I love to use stitch in my drawings. My stitched work
is rather wobbly, irregular, and obviously done by
hand, but it creates an intimate texture, introduces
craft, and contrasts nicely with the drawn lines on
the page. A quick Google image search of stitched
drawings will reveal a wide range of deeply inspiring
and creative approaches to drawing with stitch. Take
a look at the work of Peter Crawley, who creates
intricate architectural drawings by piercing watercolor
paper with a pin and then using a needle and cotton
thread to join the holes. The patience and speed
taken is recorded in these wonderful pieces, and their
neat, technical rendering becomes truly astonishing
once you look closer and realize that each line is
stitched. For this adventure you can either create a
completely stitched drawing, or embellish an existing
(or brand new) drawing with stitches.
Try completing this exercise WITHOUT lightly drawing
your proposed stitch design in pencil first, as it will be
hard to erase without damaging the holes. Instead
be brave and plunge in freehand. Creating a path
for stitching by piercing all the holes first does slow
down the process, but once the holes are added, the
simple task of joining the dots becomes a relaxing
and meditative one. Enjoy this slower pace and take
time for contemplation.
Drawing as
Stitch
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