I have started thread sketching Psychedelic Peacock. It is going to take a long time! I am liking how the thread looks in the areas where the strands of feather overlap each other.
Right now, I am not sure if the thread is showing up as much as it needs to. I use a light-weight cotton thread (my favorite, Aurifil Cotton Mako 50) when I thread sketch. Heavier thread would cause too much draw up, as I am only working through the top of the quilt and a layer of interfacing.
Of course, there will be more thread – and heavier thread – added when I quilt, but I had not intended to go over all these lines again. Perhaps I will quilt in between the existing lines on the feathers, using a similar color of thread. But that would be a heck of a lot of quilting!
I am considering using some metallic paint around the eyes on the feathers – and maybe just a little on all of the feather parts – to add some shimmer or iridescence. That would be done after thread sketching and quilting, which is a little scary… it would be horrible to spill paint on a nearly finished piece.
I also think I need to work on covering the spines of the feathers a bit more – either with thread or with paint – as they are too dominant against the black background.
Here is a detail of the small feathers on the sides of the peacock’s neck:
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