Friday, January 04, 2008

Take It Further

I'm participating in this challenge, and the January challenge was just posted; there's the theme "some one you look up to", or a palette consisting of two medium-value violets (one darker than the other), two medium greens, and a pale peachy/yellow. OK, let's get the negative reaction out of the way first. "Someone you look up to" sounds like the kind of essay topic that would have brought groans and eye rolls from my eighth graders, and those colors are insipid, or to be less judgmental, "out of my comfort zone." After more thought, I remembered that I admire Eleanor Roosevelt, so I scanned in a picture and checked the exact words of my favorite quotation; I could do one of those photo/collage things. Or, since the colors look like violets or iris, I found some pictures, scanned them in, and may probably do a machine applique. This will NOT be slow cloth.


Since I want this to be fairly quick, I took this design from a book called 4000 Motifs of Flowers and Plants by Leslie McCallum. It's a wonderful resource of designs, historical and original, and like the Dover books, they're copyright free.

But first, I have to make some more little blue blocks so I can get to the cutting table.

8 comments:

Deb Geyer said...

It looks like fun!

I enjoyed the snow photo too. I miss the snow!

allie aller said...

You are refreshingly sardonic.

When I first learned of the theme I wanted to choose Samwise Gamji, but I thought it would take too long. Still, it got me thinking about how I would do it...when it ended up looking like a movie poster in my head, I moved on to something else.
(I was watching "Return of the King" the night before I read about the theme for January).

The point of the challenge, I am convinced, is to help us each further our own agendas, whatever they may be.

Heather said...

Glad to see that you are taking on that palette regardless of your initial reaction to it. Good luck! And I will check out that book on flower motifs. I love Dover books.

Debra Dixon said...

LOL! I had a very similiar reaction. What is so "out there" about that color scheme (which is definitely not a favorite--I prefer the Hoffman Challenge fabric colors that you dislike so much!)?

I have my idea so I guess I should post it before someone else takes it.

McIrish Annie said...

I thought the colors were interesting, my first thought was oriental! I have also chosen flowers, irises and calla lillies. can't wait to see what you will do!

Kim said...

I'm wrestling with the colors right now... still not sure. Looking forward to the process!

Barbara Hagerty said...

I'm using the colors, too. Not ones I would have chosen, but I'm liking what I can do with them in acrylic paint. Glad to see others are picking up on the colors also. It's a challenge to use something you wouldn't have normally picked, but it has its rewards. Stretches possibilites for future work.

Cathie said...

Great idea to use the motif. I like it and think it will go very nicely with the color scheme. How big are you going to make it?