“Almost nothing need be said when you have eyes.” ― Tarjei Vesaas, The Boat in the Evening
In the fabric collage portraits I specialize in—those of animals and people—one of the first features that I tackle is the eyes. When I have captured the expression in their eyes, for me, that’s when the subject comes alive.
In a previous post (Eye for an Eye: Updated with Video) I show one way to create an eye. There are of course various ways to create these and other facial features. In fact, there are probably as many variations in how to create an eye as there are variations of eyes.
For each eye is unique. There is variation is the color of the iris, shape of the lids, length of lashes, and thickness of brows. Then there are differences between species. Humans are fairly unique in having a large and visible white of the eyes. Dog eyes usually don’t show any whites and it’s often difficult to distinguish the pupil from the iris.
Then of course the pose of each subject has to be accounted for. Eyes can be viewed straight on, from the side or, from above or below. Each variation will make the outline of the eye appear a different shape.
Finally, we may want to create eyes where the eyeball may not be visible at all. Perhaps the subject is squinting in the sunlight. Or maybe due to the angle we see only the lid and eyelashes.
So you see the method outlined in the “Eye for an Eye” post presents a basic and useful way to create an eye, but certainly isn’t the only way to collage an eye. In fact, in my Thursday Night in My Studio Live! series, I demonstrated a slightly different method—see one of the eye examples from presentation above. You can purchase and view that video here: “Facial Features: Eyes.”
I will demonstrate yet another variation for creating eyes in January’s 4-week Fly on the Wall: Sunshine Oma series. I’m inviting registrants for this Zoom program to work along side me on their own whimsical portrait as I create an image of my mom Meta (also known as Oma), as a sun face. (See the details at the end of this post for more information and to register.)
In the gallery of eyes below—mostly pulled from past posts of student work with a few of my portraits thrown in—you may find an example that helps you approach eyes in your own portrait collage. I’ve grouped them into four categories: open eyes, squinting or closed eyes, animal eyes, and whimsical eyes.
Open Eyes
In these eyes notice that, while fully open, the circle of the iris is trimmed (almost always) by one or both of the lids. Rarely do we see white all the way around the iris.
A few years ago Celeste Poulin attended a day-long eye demo class based on the pattern from my Eye for an Eye: Updated with Video post. On her own, she carried the collage farther to complete the facial close-up. From Finish Line: Portraits post.
In this magical eye that Ros Pettit created during my second class in Santa Fe in May 2022, she’s captured the rich and haunting depths of her subject’s wise eyes—blue eyes that are oh so many layers of color.
Ellen Parrott’s experience as an artist in other media shows through in this portrait. Notice how her young next door neighbor’s eyes are crinkled by her smile. Again, the part of the eye ball we see, are almost never round. Begun at Woodland Ridge Retreat April 2017—finished detail from Finish Line: Portraits post.
Mary Quade started this quilt of her grandmother in my class at Woodland Retreat in November 2021. The eyes in this piece portray a depth of emotion that we can all strive toward. The shadows in the corners help give the eye the illusion of roundness. From Fabric Collage Finish Line #81.
Squinting or Closed
Sometimes the easiest eye to make is the one that doesn’t show the eyeball (or hardly any of it) at all!
Neither my son Sam nor his cousin Maia have fully formed eyes in “Kissin’ Cousins“. Mostly, the dark of the lashes and shapes of the lids do the work here.
As I was helping Grace Crocker with her “Cross Fox” portrait of her husband, she was struggling with the eyes. I needed to gently remind her that really we weren’t seeing his eyes at all! Once I pointed that out she broke through her block and saw the squinting slits of dark that they really are. From Live Online Class Finish Line Gallery.
Luckily my son Sam has thick eyelashes which define his closed eyes in this piece I call “Earthshine.” Notice that rather than trying to create individual lashes I found a piece of fabric with lines in it to indicate lashes.
Animal Eyes
Jackie Dalley’s dog is angled from the side, meaning each eye is shaped differently. The eye on the right was more difficult to create in an understandable way as it barely showed in the photo, but Jackie did a great job. From Live Online Fabric Collage Class—Part 2: Doggone-Its.
The stunning blue against black, combined with the use of patterned fabric to indicate contour and color of fur around the eyes, makes this collage by Tracy Hughes a stand out already. From Live Online Fabric Collage Class—Part 1: The Paws-atives.
If someone were to ask you, “what shape are the pupils of a cat’s eye?”, would you be correct? This is where observation skills are so important—to draw the initial line drawing to what you see, as opposed to what you assume to be. Nancy Bonkowski, who sees her subjects very accurately, began this cat in my class in Santa Fe in May 2022, adding extra details and background a few months later at Woodland Ridge Retreat in Downsville, WI, September 2022.
And who among us knows exactly what a manatee eye looks like? Well, Wendy Krivit does—and she (amazingly) found it in sea urchin shell fabric print. Combined with the curved “wrinkles” circling the eye, it’s an eye that’s quite realistic in a fanciful sort of way, letting the fabric (once you find it), do much of the work for you. From my first Santa Fe class, May 2022.
Looser/Whimsical Eyes
Eyes don’t need to be realistic to be the focus of our attention. Striking eyes can be achieved in a looser more playful style if that’s what’s desired.
This upward turned sunflower face I made as an example during my Thursday Night in My Studio Live! series—“Facial Features: Eyes”—uses a sunflower print fabric as eyes.
This portrait was begun in my recent Live Online Class in November 2022. Janelle Nimer’s dog is named Galaxy, which gave her inspiration for choosing astronomically themed fabrics for this collage. Radiating stars and suns and crescent moons are playful and (obviously) well adaptable for eye lids and eye lashes. From Live Online Fabric Collage Class—Part 1: The Paws-atives.
Diane Keeports arrived at my September 2022 class in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a goal to “play with fabric and be fanciful.” And that she did. She allowed herself to be loose and playful with a portrait of her daughter, finding a fabric with ‘ready-made highlights” like reflecting sparklers. Piece after curved piece are layered around the pupils adding lids and creases, colors and values for these whimsical eyes.
And keeping with the magic and fancifulness of a fairy tale, Ann Carr, in that same September 2022 class in Bar Harbor, Maine as Diane, kept her interpretations of “Beauty and the Beast” loose and impressionistic as well. In telling her version of the story, Ann incorporates gently curved floral fabric patterns for Beauty’s eyes and more intense roundness of earthy wood and forest prints for the Beast’s eyes.
Register for Fly on the Wall: Susan Carlson Studio Watch 2022-2023
January: Sunshine Oma
January 5, 12, 19, 26, 2023
$98
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Watch—and work along with me—as I create a collage portrait of my lovely mama (a.k.a. Oma) as a radiant sun face—to have ready for her 90th birthday at the end of January.
For those who wish to try their hand at a sunface portrait, in addition to the slideshow, demo, Q&A, and full recordings of the four presentations, registrants will also receive all of the following:
• A free PDF of my Sun Portrait pattern.
• Free access to the Thursday Night in My Studio Live! recorded presentation (see preview below) that explains how to adapt my Sun Face pattern to a photo of a particular person.
• And a $20 discount for a one-on-one coaching session scheduled for January or February 2023—in case you’re interested in specialized help with your own work-along creation.
Your textile art is amazing Susan! Thank You for sharing some of your process along the way.