Quilled Picture Landscape- Red Hooded Cranes By The River

Here is a quilled landscape picture of sand, water, stones, greenery and birds. Nature is my favorite topic for quilling and, combining diverse techniques to make something different from others, is something I have always striven towards.

I have used graphic quilling for the water and sand. The stones are made with 3d quilled shapes. The grass is hand husked and stands above the birds' feet and sand. The cranes' feathers are made to look realistic with shaped 3d quills.

The design is typically Chinese/Japanese. and the idea came to me from stencils.

Its been a long while... but I hope you find the time to visit my blog and tell me what you think.

Quilled Flower Frame - Daisies & Jezebel Butterfly

This quilled picture of a Jezebel butterfly alight  a daisy was made quite a while back when I was experimenting with quilling 3d flowers plants. I have not used coiling  technique to make the butterfly as I needed to interweave the yellow and red. I adopted my own folding technique here.

Here is a closer look.

I have made the fringed flowers and affixed stems which I made using the method given in my tutorials here. I have wrapped the leaves around the stems to get a realistic look. As you can see the leaves come out of the frame. I got the idea from my graphic quilled piece Sunflower and Swallowtail.

Those of you who like my butterflies can find heaps throughout my blog for which I have used numerous techniques. just type butterfly in the Search object  on the sidebar.

Remember making butterflies is pretty easy. Just use the method I have describe in my How to make a landscape - part 3 Section. Just use whatever basic shape is best suited for the wing sectors. Using an image will enable you to get better shaped wings and more accurate color sectors.

When deciding on the shape and method to use,  think ahead about how you are going to combine colors and get the patterns on the wings. My Tree nymph butterflies are good examples. Take a look at this tree nymph as opposed to this one. As you can see the technique chosen makes a big difference in the outcome.

Tell me what you think of this post.

Quilled Dimensional Nature Picture Frame - Chickadees on a Pine Branch

Well, I posted a tutorial on making pine branches in my last post and you may have been wondering how I came about making pine branches when I had not used it in any of my posts. Ta Daaa!!.... here it is!! I was so excited at the way they turned out I could not resist posting the tutorial ahead of the quilled frame.

 I saw some pictures of Chickadees and thought I must quill them. Since Christmas is almost upon us I decided to use pine leaves. Further I wanted to  give it dimension and this gave me the opportunity to go on a journey of creative discovery.

Here is a different perspective to show the dimensions in this frame.

I have used fiberglass cloth for the background and was forced to use the glue gun, much to my dismay as I could not get the PVC glue to adhere to the background.


In order to shape the pine branch and have it come out of the picture, I used very thin gauge wire for the skeleton of the branch.

As for the Chickadees, I have used black, white, grey and orange 3mm strips.The method is the same one I have been using  for quilling my birds for some time now and involves folding the strip to get the thread like effect. The finished product looks like embroidery with paper strips in place of thread. This method allows me to grade the colors when required.As you can see in the lower bird,  I have got a light orange shade at the breast between the white and the orange.

I have made the feet using quilled stems as in my tutorial here . Take a closer look.

All in all, I am thrilled at the results. I would be honored if you take time to comment  on my posts.

Quilled 3D Flower Frame - White Cherry Blossoms and Ceylonese Tree Nymph Butterfly

Well, I had a major issue with my Windows logon and have been shut out of the net for far too long. Had to restore my old version and lost all my software. I hate blogging from the android as typing with one finger is so uncomfortable.

Anyway thing are limping back to normal as all things eventually do.... So here I am back again with a post. Sorry I have not been visiting you guys!! I surely will, as soon as I get things back in order.

I have made the spray by combining the flower on stalks by imitating the inflorescence of the flowers and have used 1mm strips to make peg petals using the method I gave in my Butterfly Flower Frame.

 I have used wire stems and affixed it to the flower as in my tutorial here. The easiest easiest way to make the bunch is to look at the real thing and attach the flowers just like it using a 3mm strip to wind around the stems. Give a coating of glue to keep them firm. The wire gives you flexibility to arrange the flowers as you wish, later on.

I have cut the leaves out of paper and scored lines on it keeping it on a semi soft surface. I folded along the lines to make them stand out. Have a closer look :

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For the butterfly, I have combined quilled basic shapes and folded basic shapes.  The body of the butterfly is made with shaped pegs and the wings are spread at a 50 degree angle. I adopt various ingenious methods to keep the wings at an angle. Using the glue gun is one way. I have followed the vein segments as closely as possible to get an authentic look for the wings.

