• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

CLARA NARTEY |Unlock Your Creative Potential

Creativity, Thread Sketching, Art Quilters, Fiber Artists

  • Start Here
    • The Artist
    • The Artworks
    • Exhibitions
  • Work with Clara
    • Hire Clara
    • Take a Course
  • Media + Press
  • Blog
  • Contact

STS #31: Learn Something New Every Day

August 3, 2016 by Clara Nartey 2 Comments

Our creative lives are laboratories.  Testing, trying and proving new methodologies are just what we do.  Constantly, we learn something new every day.

Learn something new everyday in order to grow creatively
Save t Pinterest

It was just last week, I thought I’d learned what techniques needed to be learned in stitched drawing so I was going to move on to learn something new in design principles. This week I was reminded that learning is never done – it’s a lifelong process. You relearn the old, learn something new and unlearn some old stuff.

 

 You learn something new every day if you pay attention. ~Ray LeBlond

learn something new
“Spice it Up #2” – Pencil on Paper by Clara Nartey

The subject of this week’s work is hand-painted fabrics.  Previously I’ve used hand-dyed fabrics or fabrics that ”read” as one color but not this week.  When I peeked into my stash of fabrics, I saw these dye-painted fabrics that have never been cut into with a pair of scissors, just begging to be used.

 

I couldn’t resist the look in their big brown eyes begging for me to take them to my cutting table to use in this week’s project. How could I resist? I’m a sucker for pretty fabric.

 

learn something new
“Spice it Up #2” – Stitched Drawing by Clara Nartey

Suddenly, the fact that previously, I’ve only used single colored fabrics became a problem. I didn’t have the skills to deal with the lovely set of multicolored fabrics in front of me. I needed to come up with a plan of action really quick. A good plan on how I was going to choose thread colors.

 

Choosing several values of the same color thread like I always do wasn’t going to cut it this time, because of the multiple colors in these fabrics. I needed another approach.

There’s More Than One Way to Learn Something New

Initially, I went by just color and simply echoed the shapes in my design but that didn’t work too well. So I tried something new. I used the colors in the fabric as a guide for choosing which thread colors to stitch with.

For each fabric, I isolated the colors in that fabric. Then for each color, I identified the various values of that color in the fabric. I then made my  thread choices based on the different colors and values I’d identified in each fabric.  Bingo! I got it to work.

 

You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way. ~Marvin Minsky

learn something new

It’s a multi-step process – a little more involved than my previous approach. But when you want the fabric to speak for itself, this approach works great.

 

The painted fabrics already look beautiful and I have no reason to not let them shine. I just wanted to add texture.  By matching each value and color in the fabric with threads, I allowed the fabric to take the lead instead of being overshadowed by threads. The two elements together worked well to create this week’s piece.

Another lesson learned in choosing thread colors for a stitched drawing. Just when I thought there’s no more to learn, I learn something new.

 

How about you? Do you find that you make new discoveries in your creative journey when you’re least expecting it? Did you learn something new this week? Do share below.

 

Warmest Regards,

Clara's Signature

 

 

Watch and read about the entire Stitch The Sketch series.

Get behind the scenes and learn more about my art practice, events, exhibitions and release of new artworks


JUST ONE MORE STEP...... Success! Now you need to check your email to confirm your subscription. The subject will be [confirm your subscription] Once you click the link in this confirmation email, you will be on your way to receiving exclusive C-Letters meant for Clara's Friends only. Don't forget to confirm your email. Warmest Regards, Clara

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

I won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit


Also published on Medium.

Comments

  1. Liz Ozselcuk says

    August 3, 2016 at 10:04 am

    Hi Clara,
    I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your blog. It’s just the right combination of visuals and the philosophy that goes behind their creation. I have been thinking about this same issue of learning recently. I like to “invent” needlepoint stitches, and I have been working on a sampler based on my graph paper doodles. What you can graph is not necessarily what you can stitch, so I have been innovating as I come up against the limitations of my original ideas. I had been finding over the past few weeks that this was becoming boring, that there was not enough variety in what i was stitching. I decided to do some stitches on a larger scale; that helped. Then I realized that a stitch that I thought would dovetail into another stitch indefinitely, as a lot of counted thread work will, wouldn’t. My third motif wouldn’t fit. Rather than tear it out I started to work around it, creating a variety of related patterns and creating random, though related, motifs in the odd corners. And because of this freedom to invent “on the fly” rather than plot out everything perfectly, my work has become more engaging to me. I just had to push myself past my current comfort zone. Anyway, I love the way you play with ideas and continuously try something different from what you have done before. Things can grow stale quickly without something new to learn. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Clara says

    August 3, 2016 at 10:41 am

    Oh so wonderful, Liz!!! Yours is a perfect example of how when we’re willing to learn something new everyday our creativity gets to blossom and we inject more passion into what we do. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

design variety
Next »
Return to menu
color scheme ideas
« Previous

Creativity

Professional Development

Creative Confidence Boost

Thread Sketching Videos

Thread Sketching Techniques

Surface Design

Textile Art Collector

Textile Art Business

 

Let's Connect on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2023 · All images copyrighted by the artist, Clara Nartey,
and are not to be copied or reproduced in any manner.
Privacy Policy|Terms and Condition|Disclaimer

Copyright © 2023 · Aspire Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in