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.

A Quilled Nature Scene Landscape Painting - Autumn Forest Waterfall

I love the colors of autumn. The hues of red and yellow are so vibrant and full of life. Autumn to me is the very lifeblood of the seasons. Winter somehow seems such a waste, sort of a season of waiting for a new beginning. A time to gather strength and rest before the whole cycle of life begins again. But autumn is when the flora goes out with a bang in all its glory and majesty!!

This quilled painting is in honor of my favorite season. 

I have used folding and beehive techniques in combination for this project.

I read somewhere that the grass in the foreground should be long and the farther grass short to show distance , so that is what I have done. I have added a dark shade to give depth to the foreground grass.

As for the water, I have added green and brown to make it dark and give it a hint of reflection to the left. The waterfall has more white and I did not use beehive for the froth as the shape does not blend well with the waves. So I used strips to create the contours.

I have used beehive quilling for almost all of the background work. And this time I have got 2 layers for the trees.The shading comes through better as I have used darker color for the first layer of trees.

I have been using textured board for my backing paper but this time I thought I'd try may hand at creating the sky myself. I didn't want to quill the clouds, like in Flowing  River,  as I wanted the viewer to focus on the scene . So I have used oil crayons and colored the sky.

I looked up a video on YouTube and then drew the sky. Since Oil pastels smudge, the layering of the sky had to be done in the proper order and I don't have a clue about painting. So as always, I did a bit of research and analysis!! ( Old habits die hard I guess!!) I am glad it went well with the whole scene.

Initially I thought of using an orange sky but then thought blue  would bring out the quilling better, so that is the color I used and  I am glad I did.

Some of my other scenes are
Palm Beach
Cherry Blossoms
Flower Fields
Forest Walk
Flowing River
Tree and Water
Waterfall 
Sunset & Silhouette
and One Tree Hill

As always I'd love for you to take time to comment. Don't think you are too new to quilling or to young to comment. We are always learning and are rookies at something which in time we master. All comment are appreciated.

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

Graphic Quilled Picture Frame - Sunflower and Swallowtail Butterfly

I have been meaning to blog this graphic quilled picture of a butterfly among sunflowers for a long while but never got down to it till today.

As you can see I have graphic quilled the flowers while the butterfly is made with basic shapes. The leaves are made with fan folded strips. The flower centers are fringed flowers.
 I have used similar techniques for
Bird in a Bower
Tinkerbell
Bambi
Thumper, to name just a few of my graphic quilling projects.

The design was inspired by a free pic available on the net, which I decided to quill. I think  this type of quilling is good for cards too, and would be different from the quilled card that everyone makes.

I would love to have your thoughts on this project.

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 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.

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.

Valentines Day Quilling - Valentine Moon Gazers

Valentines Day is upon us and I thought I'd chip in with this quilled landscape of kids gazing at the moon.
I have combined beehive quilling and silhouette paper cut for this quilled picture.

Somehow I find it more satisfying to relate kids to love as it brings out the innocence of true love in this materialistic world. I am sort of a spiritual dreamer and love everything that is pure and innocent. I had previously done a couple of Valentines day quilling with Kiddy Valentine and Butterfly Heart.

I have done this piece in 3 dimension as it has got depth through layering.

As you can see the background is quilled using beehive technique with color blending. And the grass is done using graphic quilling,  my style, as in the cases of Thumper and Bamby.  

Hope you like this one. I'd love to hear from you all.

Quilled Picture Papercut Silhouette - Reindeer in the Snow

I have combined paper cutting and quilling for this quilled picture, Reindeer in the Snow, for which I have used only beehive quilling as a background. Usually, the paper cut is mounted on a paper backing but I wanted to make it a bit different, so whats better than using beehive quilling to depict a snowy backdrop?

For tips on beehive quilling check out my tutorial, which is for those who already know the basic beehive technique.

This one was very simple, I got a couple of silhouettes of reindeer and Photoshopped the design and then cut it out with a craft knife. Then I covered the backing paper with beehive quilling. I have used two variations of the beehive. The border is made of the variation I introduced in filigree flower .  The beehive variation is given in the Filigree Poinsettia Tutorial.

