Sunset & Silhouette - Quilled Landscape Picture Art

I was always fascinated by silhouette photography so I thought I'd try to do it justice by quilling one just to see how it turned out.  I love the way it did . I have quilled the sunset on water scene only slightly below the black . I have used pegs under the black silhouette foreground. The method is the same as in my landscape tutorial. I have squashed the coils that are used for the background to make them less elastic and more malleable. The black foreground and bamboo silhouette coils are not squashed. You can see the difference from the shape.

You should note however, that you will have to use many more coils if you squash and use. So if you are lazy like me, don't squash unless you need to emphasize the flow or need more control over the quills.

Squashing the coils make it flatter and more malleable for shaping.

Crimping without a Crimper - Mini Tutorial

Simply thread a strip over and under the teeth. Make sure you  pull it vertically up when you are threading under and vertically down when you are threading over so that it is tight. Leave for a while (20 counts) to allow the strip to take shape or set and then gently with push it out of the comb with forceps. Do not pull it out too much when your using the crimped strip.
A metal comb will do it much better I think. Combs with smaller teeth ( small combs) can be used to make finer crimped strips.

Twin Concentric Petal - New Quilling Technique Tutorial

This is a slight variation of the Twigs & flowers tutorial.

Step 1

Paste 5 or 6, 3mm strips together as shown.

 Step 2

Score  the strips with your fingernails to get a nice curve.

Step 3

First hold all the strips together about 1 1/2 inches away from the pasted end and then pull each strip starting from the shortest to form the  arch shown below and then gum the strips together in one spot. Make sure the gum is minimal and all strips are stuck in the same spot.

 Step 4

  Now stick both ends together to form a circle ( see below) and cut off the excess strips. Gum them together where you have pasted the strips previously.

Step 5

 Now push the centre to the bottom as shown below and paste another strip to the bottom and encircle the two concentric petals to form a single double concentric petal.

Use the petal to make whatever flower or leaf you want.

Flowers & Twigs - New Quilling Technique Tutorial

How to Make The Petal -New Techniques

Step 1

Take 2 strips of different colors (paste one end together) or a single strip and paste it round your quilling needle handle to form a ring.

Step 2

Wrap the rest of the strip round the first circle  to make the usual coil, allow to unwind and gum it. once completed it will look like the above.

Step 3

Take the coil  and hold it between your thumb and forefinger on either side and push  the top towards  the bottom right in the middle with a sharp object  or your quilling needle, while pushing the two sides together.

Step 4

While still pressing the sides together, take a new strip and encircle it around the petal as shown above, and gum it and viola !! you got your petal.

Step 5

Now for the centre, make a fringed flower by using a 3mm un-fringed strip for the centre and 5mm fringed strip and for the outer black petals, use 7mm , but fringe it wide and have only around 8 to 10 cuts. Use your own color combination.

Step 6

Stick the petals to the fringed flower slightly angled up. The easiest way is to allow the glue to dry a bit and get sticky before you paste it.

Twigs & Flowers - Quilled 3d Flower Design

I have used a new technique these quilled 3d flowers and the leaves. I like the way the flowers turned out. The colors used are red, brown and yellow. The background is brown though it looks orangy. The twigs were made from brown strips.
I thought of using twisted strips for the twigs but settled for making them look more real. I think it goes well with the whole design.

Look out for tutorials on the flowers and the leaves in future posts.

New Quilling Technique Tutorial - Yellow Floral Spray

This Tutorial is on how to make the yellow flower spray.

Step 1

 

 Take a 3mm strip and a comb and and thread the strip over a tooth and under the other till you reach the required length.

Step 2

 

Fold the same strip or take another strip and paste it on one side and let it dry. 

Step 3

 

Remove the strip off the comb 

Step  4

Thread another strip to the same length, then thread an extra tooth, fold it over and paste over to form a loop.

 Step 5

Now paste the threaded strip you made on top of the second strip so that the loops match

as shown below.

