Creating 3D in a 2D Medium

My name is Gwyned Trefethen.
I am the featured art quilter on 52Quilters.com
and @52quilters November 5 - 11, 2018.

Introduction:

M C Escher - Drawing Hands

In my previous post I paid homage to Katie Pasquini Masopust and her early work with 3 dimensional designs. She was my first introduction to creating the appearance of 3D using quilting as her medium. It was M C Escher who first got me thinking about ways to fool the eye. I was especially intrigued by his infinite staircases and the image hands drawing  hands. One traditional quilt that does a superb job of appearing 3D, is the tumbling block.


Influential Books and/or Quilt Artists

If you, like me, can't get enough optical illusions, but aren't sure where to start, I recommend Karen Coombs. I can imagine Modern Quilters expanding on Karen's work with a Modern aesthetic. Caryl Bryer Fallert is another quilt artist who is an expert at creating a sense of space and illusion in her work. Three favorite artists of mine, making very different, amazing 3D fabric art are Regina Benson,  Betty Busby, and Susan Else.

Ariana's Building Blocks
by Gwyned Trefethen

Lets Look At Form:

The difference between shape and form is that shape is an image represented by two dimensions (height by width) and form is an image represented by three dimensions (height, width and depth). Forms created in art may be through optical illusion. In other words tricking the eye to believe the form has depth when technically it does not. It may also be a sculpture. Dimensional Cloth by Andra Stanton is a book not to be missed if you are intrigued by 3D fabric art.

Tip of the Day:

If you are tempted to make a tumbling block quilt, but are held back because of the difficulty in piecing smooth, accurate Y seams, there is a simple solution. There are tutorials available on the internet, both written and video. When it comes to breaking down a technique, no one does it better, in my opinion, than Leah Day. Here is her video for everything you need to know to make the perfect tumbling block quilt.


Comments and Questions:
I value your comments and questions. You may send them to me publicly by commenting at the end of the blog. If you prefer, you may address me privately via email. I will be hosting the 52 Quilters blog and Instagram accounts from November 5 - November 11, 2018. I will answer some of your questions in the final post on November 11th.


Social Media Addresses and Affiliations:

Website: www.gwynedtrefethen.com
Blog: gwynedtrefethen.blogspot.com
Instagram: gwynedtrefethen

Juried Artist Member (JAM) and Board Member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA)