8 that create: "Empty Spaces

Carol here.

In my last entry, I wrote of stitching several of the phrases "empty spaces" in a cream colored thread, which would reward the viewer that takes a closer look.

I really love the additional texture that added to this canvas!

I finished up the piece by transferring the enlarged & cropped lily onto the canvas. I used a graphite transfer paper to trace parts of the drawing onto the canvas, freehand drawing the remainder (I had drawn the image several times already in my sketchbook so I was very familiar with the lines of it).

You will recall in my previous post that I wanted to add a touch of red into this piece.

As chance would have it the Lily Leaf Beetle (sometimes called the Scarlet Lilly Beetle) is a pest to the Crown Imperial Lily.

I practiced drawing the beetle in my sketchbook.

Sometimes things just work in your favor, don't they?

So I added three of the red beetles, munching on the plant as they leave their own empty spaces.

I wanted to have one of the "Empty Spaces" phrases more prominent so I stitched the chosen one in red. I used a very light application of watercolor paint inside the letters.

The last thing I did to finish this piece up was to stretch the canvas over stretcher bars. I had planned on this finishing technique from the beginning so I was very careful about where the lily and the phrase was placed.

One of my favorite things about this piece was how the layering all came together in the end. I have many layers of text, transfers, stamping, collage, paint, molding paste, machine stitching and drawing on top of this canvas.