 Step 5

 Your done! The completed floral spray will look like the above and you can use it for any design you want. Good Luck!!

How to make "MULTI STRIPS SCROLL - Quilling Tutorial

Please paste the following into you browser address bar         http://susanquilling.blogspot.com

Vortex Butterfly - Quilling Tutorial

Visit      http://www.quilledcreations.com/quillingblog/?p=431

Detailed Quilling Instructions

Visit        http://www.myquilling.com/detailed-quilling-instructions

Quilled Monogram Letter - Tutorial

Visit   http://www.craftastical.com/2010/05/tutorial-quilled-monogram-letter.html

Good Quilling Tips

Good Quilling Tips

Paper

• Identify the correct side of the quilling strip - the side will be smooth at the edges when you feel it with your thumb or forefinger. The wrong side will have edges curling down ever so slightly. The coil behaves better if the wrong side is coiled in.
• Run your nail lightly along the length of the strip to get it to curl and quill along the natural curl.
• To get uniform size , use a quilling board or a drawn guide placed under a transparent sheet.
• Each batch of paper may differ so experiment with rolling to assess size before you start an important project.
• Roll all the coils required for a project at one go to get even tension.
• For loose coils do not pull on the strip while rolling just use your fingers to guide the strip and keep it even.

Glue & Pasting

• Control your glue. The slightest bit is enough to seal a scroll.
• Use a  toothpick or a thin brush to apply a very slight dot of glue to the scroll and lightly hold your finger over the spot to a count of three to let it dry.
• Before sealing the edge  scratch it with your nail slightly so the it flattens out. This way you will not see the pasted edge. Tear rather than cut the edge.
• Dilute the glue with water if too thick. ( Make sure its water soluble)
• I have found that, attaching a slightly wet, pencil-tip shaped sponge  to a toothpick, to remove excess glue from the surface is very useful when doing strip work.
• If using a glue bottle make a hole in a sponge to hold the glue bottle tip (placed upside down) and stand it on the damp sponge when working. This prevents the glue bottle tip from drying up.
• When applying glue with toothpick just pick up a bit on the tip and roll the toothpick over the quilling to apply.
• Its a good idea to apply glue to the tight rolls and the centres of quills instead of dabbing glue all over your quills.
• Stick the quills to each other and once the piece is complete stick to onto the backing.
• If you want it to look better use the relevant color as backing. For example, if you bird has green feathers,  use green backing paper for that area and create a mosaic design before you paste your quills. (I created a  mosaic for both Jesus carrying the Cross and feathery discussion.)
•  

Work board & Design Guide

• If you do not have a work board make one. I use a piece of box board pinned on top of a cushion sponge. You can even use a piece of Styrofoam so that you can pin your design.
• When quilling landscape or art use a polythene on any non stick see-through paper so that you can keep the design underneath and create your quilled mat. 
• When quilling designs where the size of the quill matters, use a design guide. You can make your own by cutting the sizes required on a  a thick paper or board or by placing a paper with a drawing of the relevant size circle required, on your work board and placing each coil on it before gluing.
• Use grids for symmetric designs. Place the grid under the polythene and work on the polythene.

Shaping Quills

• Roll the strip of paper leaving a small straight piece at the end.Apply glue with a toothpick and attach the end of the coils leaving a loop. The larger the loop the larger the coil. Allow to unroll after glue dries.
• To get off-centre coils, hold the centre with the fingers and with the other hand hold the sides. Press the centre towards the side while you pull the coil up to form a tear drop.

Quick Tip 4

Quick Tip 4

If you want the end slightly flare cut a 1/3 circular strip and attach to the end of the peg after you have pushed out the bell. Straighten the strip like you quill a spiral rose. ( the concept is the same). The more circular the strip is the more the flare will be. Do not used a whole circle like in the case of the spiral rose. A slight curve is enough to create a balanced flare.