Come tell me what you think.

Quilled Doodle Wall Frame

Everyone's doodling so I practiced some of my graphic quilling skills and created this doodles canvas with my favorite medium, paper strips!! I used black card strips for the straight line geometric doodles.

 Well you can use quilled doodles on your cards too if you like and unlike flowers it is quick to make and looks modern. I have used 3mm strips and 4 colors, namely, maroon, orange, biscuit and black.

The shapes include basic shapes, multi strip shapes and beehive quilling which I always try to use wherever possible.

Well I hope you like this and are spurred to quill your own doodles!! Love to have your feedback.

Quilled Nature Landscape Painting - Flowing River

It has been a while since my last post, but here I am once again with a quilled riverside landscape. This time I have tried out chrismas trees .

For this project I have used several techniques and concentrated on getting the shapes to fit the element it represents. I think you need not stick to basic shapes but  hand make any shape that you think represents the item best.

The whole frame is 3mm thick  is 8x11 and I have not layered it to create dimension. I have used dark and light and size to create depth just like in a painting.

I have also tried quilling clouds for this one and have used grey, blue and white to give depth to the clouds.

For the water I have just used torn strips the same as  described in Tree & Water. The addition of white gives it a beautiful effect.

I am unable to give a step by step description on how it is done as I change my method and shapes from scene to scene and can't quite tell you what I did once it is done, but what I can tell you is that I have not quilled any basic shapes for this project except for the trees in the horizon for which I have used beehive quilling like I did for Flower Fields  and Quilled Tree. Most of the others are hand folded or rolled.

When an idea hits me I just draw the element like for example the tree canopy on a rough sheet and then take a few strips and follow my idea and see how it looks from a distance. If I do like it I will use that idea in the scene. Further, I would use different basic shapes for each tree so that the dissimilarity is clear.



Would love to know what you think as always as you are my inspiration.

Quilled Picture of Nature Landscape Scene - Bird Among the Bamboo

Its been a while since my last post !! I have been exploring Chinese and Japanese paintings and I came up with the idea of quilling some bamboo as it looks so elegant.  Then I thought I'd add a bird to break the monotony and ended up with this quilled nature scene.

The bamboo shoots are made by folding strips of many shades of green. I am quite delighted at the results as it looks quite similar to the actual shading of the bamboo.

The leaves too are made with folded strips which I have glued three dimensionally with some curving out of the background.This effect is more noticeable on the leaves on the right of the image as the idea struck me when I was doing that part of the quilled picture. Now that I am more experienced in quilling landscapes  I usually try and pay more attention to perspective to get a more natural look.

If you  take a look at my other quilled birds like my Swan Lake, Parrot , Bird in a Bower, Humming Bird and Robin, I have always used the background elements to create the 3d effect rather than curving the body of the bird.( maybe that's what I will try out next!!)

I previously quilled bamboo too for my piece called Sunset & Silhouette  but used basic tear shapes and was not too thrilled at the results, so here I folded the strips as I mentioned before and got much better results.

If you wish to create your own designs, my advise to you is, take a concept you like and come up with ideas of how best you can quill it!! Try to do something different from what everyone is doing. Then go ahead and do it. If it turns out bad, just tip it into the bin!! After all nothing creative is a waste of time, we all learn far more thru our mistakes.

Here is a closeup showing more details

Would love to have your comments as always

Quilled Nature Landscape Picture - A Walk Through The Forest

Its been a long while since I quilled  a nature landscape using only basic shapes, so I did this quilled picture of a pathway through the forest. It took me quite a while to make all those basic shapes and create this scene but in the end I liked the way it turned out.

Even though the photograph does not show it, the quilled picture gives a sense of depth and you get the feel you can look into the horizon when you stare into it.

I have used only color to create depth as the shapes are glued flat on the backing. I have used beehive quilled circles as I did in quilled tree landscape for the yellow tree in order to differentiate it.

My other,similar landscapes are Water Fall, Sunset & Silhouette, Tree & Water, Flower Fields, and Palm Beach . But I have used different quilling techniques for each one.

For those who are first time visitors , I have done several tutorials on quilling landscapes, some of which are listed below:-
How to Quill a Landscape
Some Basic Shapes Used for Landscapes
How to Blend Colors for Landscapes

I would love to have your feedback.

