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.

New Quilling Technique Tutorial - Realistic 3D Pine Leaves

 Last year I posted some tutorials and quillings tagged under  Christmas quilling and though I did a tutorial on 3d pine cones I did not post a tutorial on the leaves as I did not really like the way they turned out. But this year I have figured out a better way that makes them look more real especially if you use thicker paper. I have used 80 gsm as that is what is available to me.

METHOD

Make a long stem as in  my tutorial here. You can insert a thin gauge wire if you want your pine leaves to be flexible. Stiffen it by coating with glue and let it dry well.

Take a few 3mm strips and fold them like a fan as shown above. The length will represent the length of the leaflet, so make sure you fold all to the same size.

Tear the fan so you have a V shape for each leaf and then cut length wise about 2mm short of the end. Shape the edges so they are pointed like pine leaves. Shape it like the real leaf for a more realistic look.

Now insert your quilling tool in the middle of the uncut edge and curl the strip around the edge as shown above. this helps the fringe to spread out. In this method, you are basically making a fringed flower using the 3mm breadth of the strip.

While it is still on the quilling tool, wrap a 3mm brown or green strip as shown above. Make sure you only wrap it round twice and it is not too thick. Use thin paper of about 70 to 80 gsm.  Then  fold the fringe to one side and curl it as shown above. Just scoring on the inside with your nail should do the trick.

Make a lot of these as you are going to use between 4 to 5 for each ring of leaves.

Now take each leaf segment and glue it onto the stem so it has the leaves spreading right around as shown in the pic above. Make sure you glue at the same place like you glue petals.

The pic above gives you an idea of how you should glue it. Use about 4 or 5 leaf bundles depending on the density of the leaves required.

Now continue in the same fashion, gluing the leaf bundles around the stem at close intervals. Make sure the consecutive rows  of leaves are glued between the previous row's leaves as you do with multilayer petals. Look at the above pic for guidance. When you reach the length you require, flatten the stem and glue two leaf bundles to complete the tips of the leaves.

If you require the leaves to branch make sure you construct the branched shape with the stems before you glue in the leaves.

Above is a sample of the finished pine branch.
 I look forward to reading your comments as always. Good luck!!

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 Flower Frame - Tree Nymph Butterfly Among Butterfly Flowers

I wanted to try my hand at using shaped pegs for petals so I decided to do this frame for which I have used  one shaped  peg for the lip petal. The rest of the petals are basic tear shaped with spiral centers. The flower is shaped like a butterfly and the stamens are curved above the flower.

here's a closed look:

For the stamens, I have cut a 3mm strip in 4,  lengthwise.

Shaping The Petal
I used 3, 3mm strips of dark and light purples to make the pegs. When rolling I ensured that it was not too tight so that it is easier to shape. First I rolled the coil between thumb and forefinger as detailed in my tutorial on shaping pegs and made a convex shape which I shaped  to a tear drop by pinching on end; It's much easier to shape the peg, after pushing the peg out to a convex .

Once I had the petal shape, I pushed the coils near the pinched end up to convex it while pushing the coils at the rounded end down. (See pics)

lip petal

For the leaves, I made curved, moulded leaves using marquee shapes. You can see the shadow of the curve in the close up below.

The fruit is made by making cup shaped pegs which I have detailed in an earlier tutorial. For more rounded cups, thinner strips should be used.


For the butterfly, I have stuck to basic shapes and the body stripes are created by adhering  strips of the relevant colors.

I have made a curved cone for the stomach and have glues the butterfly so the wings are at about 30 degrees to the horizontal  and not flat on the surface. The butterfly is elevated above the level of the flowers.

The whole arrangement is created by gluing the different elements  at multiple levels in order to get a 3D  effect.

 I generally dislike the side view pics as I dislike the tapering appearance created by this perspective. Hence I do not post this view to show  how the flowers are laid out.

I would love to have your feedback.  I have been remiss in visiting your  blogs  to admire your work  as I have very limited  time on the net at present, but will drop by your blogs as soon as I get a chance. Till then Happy Quilling to you all.

New Quilling Technique Tutorial - Folded Strip Leaves 2 & 3

This quilling tutorial covers 3 types of leaves using the same method. If you look carefully one leaf has the loops glued to the sides, while the other has the loops glued to the mid vein. The appearance of the leaf is very different though the same method is used. No special tools are required.

Check out my other folded strip tutorials here , here and here.

Broad Leaf Long Grass

Take an A4 size 3mm strip and fold it as shown below so that it tapers like grass , more on one end and less on the other.

Now glue another strip to the long side as shown in the pic below.

Then apply glue to the top of each loop as shown in the pic.

Now glue the strip and allow to dry till the strip does not come off when you pull. Once adequately dry , pull the strip downwards very slightly so that the long longest loop curves a tad and the rest of the loops open out. Glue the strip to the rest of the leaf while holding this position.

Encircle the leaf a second time and this time extend the strip a tad beyond the longest loop to get a pointed tip like long grass  and you're done.

 

Strip Leaf

For this leaf, keep 2 strips together and pull them apart.

