Afraid so! I don’t seem to be able to keep away from them. One thing that both intrigues and frustrates me about drawing crows is that their feathers are wonderfully complex, but because they’re all black you can’t really see them clearly. But the other day I saw some beautiful drawings of crows, and I thought that if you could draw crows in pen and ink, you should be able to do them in thread.
So here’s a trial. It’s technically complicated – the crow is done with two colours of applique, dark black for the head and breast, and a streaky grey for the wings and tail. And the fabric is just left raw around the edges – there’s nothing that binds off the edges. Instead, there’s a lot of complicated overstitching of various kinds to suggest the texture of the feathers
The latest crow
Well, for a first attempt of a very demanding design, it’s not bad. Next time I think I’d use a lighter grey for the wings and tail so you could see the detailing more clearly. But the raw edges of the unbound fabric work very well, and help suggest the roughness of the feathers, and the effect is a lot more realistic than if the edges were bound in the usual satin stitching
I so understand your fascination with crows. There is no color to distract from the living textures of multiple feather lengths–true complexity. In the wild they are bold, often raucous, and do what they choose. Crows feel equally comfortable by themselves or in a large group. The mysterious, magical, living metaphor for women of a certain age…
It looks just perfect to me! Fascinating details …
Again, the details and color blending are amazing!!!
I love this one. Very nice stitches, they make it look wonderful. The stitches on the head are especially nice.
Thanks for sharing.
Wow!! Love the way you problem solve and your persistence. The image paired with the explanation of how you accomplished your vision ….superb.
I think you have done a great job. I love the wing and tail feathers and the small feathers at the top of the feet. Those really bring him to life.
In general, I do not like the Crow Bird, but yours is beautiful, it looks so real, it’s a great success
Love your crow. The feather detailing is incredible. Our mamma crows pull all the down feathers from their tummy and legs to line their nests with. They look so funny with bare legs. Thanks again.
VERY NICE! You are right — the complexity is so hard to show with an all-black subject.
love him. So complex!