Quilled 3D Picture Frame- Swallowtail Butterfly Among Flowers

During my one and a quarter year journey through quilling , I have been quilling butterflies of all shapes, sizes and colors. This  Goliath swallowtail is one of my butterfly frames.  I have just done some grass and flowers  so the frame does not look bare.

The butterfly has been mounted at a higher elevation than the flowers, I have used basic shapes and have followed the vein layout of the butterfly wings as closely as possible on order to get it to look realistic but did not attempt the tiger stripes since I had not figured out how to get the black and white inside a single veined section at that time.

I have made 4 wings and then glued the lower part of the wings on top of the upper wings. Take a closer look

In order to get the body, I have quilled pegs and shaped them like a swallowtails, and then cut black and glued it on the body.

I have quilled butterflies quite successfully before with my butterfly tree  for which I quilled the monarch following the wing sections very closely as you can see in the close up.  For butterfly garden I quilled a stylized butterfly to fit the whimsical look of that frame with no reference to reality!! ... lets call it artistic license !!!

Then for Butterfly  Heart, I only used beehive quilling for the wings and finally for Lilac & Butterflies I graphic quilled the butterflies. So in my long journey with quilling butterflies I have tried all methods. But wait.... I have another method in store for a later post!!

Hope you like this one.

Quilled Picture - Leaves & Berries

Today, it's quilled berries with an emphasis on the quilled compound leaves, inspired by a pic I took some time back.

I have seen many beautiful leaves, but wanted to try out a compound leaf  with tiny leaflets. I had the option of using leaves like in my tutorial on compound leaf, or my tutorial on looped compound leaf  but I wanted the leaves to be solid for this one, as the emphasis would be on the leaves. So,  I have used beehive quilling to create these leaves.

I prefer to used outline leaves in floral frames for a delicate look or most of the time, for landscapes.

Here, the leaves are made very similar to the compound spiked flower for which I posted a tutorial in my last post. Take a closer look,

As you can see , the sub coils have been glued slanting and facing upwards and I have used a combination of greens and browns. I used beehive as it was much quicker than quilling individual leaves and then gluing them to create each leaf.

As you can see,  a simple variation of a method can give you a very different outcome and  open out so many options. I find the main thing about quilling different themes and designs is to be imaginative and innovative. Another trick is to keep a quilling eye open !! If I like something, I always look at it with the intention of quilling it without repeating the same old technique.

I have made the branches in 3d and mounted them on the backing.  I generally look at similar leaves and try to imitate nature so it looks more natural and real.

The berries are simple pegs with some glued on top of others.

I hope you like this frame as much as I enjoyed quilling it. And thank you all in advance for taking the time to comment. You are my inspiration.

Quilled Lanscape Picture Flower Frame - Behind The Picket Fence

Today's Landscape Picture is inspired by childhood memories . The picket fence always brings back joyous memories of my childhood home and all those wonderful flowers in full bloom which , beauty was enhanced by the white picket fence.

I have made this in 4 layers and the fence is the bottom most. I have used 3d cones. beehive quilling , quilled roses, fringed flowers and various types of leaves for this project.

The yellow flowers are the same grass flowers I used for Black maned Lion and Lilly White. I love the lacey look of it and they are quite easy to make.

The red flowers are the same as the white veronica  I used in Flower Shower. The white bell flowers are 3d cones and I have glued them directly onto the backing unlike all the other flowers where I made the plant and then glued it onto the backing.

The little pink roses are made from 3mm strips and look very dainty. I have used this extensively in my landscapes like Quilled Tree .

I hope to do a tutorial on the yellow flowers so those of you who have not done so already, click on Join to get Updates or  Get e mails. This blog is for You  to look and learn.

Quilled Nature Landscape Picture - Black Maned Lion of the Kalahari

Today's post is a quilled landscape picture of a Black Maned Lion, which though rare are found in the Kalahari Plains. I think he turned out rather handsome and I'm glad I have done justice to this beautiful beast who is a king among Kings.

Previously I had quilled a cartoon lion which I call A lion share of Love, but till now I have not dared to quill a lion, as  I wanted to do it justice when I really got down to it. However, I did quill a Tiger very early into my journey into quilling  which turned out pretty well considering the fact that I could hardly quill at that time and the basic shapes are all too loosely quilled in my opinion.

I have quilled him, my style which I think is quite unique so far, using various basic shapes that look like hair rather than coils.

