This fun monochromatic dress was created for the 2009 Nauvoo Area Fashion Show. Using over 40 prints all in black and white, its patchwork symbolizes the many differing aspects of my personality -- especially polka-dots! Since I spent today sick in bed, I decided that photoshopping this picture featuring my model Gerri wearing the dress would be a way to still complete a dress today without having to sit up for long periods to create one. However, I didn't count on the excitement of trying the photo out with different special effects. I got wildly different looks for the monochromatic prints, depending on what effect I used. I finally chose this one, a specialized black and white effect that really made the dress pop from its background. It really shows the dress off to advantage!
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This gorgeous dress came about when I wanted a really cool print for a dress silhouette. I found this bat tessellation among the pictures in my M.C. Escher calendar and cut it out. The print suggested the shape of the final dress, which is very similar to the style of fairy dress I designed and made last year. Here it really shines as a totally cool goth art dress! I set it off against a silver specialty paper background and added the stamped word 'art' to the corner. This 8 x 10" picture now hangs on my wall to inspire me.
Remember the syrup bottle from the kitchen found object dress? Well, it's empty now, and I thought what a lovely shape it had -- almost like a ballgown. So today I took crepe paper, tape, and glue and made the fuchsia ballgown of my dreams. It's a gown I could never have worn, because not only would I never have dared to wear anything completely strapless, but fuchsia is such a bold color, and I don't like to stand out. But if I were bolder or the world a lot kinder, this would be my choice for a fancy ball. I placed the finished dress on top of my china cabinet full of Collector Barbies to remind myself that my dress designs don't have to be of practical use to me to wear. Sometimes just bringing the dream into reality is enough to assuage the need to have it.
The silk I got for the scarf didn't go well with the design of the evening dress, so I made a second stencil, this time of a girl's city attire: sassy dress, cute boots, and a purse for going places. And I even ended up choosing a different fabric for the scarf, since the silk I got needed a less complex stencil than this one. I had this fabulous decorator sheer in my stash, and it was perfect for what I wanted to do. Using black acrylic paint, I stenciled two city girls on each end of the long scarf. When worn, both ends will show off the stenciled girls. This project really turned out beautifully, and I'm so happy to have created this work of art. I can't wait to wear it!!!!
I woke up wanting to make the dress design I had in my head into a stencil. But what to use the stencil for once it was done? I couldn't decide, but I was determined to ignore that practical voice. Eventually I just went ahead and made the stencil anyway, knowing the ideas would come afterward. I tried the finished stencil out on a square of cotton, using a coordinating paint. It turned out great! Once I saw it on fabric, I knew I wanted to paint the stencil onto a silk scarf. So it's time to go shopping for some silk -- woo-hoo!
This entire project was an experiment. My neighbor had a yard sale and got rid of several tile samples. Of course, I had to have them! This 4 x 4" tile spoke to me right away, and I knew what it would look like before I even began. The project took two days. The first day was spent stenciling the butterfly onto the tile, then once the paint dried, adding the detail. Finally, I coated the entire tile with sealant. The next day it was dry, so I took a sheet of gorgeous blue tissue paper and soaked it lightly in decoupage glue. Carefully positioning it onto the tile, I shaped it to flow like a dress in flight. I had to stop myself from patting it down too much and losing the 3-D effect. When it was dry, it looked even better than my mental picture had been! Success!
Of course, the 3-D effect of the dress makes it impossible to use this tile as a coaster or a trivet, completely negating any practical use for it. It's simply art now. And I'm proud that I let it be what my mind imagined. Sooner or later, it was inevitable that I make a leaf dress. I love leaves and trees and the great outdoors! I made this lovely 12 x 12" scrapbooking page to celebrate my love for autumn. The dress is made from three leaves found while I was at a local park. Even with the glue overlay, the leaves didn't retain their vibrant colors, which was sad. But the shape of the dress is still clear, and I'm pleased with the results.
Tonight my granddaughters and I did a fun project before they went to bed. We made pretty girl cards using new glittery foam pages I got for them at the store and my Sizzix machine's diecuts. Once we'd each chosen our hair color and length, we chose which glittery dress to wear: pink or purple. Tomorrow we will each mail our card to someone we love to let them know we're thinking of them. It's great to let others in on my project and watch them stretch their own creative wings!
I learned a new skill today! I googled origami dresses so that I could make a special birthday card for my granddaughter. I found a wonderful site that took me step by step through the making of the dress, and this card is the result. It was surprisingly easy to create the dress, and I'm going to have a lot of fun finding reasons to make more now! *grin*
One of my hopes when I began this challenge was that I would learn new art skills. Each day has brought its own knowledge, both about technique and about myself. I can almost feel my mind expanding and opening up with each new creation. It's awesome! This sarong style Barbie dress was made for my granddaughter's birthday. She loves hair, so I fished through my stash of old Barbies and found one with long hair in her favorite color: pink! Then she needed a pretty dress. And not just pretty, but one that would be easy for a 4 year old to put on and take off. The simple sarong has long ties that fasten in several different ways, all of them innovative to a young girl. She even has a headband that ties!
One of my very first forays into fashion design was making dresses for my Barbies when I was young. My mother bought a bag of fabric scraps at a yard sale and gave it to me so that I could make my doll some clothes. I don't remember if I begged her for fabric or Barbie clothes or what, but I am very grateful to her for buying me the fabric. I've never stopped designing since! |
Denise FeltI took this challenge in the hopes of expanding my creativity as an artist. Already I'm seeing art in a new light -- as something to do for fun and not just practicality! Archives
December 2015
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