Needlepoint Canvas Painting--long (was new to group)
Lula
where would i find information
> on how to paint needlepoint canvases? i really like some of the ones i
> see in the shops but of course the ones i like are the most expensive ones
> in the stores. i have approximately 15 plus years of stitching experience
> and have done some small projects that i designed but have never painted
> anything on a canvas. please help with names of books or any other
> recommendations you may have. thanks a bunch. happy stitching.
>
> cathie
> keyma...@aol.com
Cathie--
There really isn't much to find in books about painting needlepoint
canvases because it's really quite simple if you are planning to paint
on a small scale.
You need to purchase some good mono canvas---we use the Zweigart orange
line deluxe mono--you have your choice of different meshes--that's up to
you.
Most of us needlepoint design professionals paint on 18 or 13 mesh
canvas.
18 mesh will give you more detail and 13 will be easier to see. Depends
on your design and what you want to paint.
13 mesh canvas is rough on the brushes--eats them up quicker than 18
mesh.
Remember the end use of the canvas and what type of yarns you plan to
use in your design--that will determine the size mesh you want.
Some fibers and yarns can only be used on 18 mesh and some are only good
on 13. There are other sizes of canvas to choose from but I'm only
mentioning the two most popular sizes in painted needlepoint today.
There's also Congress cloth which isn't really considered a needlepoint
canvas but stitches up with the same needlepoint or canvas work
stitches---comes in 22 or 24 count evenweave and you can paint beautiful
detailed designs on that.
Buy some good acrylic paints--better quality paints have more pigment
and covers the canvas better---you'll have to mix your paints to the
proper consistency that suits your painting style--liquid enough to
cover smoothly but not clog the needlepoint canvas holes.
Since you'll be painting for yourself at this time--it doesn't matter if
your coverage isn't perfectly smooth or even.
Get some good quality synthetic brushes--the type of brush you buy will
depend on your painting style--I use a round watercolor type brush and I
only use one size for all my painting---other people use different sizes
and types for painting fine lines, etc.
Test all your acrylics before using---remember you have to block the
needlepoint after you stitch--paint a square of canvas, let dry and run
water over it.
To put a design on canvas---trace over a light table or window if
needed--with an HB pencil or slightly harder---the H on the pencil tells
you how hard it is because you don't want to smear graphite on the
canvas with softer pencil leads. The higher the number before the H
shows how hard it is and therefore the lighter the line will be when
drawn on the needlepoint canvas.
The main thing is to go ahead and try it--that's the only way you are
going to learn---hands on experience is the best.
I never set out to be a needlepoint designer but was an illustrator who
happened to like needlework---for me it was just a transition from being
a regular artist to needlework designer because I stitched a lot.
But there was a lot for me to learn too and I'm still refining my
techniques even after being in business for 11 years full time.
Choose your designs carefully because not all artwork will translate to
needlepoint. You've already got a head start in understanding the
mechanics of needlepoint painting because of your stitching experience.
So you might want to practice stitch painting on the meshes.
Start small and see how you like it. Good luck and have fun with the
painting and stitching up your new designs.
Happy Stitching---Lula from Wooly Dreams Design
Laurie or David Graham
Lula wrote:
>
> where would i find information
> > on how to paint needlepoint canvases? i really like some of the ones i
> > see in the shops but of course the ones i like are the most expensive ones
> > in the stores. i have approximately 15 plus years of stitching experience
> > and have done some small projects that i designed but have never painted
> > anything on a canvas. please help with names of books or any other
> > recommendations you may have. thanks a bunch. happy stitching.
> >
> > cathie
> > keyma...@aol.com
>
> Cathie--
>
> There really isn't much to find in books about painting needlepoint
> canvases because it's really quite simple if you are planning to paint
> on a small scale.
>
> Happy Stitching---Lula from Wooly Dreams Design
Could someone answer this question for me? Why are needlepoint canvases
painted? It's an evenweave mesh/fabric, right? Why don't designers publish
charts like for x-stitch? Wouldn't it be easier for the designer? Then
they would only have to paint one canvas to get the chart... Is it just
convention, or is there another reason? I've seen some np designs published
as charts, but only very, very few painted fabrics for x-stitch (and these
were marketed as "easy" x-stitch.) Just wondering...
Laurie
Lula
Laurie or David Graham wrote:
> Could someone answer this question for me? Why are needlepoint canvases
> painted? It's an evenweave mesh/fabric, right? Why don't designers publish
> charts like for x-stitch? Wouldn't it be easier for the designer? Then
> they would only have to paint one canvas to get the chart... Is it just
> convention, or is there another reason? I've seen some np designs published
> as charts, but only very, very few painted fabrics for x-stitch (and these
> were marketed as "easy" x-stitch.) Just wondering...
>
> Laurie
Hi Laurie--
That's a good question I never thought about---and since I paint and
design needlepoint canvases for a living---I'm glad there is a market
for this needlework art form!
Painted needlepoint is easier to stitch for most people and doesn't
require the use of charts. A well painted needlepoint canvas is usually
stitch painted and allows the stitcher to follow the design easily.
This is probably the #1 reason hand painted needlepoint is popular.