Here is a closer look

Click to enlarge image

I used a picture of the lion to get the colors right and have combined colors to get a more natural look.

The grassy plain has been glued on top so that the lion looks like its standing behind at a distance and I have not put many leaves on the tree in order to get the viewer to focus on the lion rather than the background.

I would love to hear what you all think.

Quilled Nature Landscape Painting - Flower Fields

This time its a quilled painting of a nature landscape of a winding path through a field of flowers. You can see the distant trees and hills in the horizon.

Wowww, its 10 days since my last post!! I have had a long break from blogging by my standards!! Been really busy quilling though I have not blogged. This one too was done a long while back.

A picture that I had taken on one of my many tours caught my eye and I thought I would try quilling it. Well I was quite happy with how it turned out.

As you can see it is not layered. though I have used various techniques to depict the various elements.I have also used some metalic paper strips for the path and the far horizon. I have used crimped strips to give texture to the gray hills in the horizon.

It is not easy to explain what I have done, but the basis of this type of quilling is a combination of what I did in Cherry Blossoms and Quilled Tree.  The whole frame is glued directly to the backing like in graphic quilling.

The depth is achieved through the use of color tones and  each element or shape is used like a brush stroke to form the whole just as in a painting. The overall picture is seen when viewed from a few feet away just as in a painting. That is why I call it a quilled painting.

Looking forward to reading your comments.

Quilled Painting Picture Art - Cherry Blossoms

A quilled painting is what I call this quilled picture inspired by  the famous Chinese cherry blossom paintings. I  created the design while quilling. The depth is created by layering and color, which  I tried out for the first time in Tree & Water.

As you can see the flowers are just tiny circles which are sparsely coiled. Hence, though all the rolling took some time I really enjoyed quilling this frame and liked the dainty appearance of the cherry blossoms.

In this project I paid  attention to the directionality of light when using color so it would look more like a painting especially for the trunk. Tutorial here.


Come , tell me what you think.



PS: Those of you who are inspired by my work and are using my techniques or copying my work , please  give a link to my blog instead of making vague, generalized references to me.

Graphic Quilled Nature Landscape Picture - Swan Lake

Today's post is a graphic quilled, painting like, nature landscape picture of a lake with swans floating among the reeds.

I quilled this soon after I quilled my first graphic quilled nature scene , Tree & Water, but never got down to blogging it till now!!

I call it graphic quilling because I have used folded paper strips glued directly to the backing. When I create scenes with basic shapes I call it quilled landscapes.

The basic concept for my graphic art nature scenes are to use the 3mm strip to imitate the elements of nature. In gluing the elements I try to follow the contours of the object, just like pencil shading, so that the light and shadow created by the arrangement of the strips gives depth to the image.

I have seen many landscape quilled pictures where the basic shapes are glued to fill the shape like paintings without shading  or like the way cartoons are colored. Even though these look good,  I feel that a more realistic appearance can be achieved with the same effort, if the shapes are glued to follow the contours of the solid object being depicted. Those of you wishing to perfect the art should try out both methods to see for yourself.

If you notice, I have changed the direction of the feathers in various parts of the bird to try and get a feeling of depth. Even when using strips changing the direction or shaping the strip to portray the shape will make your project look better.

I have also tried using perspective ( shape change depending on eye level and distant objects appearing smaller) and  color (darker to represent depth) in this project.

I would love to know what you think.

Quilled Picture Landscape - Easter Chick Among the Roses

A quilled picture landscape of a newly hatched chick to depict Easter is my next offering. Easter is a time for renewal, forgiveness and new beginnings. Its spring too, the season of renewal. Nature's time for procreation.

As you can see, I'm more into quilled scenes than flowers. It somehow gives me more satisfaction and is more thrilling as it is more difficult to make. I  need challenges, so I try to do what seems difficult. I wanted the downy effect for this one so I did it differently.

I saw a vector image from which I got the idea.As you can see I have used a combination of techniques here. I have used a 3d curved cone for the beak. I was awful at 3d quilling but managed to figure out how to do it now. So I made a curved cone so that the chick looks3d.

For the roses too I did a little variation to make it look  a bit like those vintage roses. I don't like it when it looks like a symmetrical coil. So guess what I did??  I crushed the strip before quilling so that the wrinkle gives it a more natural look. Be careful though, as crushing means it won't unwind easily so you got to be able to shape it a bit and maybe you have to glue a bit hear and there. Here is a closer look.

