My latest quilting endeavor is making "Fabric Portraits - with a Twist" using a process taught by Esterita Austin. (See esteritaaustin.com) Esterita teaches how to make a face using parts of multi-valued fabrics to form the shadows or shading found in an original photograph. She has a new video out that shows you how to do it yourself called “Dynamic Fabric Art Portraits.” Click on that title or HERE to order one.
She also uses special fabrics created by Carlene Keller - email carlenekeller@mac.com. I took her five-day class at the Empty Spools Seminars in Asilomar two years in a row - in March 2012 and March of 2013 - (see Asilomar 2012 and Asilomar 2013 under my blog).
Below are several of the fabric portraits I have made since I learned this technique - starting with one of the first ones I ever made and ending with my most recent. They each seem to take on a life of their own! Esterita teaches that it is best to begin by making portraits of yourself, so you can learn the techniques from pattern making to the placement of fabric on a face that you know very well. She is quite right! Everytime I learn something new, I see how big a difference it makes in making me look more like myself. Once you really understand how to make these portraits, you can move on to making portraits of other people. As you can see below, I have attempted to make a couple portraits of other people, my friend Kristin and my husband, without having yet attained the requisite expertise. But I will keep trying and keep posting my progress here!
Click on any of the thumbnail photos below to see several close up photographs of that portrait.
