1997 Jill Martz
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