Workshop with Cathy Wiggins

Where does the time go?  Even I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted!  That's what working full time along with working part time in a quilt store as well as teaching will do to you - we won't even talk about husbands, kids and animals getting time in there, too!


I wanted to share my workshop experience.  If you ever get a chance to take a workshop with Cathy Wiggins - grab that chance!  She is so charming and has a great sense of humor.  


I feed off of a teacher's energy; if the teacher has a lot of energy and is excited about what they're doing, I come away feeling the same way. Definitely the feeling I had coming away from her workshop yesterday and today.  


Cathy held a two-day workshop showing her technique on making quilts from your photographs.  We sent her our photos, she blew them up and brought them with her and then showed us how to make a drawing from the photo.  Once you're done it looks like one of those painting by number kits.  

I was joking that mine looked like one of those folk art Halloween pumpkins or skeletons with all the teeth.  Seriously, it does!  As one person put it, Day of the Dead.  


When I first started drawing, I was taking it way too literally putting in every little shade and highlight.  I seriously needed to simplify it or else I'd still be sitting there trying to cut out all my little pieces.  It is not easy to simplify something like this, especially when you're as anal as I am!  But I managed and after cutting out all my little pieces and putting them in place I realized I should have simplified it way more.  I started doing that on my other daughter's head so I'll see how well it works for me.


One of the things Cathy mentioned (AFTER I submitted my picture) was trying to use a picture without teeth or eyes.  Strike number one.  You'd think I would have listened to my mother years ago when she told me she couldn't paint this picture because her art teacher said it's never a good idea to paint a picture of kids with missing teeth because it looks like a great big gaping hole in their mouth.  Strike number two.  I couldn't help it, it's one of my favorite pictures.  After all, no-one's in a headlock and they're both smiling at the same time!  I had to try it!!


After two days, I managed to finish the face of my youngest daughter.  It's not perfect and there are definitely things that I would do differently but overall I'm very  happy with the result.

Kinda freaky having a floating face staring back at you, isn't it?

Here is the picture that I started with

Yes, all of those teeth are individually cut out!  Gee, can't wait to get started on the next set of teeth.  What on earth was I thinking????  I always grumble about my kids not listening to me.  Ha!  Oh well, I'm 44, I don't have to listen to my mother, but you bet your last dollar I will next time - just don't tell her I said she was right!  I'll never hear the end of it!