Adopt the same method as above but make sure you taper the leaf less and when curving the loops open, ensure you pull so that it is like a semi circle with the bottom straight as shown. In this case, the straight side will be the longest loop. when pulling keep it as straight as possible. Pinch the other end to straighten the bottom line which is the mid vein of the leaf. Here the loops are glued to  the side of the leaf.

If you want the leaf like the pic below where the loops are glued to the mid vein you should bow the longest  loop and straighten the loop side as shown below. Its only a matter of shaping the leaf and deciding which side you want to keep straight.

Now glue 2 halves to complete the leaf and you are done!!

I would love to have your feedback and comments once you try it out.

New Quilling Technique Tutorial - Folded Strip Leaves 1 of 3

This tutorial will be in 3 parts as I am hoping to cover several types of leaves using folded strips.

 

Bamboo Leaves & Long Grass

For bamboo leaves, take 2, A4 size 3mm strips of two shades of green and start folding as shown in the pic below. Make sure you start with the dark color and fold each  mountaim fold higher than the previous one at both the top and bottom ends. Make sure it tapers more at the top of the leaf and only slightly at the bottom.

 When you are reaching the end of the first strip insert the second strip as shown below and fold the longest mountain fold then taper it down to complete the leaf.

Once completed it should look like the pic below.

Now apply glue to the bottom mountain folds and glue another strip around the bottom of the leaf. At this point  you may create the stem by extending the strip beyond the bottom most fold the folding the strip back on itself and gluing it.

Now cut the mountain folds at the top o and straighten them so they do not bend and look like loops.

 

Now glue the strip up to the longest strip which would be half of the leaf. Then apply glue to a bit of the strip that extends beyond and then fold it on itself and paste it to create the tip of the leaf after which apply glue to the other side as shown below and glue around the rest of the leaf to complete it.

Once done your bamboo leaf should look like the one below.

For long grass use 2 strips of 22 or 24' and taper more by increasing the distance between mountain fold at the top. The bottom should taper slightly just to get a curve.

I usually fold the paper so that I can get thickness at the bottom of the leaf unlike in husking where the bottom pivots at one point.

I hope you found this tutorial useful. If you did, I would love to hear from you.

Quilled Flower Frame - A Bouquet of Roses

Its been ages since I quilled something as easy as a rose, so I thought I'd make a bunch  of 3d quilled roses and here it is .... a bouquet of blood red roses with one, white one, to break the monotony.

The paper was a bit smooth and slippery so I crumpled it for an antique look. The roses are on tubular stems and not on wire stems as I wanted it to be thick.

On hind sight, I think I should have gone for the darker green for the leaves, however, I have made  3d leaves and then stuck it to the stem. The leaves are slightly fringed and fan folded.

For the buds, I made a bell shape as in my tutorial in order to make it look like a bud instead of a cone.

I am looking forward to reading all your comments as always.

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 3D Flower Frame - Filigree Flowers on a Trellis

After a long break, quilled 3D flowers in a frame. I have been concentrating more on landscapes all this while, so I thought I'd make a quilled floral wall hanging with  moulded 3D filigree flowers.

 I have tried to achieve the lacey look like  I did for Christmas Poinsettias.  However this is more complicated as I have used petals that are quilled over a curved mould  without encircling it with a strip in order to achieve the lace like quality. The petals are made into curves shapes, just like in the bell  tutorial here.

 In this close up, you can see the petals are curved as they are made on a curved surface. I have used  slightly cupped pegs for the centers.

For this frame too, I have made the plant with stem, stalks and leaves and then mounted it on the backing as in the case of my Orange Blossoms and Sweet William frames. 

I generally mount the plant at different levels (heights ) to get a more intense 3D effect rather than only arrange the leaves and stems over or under the flowers. Though it is not so noticeable in this front perspective shot, if you observe the frame closely, you can see the shadow around some of the flowers and leaves because they are elevated.

I have already done a tutorial on affixing the flowers to their stems the easy way. I will do another tutorial on how to fix stems to the leaves as my next project, so keep tuned in to this blog.

As Manuela  ( manuk.ro)  says, the easiest way is to use a glue gun, and she does it oh!! so neatly, but people like me who fear hot glue guns can still use the good old PVA glue and glue them on quite firmly with the use of my tutorials if they wish.

As you can see, the leaves are made using 5 tear drops but I have used 2 different greens for effect.

Would love to have your feedback.

Quilled Flowers Nature Picture Art - Lilac & Butterflies

A quilled Flower Frame of Lilac and Butterflies inspired by the many quilled lilac  and vector pics I have seen. All the quilling I saw were of layered lilac flowers made from basic shapes, so I wanted to do it differently.

 Initially I thought of graphic quilling like the flowers in Blue Bird in a Bower, but it seemed  tedious  to do so many tiny flowers with strips, so I changed my mind and settled for using basic shapes. But, instead of making the flowers and layering, I glued the petals individually to form the bunch and I was amazed at the results. It looked layered!! Though this is the first time I have made flowers in 2d I am happy it looks like it has depth.


I have graphic quilled the leaves and have used  dark and light strips to get the tonal effects.

The butterflies are quilled with a combination of crimped and regular strips.

Love to have your feedback on this one too.