Cat portrait in progress – 2016.04.13

I’ve been working on a cat portrait, using the same techniques I used a couple of years ago for the portrait of ‘Baby’.

In February, I received an email from Maureen, which said “My 9-year-old granddaughter asked me to help her make a throw blanket with the image of her beloved cat, Casper, on it.  . . . I used Google to search for cat quilts and saw your commissioned piece on your web page . . .  Not only is your work beautiful, but Baby looks a lot like Casper!  I have attached a recent Facebook photo of Casper.  He is a rag doll breed and a lilac point color.  He has the same beautiful blue eyes and a medium length coat of creamy white fur.  I’m wondering if I could commission you to create a quilt piece similar to Baby’s (8×8”, face only) and applique the “enhanced by thread-sketching” photo-on-fabric to a fabric piece I provide.  From this, I would make a round decorative pillow for her bed.”

Maureen sent me several photos of Casper, and after looking at several options, we decided on a photo and background fabric. I cropped the photo and printed it on prepared fabric, then selected the threads I would use to sketch on the printed photo.

IMG_4213  printed on fabric, with thread colors

I fused Misty Fuse to the back of the fabric photo, then cut around the edge of the cat’s head, and fused it to the fabric background.   I used a black Sharpie to enlarge his pupils, and a white gel pen for the highlights.

Casper-ready to be fused-001  

 

Then I started thread-sketching.  I printed a ‘posterized’ version of the photo on paper and made notes of thread colors on it.  I find this is very useful if I need to go back later and add thread to an area.

  posterized photo, with notes

 

The thread-sketching is almost complete.   I had to stop because I was finding it hard to focus on light thread on light fabric.  Another couple of hours and it should be finished.

Casper-almost done

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Today, I’m linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative projects to inspire you.

   Esther’s Blog   Sew Fresh Quilts

 

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6 Responses to Cat portrait in progress – 2016.04.13

  1. This is looking great, a little girl will be loving this soon.

  2. That is amazing!!!! So beautiful, and will make an unforgettable pillow for the little girl.

  3. Michele T says:

    Wow! Beautiful work!!!

  4. Lauren M. says:

    Lovely work! I think that fixing the areas for a change in colour is the most difficult for achieving reality!

  5. It’s so pretty Terry. Love it. May I ask, is the fabric you used to print the photo on a cotton or silk?

  6. Maureen Rigert says:

    What a stroke of luck that I came upon Terry Aske’s blog while searching for ideas to make a blanket for my granddaughter, Lyn. From the beginning, Terry has been kind, patient, interested in my ideas, and very knowledgeable about the design and production of a piece of fabric art. When I saw her portrait of “Baby”, I was really hoping that she would be willing to do one of Lyn’s cat, Casper. And she was! Terry has a truly professional yet welcoming approach to working with a customer. After finding out what I was hoping for, she created mockups on paper so I could see whether I liked the results. She is open to my ideas and truly wants this to turn out just as I envisioned. I am so happy to see Casper’s portrait nearing completion! It’s just as I had hoped it would be, and Lyn will be thrilled! Thank you, Terry!

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