Make a stitch collage portrait with Ailish Henderson
Craft your own stitch collage portrait with textile artist Ailish Henderson and her book Narrative Textiles.
Words by Ailish Henderson.
Stitched collage workshop:
It was thoughts like those in print above, which brought me to embark on my own stitch collage pieces, I am known to be a heart-sleeve wearer! I am a sentimental personal who strongly believes in art from head and heart, as it were. It was a time of self-reflection that ignited this type of work – questioning who I was and how I viewed myself. Using imagery taken at pivotal times in my life, I began to paint and draw what I saw.
I intuitively gathered collage material relating to the reference image – paper pages and receipts from a holiday where the photographs were taken. I then began to build up a self-portrait using these scraps, tearing them to my whim and fancy. I always use source material that has a direct meaning to me – my baby clothes and nappy changing bag have even made the odd appearance! Finally, I used a combination of machine- and hand-based embroidery to draw my own facial features and give the work the final finesse.
This is such a great technique because there is no right or wrong. You can tailor it to your own quirks and unique style. No two results will ever be the same, which I believe creates a wonderful sense of anticipation and excitement…the what if?
Suggested materials:
- A table large enough to spread out your collage material and paints
- Reference photographs of your subject
- Handmade paper sheets (such as khadi rag paper)
- Paper and fabric scraps for the collage
- Personal source material, such as travel memorabilia, tickets, bags, as well as tissue paper, lace or old clothing
- Fine-liner pen
- Non-waterproof pen. I use Berol fine ink pens which are sold in blue and black
- A small container of water to use with your paints
- Small watercolour paintbrush
- Watercolour paints or dyes (such as Koh-i-Noor)
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Sewing needle and a few embroidery threads in your choice of colours
- Optional materials
- Gilding wax, such as Treasure Gold, for adding metallic highlights
The Process:
- Gather your inspirational imagery together and think about what aspects you would like to recreate. You might want to pin them on an inspiration board so you can refer to them as you work. You might also like to record your process and ideas in a sketchbook during this project.
- Select a piece of handmade paper. Draw an outline of your image using a fine-liner pen.
- Colour the image with watercolour paints or dyes, using a wet paintbrush to blend colours and blur the edges. Make a piece that is personal to you and expresses your style. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as it will become the reference image for your collage.
- Select another piece of handmade paper, then use your gathered collage material and the painted drawing to influence the colours and shapes you select for your work. Tear or cut fabric pieces from your stash and place them onto the handmade paper to build up the portrait.
Using this approach, you can take any photograph and play with collage and hand or machine stitch to emulate what you see, in your own unique style. Have fun and explore a wide variety of materials and textures in your work.
More about Narrative Textiles:
Bring your personal story to life in colourful, vibrant textile art.
Ailish Henderson is an exciting young textile artist whose work is fun, quirky, tells interesting stories and uses a diverse range of media, though always grounded in cloth. In this gorgeous book, she explains her working methods and how you can harness them in your own work to create unique, deeply personal textile art pieces. She encourages you to draw on your own personal memorabilia to create work that is meaningful to you – the intention is to capture a moment in time, a memory to treasure, a look on a face, a glance of love from a pet. Order your copy here.
