Using DMC floss #433 (brown) and 815 (maroon), I finished the pattern of the central kimono and outlined all the remaining areas. It's interesting how the addition of these darker colors served to define each kimono and give each geisha her own "personal space." Then it was time for the big decision: what stitch and thread to use for the background.
Appronimately three-quarters of the design area on this canvas is a swirl of pattern and color. To introduce even more texture at this point, by using a decorative stitch for the background, would frankly have made me dizzy! So I chose to use basketweave, not as a default stitch, but as a deliberate attempt to give my eyes--and those of anyone else looking at the canvas--a place in which to rest. The shade of DMC floss I chose was the lightest shade in the color family of the tan and brown I'd already used.
I'm happy with this decision because it places the emphasis on the geishas, where it belongs, and because the neutral background will provide the perfect foil for the central geisha's hairdo--my next challenge!
1 comment:
Very nice decision on the background! It doesn't distract from the textures, and is about the color, probably, of the rice paper the old wood block print was made on.
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