Quilling Technique Tutorial - Adding Dimension to Flat, Quilled Landscapes and Pictures

This tutorial is posted at the request of one of my followers. The question was what I meant by " gluing the basic shapes to follow the contours of the object being quilled.

This concept is demonstrated clearly in my quilled sunset project.

Nevertheless here is a pictorial. 

As an example let's say we are Quilling a curved object in a landscape picture.

First of course we would draw or print the picture. Then we would make the basic shapes.

 I have made 2 types of basic shapes here. The straight marquis for a circle that looks flat or 2dimensional and the half moons for the circle to which I want to add the appearance of 3d. The word appearances being the salient feature here.

 As you can see  from the PIC, I have a used the curved shapes on the left and the straight shapes on the right in the same oval shape to highlight the difference in appearance.
I have glued the curved shapes to follow the contour of the oval so it appears rounded in contrast to the right side where I have glued the marqee straight lengthwise not following the curved contour thus making it appear flat and 2dimensional.

 After adding a few more shapes to fill a larger area the difference ic clearer.

The light yellow shapes are more curved and have been added to highlight the increased curveture.

Here is another PIC which shows how you can achieve different depth and effect using the same shape just by changing the direction they are glued in.

The object to the left looks more rounded and smoother bringing out a softer look just based on the direction and shape ofwase quilled basic shape .

This is what I am talking about when I say use the quilled shapes to bring out  3rd dimension , which is depth, same as in painting.

Hence, when quilling birds and animals or any other object,  you can acheive a more realistic appearance if you use the quilled shapes to follow the shape or curves of the object being quilled.

I hope this tutorial was helpful and clears up whatever confusion that some of you may have had.

Basic Quilling - Flower Frame - Floral Cascade

quilled flower frame quilling quilled flowers quilled leaves

This simple quilled  frame of flowers is a break from all that complicated quilling I have been doing for a while. I have used the various basic shapes for the flowers and all these can be made from the Basic Shapes Tutorial  which I had posted earlier.

For the butterfly wing leaf, I have used the  looping technique but I did not use pins as I was taking a break remember?  The tutorial for the comb quilled leaf is here, but if you look carefully this leaf has dark green on one side and light green on the other.

Figured how I did that?? Well I did it in 2 halves and combined the two halves and encircled it. Here have a closer look !!

comb quilling quilled leaf tutorial

So now you know why I used  just 2 comb leaves eh?  Absolute laziness!! Have a go at it, it looks good if you have the patients to use it extensively. Maybe I will too in a later piece.

Tutorials for dual color  looped leaf and butterfly wing leaf are available if u click on the links.

Quilling Tutorial - Galaxy Centre Quilled Basic Shapes

Today's tutorial is about what those star quillers discover, but never tell you, about making basic shapes with centers that look like the galaxy swirls with unwinding arms, instead of the usual,  boring, spiral centers. This is the technique I discovered while experimenting with basic shapes.  I have been meaning to do this for a while now but never got down to it.

I have never seen any instructions on how to get specific designs at the center of your shapes, so this tutorial is to fill that gap.

  

The first step is of course to get well balanced loose coils. There are several  tips here.

Once you have got good, loose coils, you can create center whirls in 3 ways.

Center Designs

1.        Center remains spiral.

2.       Center is like a teardrop with one side pinched.

 

3.       Center is like a marquee.

 

Once pinched, you will find that each pinched circles will whirl to one side till it gets snagged. So if you want the coils to look good, make sure your initial coil unwinds equidistant .

Making The Shapes

Tear Drop

1. Take a loose coil and pinch the outer coils while you hold the inner coil to the middle between thumb and forefinger of the other hand.

2. Take a loose coil, push the centre coils to the top edge and then pinch them all making sure you only  pinch the top half of the coils so that each coil  is a tear drop. Just push all the coils to the top and pinch between the ball of the thumb and forefinger to the centremost coil. Then push the center coils to the middle and gently twist the swirls to lie on the side. Do not force it.

3. Press the coils in the middle and bring you thumb and forefinger closer towards the top part of the coil. Then allow the coils to unwind and turn to the side. If required gently turn it to the natural side.

 Most of the problems with basic shapes is that they lose the inner design as they continue to wind/unwind, especially if the coils are uneven.  By helping it gain equilibrium you are making sure that they will not change  shape over time. You can add a tad of glue where the coils are snagged .

 

Marquee

1. Adopt the same method as in 1 above, and then whilst still holding the middle coils pinch the bottom outer coils. 

2. Do the same as in 2 above. Push the pinched center coils to the middle and allow them to turn or coax them gently so that they lie naturally to the side creating a whirl (wind it to equilibrium). Than pinch the outer coils at the bottom to form the marquee leaving a few middle coils unpinched.

3. Follow 3 above and make a teardrop, then let it wind and settle or wind it to equilibrium, then hold the center coils in the middle whilst you pinch the outer coils at the bottom.

Triangle

1.  Make a teardrop as in 1. Whilst holding the centre coils with your other hand, flatten the bottom coils and pinch into a triangular shape.

2. Make a teardrop as in 2 and  allow wind to equilibrium  whilst  pushing it to the centre. Whilst holding the centre, pinch the outer coils at the bottom to form a triangle and then gently twist the inner coils in the direction of the wind to give you a nice galactic swirl in the middle.

3. Make a teardrop as in 3 and then follow step 2 above.

Square

1. Whilst holding the inner coils pinch the top and bottom of the outer coils. Then press the two pinched ends between your thumb and forefinger and with the other hand pinch the outer coils of the two sides to make a square then arrange the centre coil in the middle.

2. Make a  marquee as in step 2  . Then press the two pinched ends inwards between thumb and forefinger and pinch the two sides to make a square. Then wind the centre coils to enhance the swirls if required.

3. Make a marquee as in 3 and then follow the instructions in square 2.

Petal