Quilling Quick Tip 3

Quick Tip 3

If you want to shape a bell  don't quill the peg too tight. Roll it between the fingers to loosen the coils slightly and then gum it. When pushing out push it inwards rather than out and make alternate clockwise and anti clockwise movements when pushing out. You will find that the cone is more rounded when you make the twisting push motion.

Quilling Quick Tip 2

Quick Tip 2

In order  to get the scroll off the tool, make a quarter turn in the direction opposite to what you quilled, then let the scroll unwind on the tool and then paste, or remove the scroll from the tool and then allow it to unwind between your fingers. this prevents the outer rings from unwinding too much.

Quilling Quick Tip 1

Quick Tip 1

  When making shapes do not shape all the circles within your coil, hold the centre most with one hand and pull towards the end or to a side and with the other hand shape the outer layers.

In order to get designs as shown twist the outer layers after shaping and arrange with a pin, then gum ever so lightly.

Tutorials- Basic Shapes Used for Quilled Waterfall Landscape

How to Make Basic Shapes  Used for Quilled Waterfall Landscape

 Zig Zag Circle

 Lets call it that. Just fold the strip like a fan, breadth wise, then  encircle and paste.This is used for the waterfall . I have used double strips and made some mixed with light and dark blue. The options are endless when mixed with colors.


Flattened Coil

 Just make a coil with a large hole and flatten it. You can use this for hair, long grass, leaves ect. Just remember that when youn paste one to another it will leave space in the middle. I personally prefer the zig-zag circle.

Leafy Grass

 It is the same as husking just hold it in your hand and do it. No pins required. Curve the tip of the strip down and paste with a dash of glue (this forms the center  petal or blade). Take the strip around the bottom to one side of the fist petal and curve it down and paste. Take it around the bottom to the other side, then curve it and paste to form the third petal and so on till the strip is over.

Floral Lotus Abstract - Quilled 3d Flower Frame

These quilled flowers are made from a combination of multi strip quilling, beehive quilling, fringed flower technique and quilled basic shapes. This design, which uses  3d quilled flowers, incorporates flowers within a flower.
The yellow spray is made from a technique I invented  using a comb. The tutorial is here. It is different from the rice swirl which I used for petals and swirls, but both were made using the comb.

Tinkerbell - Graphic Quilling Landscape Picture Art

So here is my favorite fairy which I have graphically quilled.. I have tried to get the hair and dress with strips just as in graphic quilling. For the wings, I have used beehive technique and for the pom-poms on the shoes I made two fringed flowers.  I think she turned out quite nice. I tried to quill the eyes with pegs but settled for strips.

My graphic quilling  tips can be found here.

How To Blend Quills - Quilling Tutorial

How to Blend Quills for Landscapes Tutorial

Quilled art can be created as pictures or landscapes. Pictures are quilled using quills to create the design elements such as feathers in a bird, leaves on a tree ect. However in landscapes, quills are pasted close and are used more like brush strokes. Hence, blending becomes important in quilling landscapes in  order to achieve the painted effect.

I am new to quilling and am self  taught. In my landscapes I have used my own method of blending, and here is how.

In my Humming bird ( Fiuchsia Shower) I have used dark green and light green to achieve the shading of the bird’s head and wings. In the sunset landscape I have blended shades of red, orange and yellow. I have given details in one of my comments.

To blend,  I took two strips, one of each color and made a single coil and shaped it. This method will give you a blended quill of a lighter shade if blended with a light color and darker shade if blended with a dark color.  Note that I have blended black and white for some of the chest feathers in the humming bird.

In the pic below I have blended maroon /pink in a,  light & dark pinks in b and  pink & white in c.

Blending can be done similar to how you blend with pencil colors. Best method is to try out the blends and choose those which fit your landscape best.

D and e are created by encircling. I use these type of quills when I need to show direction or flow such as for clothing and fur. (check out a lion share of love) . You can also use darker shades to depict shadow and lighter shades for highlight. As long as you follow the shading and use the direction of the quills like paint brush strokes your landscape will turn out fine.

The pic shows all the above quills once pasted together.