The snow backdrop for the center is the usual beehive quilling pasted closely, taking care not to allow it to unwind too much. When glued close it looks really good and can be used for background filling.

Enjoy and be motivated.

Christmas Quilling- Quilled Stained Glass Window

Now for a change!! A quilled picture of the Nativity of Christ. A quilled mosaic stained glass window design using only beehive quilling, quilled like a mat.

If you hold it up, the light comes through just like a stained glass window; the reason for using beehive. Looks rather holy ( Just couldn't resist that pun!!).

Well it took me a lot of time to get the beehive quilling stuck one to the other!! Not an easy task at all!! Mother Mary's face had to be redone twice. Would have been much easier to glue it to the backing, but I wanted to try and use clear plastic for the final mounting so the light can come through.

I am happy with the results as it is something unique!! Probably the first time a mosaic design has been quilled!!

Hope you like it too. Should look great on a card too.

Sorry I forgot my how to!!

The steps involved are fairly simple but the task is laborious for someone like me who does not have too much patients!! I basically overlaid a printout with a plastic sheet and shaped the black outline with around 4 strips stuck together for a thick, visible outline and then filled it with beehive quilling ensuring that each sub-coil had glue on the sides. To do this, I basically filled the shape with beehive and then took a tad of glue on a toothpick and poked it between adjacent sub-coils to stick them together. Got them stuck to my fingers many a time, threw out a few in a temper and then managed to complete it somehow. It did get easier with practice though. Just made sure the proportions of the hands were as per the drawing.

I used a towel to hold the beehive coils down till dry after I had that "eureka" moment. Avoid getting the glue on top,but if you do, do not panic. Just wipe it off with a damp napkin before it dries. Keep your fingers clean at all times so keep a damp cloth handy.

For my beehive quilling tips follow this link.

Graphic- Quilling Quilled-Landscape Quilled-Seaside Quilled-Scenery - Palm Beach

I thought I'd post this quilled seaside landscape picture, for which I used graphic quilling technique and which I did a long while back, today.

The last week has been so dismal, with storms, hurricanes and floods and so many people have lost so much. During such times, one tends to forget the wonders and beauty of nature which acts like balm to the troubled soul.

This piece is dedicated to all those who lost so much, and I hope the tranquil scene will help you remember that  your troubles will pass away and all will be  serene , calm and well once again just like the sea  which can be so destructive one moment, and so tranquil the next. Just keep positive and believe that all will be well.

I have used strips torn to different lengths, and the method used is similar to the tree trunk tutorial. As I keep repeating , use dark and light shades to create depth.

For the cresting waves, I have used beehive technique which is a great favorite of mine. Even though I love this technique, I only use it where I think it is relevant and represents the element I am trying to depict. I generally use it where fluffy or rounded elements look good.

For the palm  leaves, I have used all shades of green and have folded the strip in V shapes and glued it trying to imitate the natural flow of the leaves. Remember gravity will pull the leaves down.

It looks like this when laid flat on the table. I love the way it looks when laid flat as the spaces are not so visible.

Tips for graphic quilling is available here.

Lanscape Quilling Graphic Quilled - Tree & Water

Quilling Landscapes and graphic quilling nature scenes have become a great favorite with me, since it gives me leeway to try out new techniques in order to create a painting like scene. I cannot paint and have never tried painting so this gives me a chance to practice my artistic skills.I usually quill flowers to break the monotony as I tend to get bored rather quickly!!

I have used beehive or what I call honeycomb quilling for the tree top whilst the branches and trunk are graphic quilled. I created two layers in parts of the canopy to get a 3d effect and the top layer is the lightest shade of green. There are three shades of green used in this whole piece.

This is a horizontal view of it

 I have used the grass I used in my previous quilled landscape, quilled tree , around the tree (dark green) and for the horizon trees, I used the foliage used in my waterfall landscape  and Lion share of love quilled cartoon.

The embankment grass is just like what I did in Bambi which is just folded paper pasted to depict grass.

Short blue and white strips  curled like waves went to create the water. You will be able to see it clearly if you click on the image as I have put a rather large image.

Tutorial for Graphic quilling is available here.

I enjoyed quilling this one and am happy with the way it turned out. Hope you like it too.