From Inspiration to Art

My process (or at least a part of my process)

Many thanks to those who commented “ART” after reading my post on Joanna’s Readers. (If you aren’t a member of the Joanna’s Readers group, I urge you to join. We do a lot of fun stuff in a moderated, kind and supportive community.)

How did I create the beautiful art from the stained glass window I saw in Bruges? (Image below.) It’s a multi-step process, but it’s easy enough when you break it down.

1. Photograph an image you like. If possible, focus in on it tightly so you get the biggest, clearest photo.

2. Make a decision: You can draw the image freehand or print a copy so you can trace the image. FYI: Originally, I drew the image freehand because I didn’t have access to a printer. You’ll notice my copy was imperfect. That didn’t matter much, did it? The print copy method is more accurate, however.

3. Copy and trace—I made a black-and-white copy of the photo. Placing a piece of tissue paper/tracing paper over the photo, I traced the image in pencil. (You could also use pen, but I like to erase a lot as I go.)

4. Flip over the newly traced image.

5. (Put it right-side down.) Using a soft lead pencil, color in the backside. (Best to use the side of the pencil lead and not the point for this. The point can rip the tissue paper.) Be sure to lay down as much carbon as possible! You are essentially creating homemade carbon paper with the pencil graphite substituting for carbon!

6. Flip the traced image back over, right side up, and center it over a piece of blank art paper.

7. Trace over your ORIGINAL traced image, following the various lines. Press firmly. You are transferring the image you traced to the newer, thicker paper. I initially used my pencil but switched to a ballpoint pen because the pencil tip tended to rip the tissue paper.

8. Remove the tissue paper. Make any corrections necessary in your traced image. (I like to use a .1 Micron pen for this step. Gives me a nice, crisp outline.)

9. Tangle! Fill in the empty areas with tangles. Treat the new image like a string, an outline for putting tangles inside.

Which tangles will you use? It’s totally up to you. I enjoy using Eni Oken’s free app Art Raffle. You can also go to my Pinterest page where I have saved hundreds of tangles.

Hope you enjoyed this short tutorial. If you’d like me to share more, let me know in the chat section. Also, if you’d like me to discuss how I choose which tangle to put where, just ask in the chat. I’m eager to hear what you think!

Love ya oodles, Joanna