The rose leaves are folded leaves with serrated edges. I fold the leaf in the center first. Then with the forceps I fold it like a fan . I use forceps so that I can fold it thin. After opening the leaves I curl them in the direction I want, curling them only at the center vein. I usually glue the leaves around the stem.

The blue flower is made using 3 punched flowers shaped to cup. If you keep the punched flower on a semi hard surface and apply pressure to the middle with a curved, blunt surface like the end of your quilling tool, it with curve up. Apply pressure in circular motion so it cups. You can control the depth of the cup by the amount of pressure you apply.

I have also scored a line in the center of each petal for an embossed line. Have a closer look.

The leaves are made using asymmetrical loops. If you can't figure it out, leave a request for a tutorial.

I have used 2 highlights to bring out the sparkle in the eye, and have used fringed strips for the chick.I have not made them into flowers but have just folded and glued them and then fluffed it out. I was too impatient to cut it narrower, though I think it will look better that way. Cutting the fringe manually  tried my patients to the very limit but I managed it since I cut little by little while creating the chick and that helped motivate me.

I look forward to your comments.

Quilled Picture Portrait Of Jesus Christ - Into Thy Hands.....

This quilled picture portrait of Jesus Christ on the cross reminds me of his last words. " into thy hands I commit my spirit". This complements and completes the series of  3 other  Christ's portraits I have done which relate to the passion .

Crown of Thorn
To Calvary
Father Forgive Them


I have used a combination of coils, zig-zag folded shapes (tutorial here) and graphic quilling for this project. I have outlined the portrait in white to achieve the effect of reflected light. I think it helps to enhance the image and bring it out of the white background.

I have tried to make the nose look a bit hooked by arranging the shapes appropriately.

All you wonderful people are so generous with your comments and it encourages me no end to try more difficult project. I would love to hear what you think of this one.

Quilled Picture Portrait of Jesus Christ - Father, Forgive Them

A quilled portrait of Jesus Christ On the cross, quilled landscape style with basic shapes in black & white is today's post. Easter has no meaning without Good Friday, so this is dedicated to all believers in Christ, in mercy and in forgiveness and redemption. The greatest gift is to be able to forgive those who hurt us.

I quilled this because it reminds me of the moment when Christ said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do".

I am glad that the beauty of the face has come out well. I have quilled it like a mat so that it can be glued onto any backing.

I have done a couple of portraits of Jesus Christ, both relating to Good Friday here and here. One was using basic shapes and the other using strips packed densely. I was determined to get the eyes and the expression just right, so I chose a design with the eyes opened to work on.

I'd love to hear your comments.

Quilled Picture Graphic Quilling- Blue Bird in A Bower

I quilled this scene or picture of a Bluebird sitting among plum blossoms as long  back as in Oct 2012, but did not get down to blogging it till today.This was my first attempt at quilling a bird using folded basic shapes that resembled feathers, unlike the parrot and humming bird which I quilled using loose coils.

 I have used a photograph of the sky as a background. The Bluebird is quilled with folded 3mm strips to match the feathers. I quilled  Little Robin Red Breast after practicing on this one which came out quite well for a first attempt. I have inserted a white strip to get the shine on the beak. My objective was to get it to look as lifelike as possible.

I have done the leaves slightly differently as I have crushed the strip to get a wrinkled effect. Here's a closer look at the elements.

Would love to know what you think.

Happy Valentine Quilling - Quilled Walt Disney Cartoon 101 Dalmations

Happy Valentines Day to all. To celebrate, a quilled picture from Walt Disney's cartoon, 101 Dalmation, quilled landscape style using basic shapes and graphic outline. I have used pink and blue for the collars instead of the red and blue as I wanted a red heart as the background.

I have quilled the eyes similar to what I did for "A Lion Share of Love", which is another adorable quilled cartoon.

The heart is created on photoshop as the cartoon will go into a box frame and I don't intend to put the heart. In my opinion, the heart backing is better for a card rather than a framed picture.

It took me 3 A4 sheets  and  a lot of quilling as I have used small basic shapes (3" lengths). However, these are getting much easier for me to quill once the basic shapes are done. I now make all the basic shapes varying the sizes slightly and then do the gluing. That way I find I can work much faster as I make the basic shapes while watching TV. So it is not as much a strain as it used to be.