Work In Progress - Dragon, Update One

My favorite wood handle
quilling tool and a few pieces
of the latest project.

I'm always in the middle of some relatively big quilling project.  It's usually something I'm creating for a gift, and so I want to do something really nice.  So I'll start the project, but will still quill other, smaller things when I need a change of pace, (or just a break from doing the same color over and over if filling in a large space.)

Pick a nice permission-free
book of designs.

At the moment, my 'big project' work in progress (WIP) is a dragon.  I've been wanting to quill a dragon for a long, long time, but didn't find any patterns.  I finally realized I was going to have to get clever, and find a drawing of a dragon both that I liked, and that could be expressed well with quilling.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, design and motif books are a great source of ideas.  I bought a motif book about dragons that was specifically permission-free, so I could do as I liked with the design and the finished product.  I spent a long while flipping through the book and trying to make a decision.  My friend likes designs with Asian elements, so I chose to narrow the search to Asian dragons.  And then I spotted a good one.  It was too small for what I wanted, but my copier cured that by expanding the image several hundred percent.

Dragon colored in with pencils.
Size of the dragon can be seen
using my grid, four
squares to the inch.

With my pattern in hand, the next issue was color.  I made several copies of my pattern, and then used my colored pencils to try different color schemes.  It didn't take me long to hit on one I really liked, with a neon/lime green for the body, yellow for the underbelly and face, and then a host of other colors like orange and blue for the spines, and purple for the claws.

I was pleased with the result, and figured that this had some great elements to express in quilling.  The only concern I had (and have) is the face.  Haven't gotten that far (yet).  Note that an arm and a leg are behind the main body, and that the tail is also flipped up to be up above part of the body and the lower part of the tail.  I wanted to quill this difference - make the dragon dimensional.  So I had to plan ahead which pieces needed to be quilled and then glued in what order.

Then came the fun part of just experimenting.  I didn't know what size paper I needed, so simply dug through the huge box of spare paper (that I'm sure every quiller has) found some stuff I had a lot of, and used that to figure out what size paper I was going to need to get a given size shape.  I figured the scales would be best expressed with teardrop shapes, and the underbelly, well, I just started following the lines.  As soon as I knew I had a good, repeatable size and form, I switched to the bright green (that I don't have a ton of) and the bright yellow, and started quilling away.  I immediately liked the effect, and was encouraged!  I'm always worried when I start a big project - will it "work" or just not look right.  I'm pretty sure the body of the dragon, at least is going to look just fine.

Image Credit:  My pix of my quilling, and a line art from the book Dragons - A Book of Designs, by Marty Noble.  Dragon line drawing is specifically free for use.  BUT my quilled version of the dragon is my own design, and I hold the copyright for that.

Ideas For Quilling - Celtic Designs and Knots

As I mentioned in my post "Ideas and Inspiration for New Quilling" one of my sources for new ideas are books with designs and motifs around a given theme.  I'm going to post about a few of them here on the blog.  Today's theme is "Celtic."

This celtic cat is a purrrfect design
for expression with quilling.

Celtic designs seem perfectly matched for quilling, since they so often include spirals, knots, and other flowing forms.  I have picked up a selection of books over the years, and whenever I need some inspiration on this theme, I flip through them.

Design books might include CDs with images you can load right up on your computer for manipulation.  And the best part is that many of these sorts of resources are specifically created to be copyright-free.  (Always be sure to check the copyright - even Creative Commons licenses are usually not for commercial purposes.  But quilling them for your own personal use is often allowed.)

A piece I've copied and started
coloring in.  Making multiple
copies allows you to experiment
with colors without damaging
your book.

The designs will range from simple motifs, to stand-alone drawings, to complicated scenes.  Many of my Celtic motif books have smaller designs that seem ready to go for quilling, such as animals.  I've been known to take a nice line drawing, blow it up to the size I need using a copy machine, and then color it in with my colored pencils.  It's then easy to use as a pattern for quilling.

Instructions for how to
draw your own knots.

Some books will specifically have instructions for you to make designs yourself.  My book of Celtic spirals does not just have lot of examples, it shows you how to start with basic spiral elements and turn them into a chain of connected knots.  Something like this would be great inspiration for a picture border or the frame of a Celtic central piece, quilled or otherwise.  My only concern is getting all those spiral pieces of paper to intertwine so nicely ... I'll need to practice that :)

Have you done quilling along a Celtic theme?  Where did you get your ideas, and how did to go about making the complex curling forms?