Speaking for myself--I'm fortunate to have many "fans" who like my
designs and buy entire series of what I paint--I myself buy other
needlepoint designers work because this is a unique needle art form and
it is an original painting one is buying.
This is another major reason for buying painted needlepoint--it's
originality of design and painting.
Painted needlepoint has a huge selection of designs and variations of
designs possible through custom order.
You can get more specific types of subject matter from painted
needlepoint than buying mass produced charts.
Needlepoint designers/painters can produce specific designs requested
where a charting is impossible for specific requests.
Many of us will change colors, canvas mesh and sizes and do other custom
requests for customers.
Some printed canvas kits come with charts to help the stitcher along.
Printed needlepoint canvas designs don't always register on the
intersections of the canvas meshes---the canvas may have an even count
but when it's unrolled to print--the canvas is not a smooth piece of
fabric that lays straight and all lined up but often crooked.This makes
it hard to print straight on the mesh without a lot of hand maneuvering.
That's why painted canvas is usually more exacting.
Basically, painted needlepoint is just another form of needlework and
has its own followers--- like folks who love cross stitch charts or
those that like counted needlepoint and so on---isn't it wonderful we
all love to stitch?
Lee Thompson-Herbert
In article <3238E3...@earthlink.net>,
Lula <wooly...@earthlink.net> wrote:
[...[
>
>Buy some good acrylic paints--better quality paints have more pigment
>and covers the canvas better---you'll have to mix your paints to the
>proper consistency that suits your painting style--liquid enough to
>cover smoothly but not clog the needlepoint canvas holes.
>Since you'll be painting for yourself at this time--it doesn't matter if
>your coverage isn't perfectly smooth or even.
A word on "good" acrylic paints. Don't buy Liquitex. To quote
another artist friend, "Eeew, the pastels of the acrylic world."
Liquitex is better than what you can find at a craft shop, but for
the price, they're bad. Try Golden, Grumbacher, or Cryla instead.
Golden and Grumbacher are about the same price (or a little cheaper
than) Liquitex. Cryla is a little more expensive, but it's very
thick and velvety, so it'll go a long ways. Liquitex comes in a
larger number of premixed colors, which always tempts people to buy
a whole lot of them (I know I did, years ago). Don't waste your money
on bad paints! The tiny bit extra spent upfront may save you money in
the long run.
Be aware that artists' acrylic paints contain slightly more solvent
than craft paints do. I've found that some brands have more of an
ammonia smell than others. Even though you're using water-based
paints, make sure that you work in an area with good ventilation.
>Get some good quality synthetic brushes--the type of brush you buy will
>depend on your painting style--I use a round watercolor type brush and I
>only use one size for all my painting---other people use different sizes
>and types for painting fine lines, etc.
If you like round brushes, you can also try the chinese bamboo brushes.
The bristles range from fairly stiff to very soft. As long as you wash
the paint off with soap and water before it dries, it won't ruin the
brushes. Keep your brushes wet in a jar of water while you're working.
For covering large areas, I find that the fan-shaped blending brushes
work nicely.
>Test all your acrylics before using---remember you have to block the
>needlepoint after you stitch--paint a square of canvas, let dry and run
>water over it.
Make sure the acrylics are completely dry before you try and work
with the canvas. Most artists' acrylics take a couple days for the
polymer to finish curing.
--
Lee M.Thompson-Herbert KD6WUR l...@crl.com
Member, Knights of Xenu (1995). Chaos Monger and Jill of All Trades.
"There are some people who will argue whether the flames are blue
or green, when the real question is that their arse is on fire."
Dreamwords
>
>Start small and see how you like it. Good luck and have fun with the
>painting and stitching up your new designs.
>
>Happy Stitching---Lula from Wooly Dreams Design
>
>
Thank you, Lula, for helping us out!
Lori - in sunny Florida, USA
Stacey Jonasen
Laurie Graham wrote:
<Snip>
> painted? It's an evenweave mesh/fabric, right? Why don't designers publish
> charts like for x-stitch? Wouldn't it be easier for the designer? Then
> they would only have to paint one canvas to get the chart... Is it just
> convention, or is there another reason? I've seen some np designs published
> as charts, but only very, very few painted fabrics for x-stitch (and these
> were marketed as "easy" x-stitch.) Just wondering...
>
> Laurie
The painted canvas designs are not charted so that the stitcher can "fill in"
the canvas with the stitch types that she/he feels would best suit the
design. X-stitch charts assume that you are doing one stitch type.
Needlepoint painted canvases need not be stitched with the "traditional" tent
or basketweave stitches. These are the right slanting stitches (i.e., half
a cross stitch) that a lot of people think represent the entire scope of
needlepoint. Actually, there are hundreds of different stitches that vary in
the number of canvas threads they cover. These stitches can be used to
provide texture to the design.
Good painted canvases, like good paintings, aren't flat; they have a lot of
color gradation/shading. Many people match fiber colors to those on the
canvas. When using several strands of a fiber like floss, it's possible to
reproduce the shading effects by substituting gradually darker shades of
fiber. It's much easier to match the shading when it's painted on the
canvas.
This is not to say that charted designs aren't popular (I am quite fond of
Jean Hilton's) or that painted canvases aren't stitched with tent stitches
rather often.