From Concept to Composition

Janet Fogg: The Process of Work

They Came by Canoe

There are many ways to approach designing quilt art. One of Janet Fogg's favorites is to start with a challenge. Perhaps it is a group challenge or a personal one. The moment an idea pops up she like to spend some time brainstorming possible design ideas. She make lists and does thumbnail sketches that assist with her decisions. Most of her work is pictorial. She graduated with a degree in Graphic Design with an illustration concentration. Visualization is key.

Once Janet has an idea for a visual story, she searches for objects, takes photos or makes more thorough sketches to create elements for a composition.  Sometimes she incorporates traditional quilt blocks into her designs. She auditions blocks that will work with her imagery either with form or theme.

Once she has the concept for a quilt, she prepares what she needs to create the composition on her design wall. She likes to work large so she traces elements from her photos or sketches onto clear plastic transparencies and projects them onto the wall with an overhead projector. If blocks are involved she drafts them first onto paper or lightweight cardstock attached to the design wall. Next, she projects the pictorial subjects, deciding placement and size, during the projection. This makes it easy to see how the elements are going to work before committing to drawing in the lines in pencil. 

The next stage is refining the lines and doing a final ink drawing to create the master pattern. At this point she creates a palette of fabric that works cohesively with plenty of value change and then she gets to work. A long term project deserves careful planning at the beginning.

Our Line Art Work Portfolio Expands

Our Line Work themes are slowly being completed. They focus on the interplay and movement of lines created with all types of fibers, such as threads, yarns, ribbons and cloth, of course. These pieces explore concepts like rhythm, connection, complexity, and boundaries through linear patterns and textures.

Here is a small representation of the work. Some are playful. Some are abstract. Some are organic. Each artist has chosen her own way to cross the line.

 

Catch a Glimpse

The first preview of Line Dance has arrived. These cropped images offer a glimpse of what is to come. It’s always exciting to see how each artist interprets the theme, resulting in a rich variety of styles, from hand stitching to intricate piecing. A closer look is still ahead. Enjoy!

 

 

Creating in the New Year

Themes have been chosen, ideas are forming and work is beginning. How does one gather ideas. Elaine likes to use Pinterest, setting up a Board specific to the project and then when she finds inspiration in the form of an image, she stores it there. A virtual filing cabinet, if you will. Her next step is to jot down notes of what she specifically likes about each image. Eventually these notes are turned into broad based sketches that she uses to begin her work.

This digital, virtual world offers so many apps and software applications that allow an artist to pursue ideas in so many different ways. It is a fun time!

So you wonder, what are our themes for the new year....drum roll please.

The first is The Sum of Parts. This work will measure 18 inch wide by 40 inches long. 

Three 18 inch squares will be similarly related. The three themes, Line Dance, Crossing the Line and Tangled will likely produce work in a series for each artist. Look for these later this year.