Image Credit:  My pix of my own books.  They are: Celtic Spirals and Other Designs by Sheila Sturrock, Celtic Designs by Mallory Pearce, and Celtic Designs for Artists and Craftspeople by Dover Clip Art.

Ideas and Inspiration for New Quilling Projects

This iron-on book, mostly for use
as a source for embroidery patterns,
is also a great source for quilling ideas.

So you want to quill, and you don't know where to start.  Or maybe you've been at it a while and want some ideas for, well, finding new ideas.  Here is my list of places I go for inspiration.  Starting simple and easy with "kits" and ending with some more strange stuff like "fractals."  Hopefully you'll find something useful here!  Let me know if any of this works for you, and what your own unique ideas are for inspiration and imagination :)  !

Note:  If you use someone's pattern, or create a piece that is reasonably similar to theirs, then you should contact/acknowledge them if you end up posting pictures of that piece, or putting it up for sale, etc.  Kits, for example, are offered with the understanding that you might craft and then sell a piece exactly like it.  Permission isn't necessary in those cases.  But some art is utterly unique, and one should not take a copyright for granted.  When in doubt, ask the artist.  At the least, it is a common courtesy, and at the most it could be a legal requirement, depending on the specifics of your situation.

Quilling Kits:  The easiest place to start is to simply buy a good quilling kit.  There are several companies that make them, and they are relatively inexpensive.  (Some are listed on my sidebar.)  A quilling kit contains instructions and enough paper to complete a specific project.  Some are very basic, and others quite involved.  You can do the kit exactly as is, make your own adjustments and embellishments, or use it as inspiration for a completely different piece.

Some patterns are easy to adapt, just
start filling in with quills!

Patterns in Books:  Books about quilling generally have patterns for you to follow.  Books are more expensive than a single kit, and usually do not come with paper, so be sure you know what you are getting before you buy.  Some are for beginners, others are for the more advanced and do not have tutorials.  Many books follow a theme like "cards" or "flowers" so be sure the theme resonates with you.  Books often have great galleries of finished projects at the back that are great places to find inspiration.


Images of Quilling:  Need ideas?  It's time to just go browsing.  I can spend hours looking through places like "tumblr" or "pinterest."  There are no patterns of course, or step by step directions.  But it is a great way to spot new techniques, ways to blend colors, and more.  The best part is that browsing is free, except for all the time I spend doing it, anyway :)

Motifs and Designs:  There are resources that are specifically created to offer copyright free motifs, designs, borders, illustrations, and patterns around a theme.  Many of the motifs are bought to be used as clipart, sewing patterns, tattoo sources, and more - say quilling!  I'll be posting here on the site about a few of the motif resources I have to give you a better idea what I mean ...

Some patterns are a bit more complicated ... but
perfect for more involved projects.

Other Arts and Crafts:  This is a biggie.  Other arts and crafts can be excellent sources of ideas.  Quilting, embroidery, origami, beadwork, and so much more all have their own kits and patterns.  One may be just what you are looking for to adapt for a new quilling design.  And if you are also practicing that other craft, you may find innovative ways to combine them into something extraordinary.  Quilling and sculpture, for example, are perfect partners for amazing paper art in three dimensions.  My personal favorite craft to keep an eye on is stained glass!  Gorgeous colors and clear designs are the hallmark of that craft, and they are often easily exported to quilling. But not to be overlooked are more unusual art sources, say fractal art.  A place like deviantArt.com has plenty of great pieces to spark your imagination.  Fractals already are a basic aspect of nature, so their repetition can fit in very well with quilled designs.

Nature:  The biggest biggie, really.  I can't draw very well, so I use my camera and take pictures of whatever I find compelling in the world.  Using my quiller's eye, I see things very differently than when I'm just randomly enjoying a simple walk.  Sometimes an image breaks down into a pattern hardly without trying, and other times its a struggle.  But like any artist, if you want to capture something amazing to share, sometimes there is no other way than the hard way!

What are your sources of inspiration for quilling?

Image Credits:  From the Butterfly Iron on Book by Barbara Christopher, sitting on my shelf.