NYC library lion basking in the summer sun – 2021.05.23

Here’s my donation for SAQA’s annual Benefit Auction. SAQA invites each of its members to create a 12 x 12 inch piece of art and donate it to the online auction. Last year there were over 500 submissions from SAQA members around the world.

Here’s my donation piece for this year – Basking in the Summer Sun.

Since 1911, the famous marble lions, dubbed Patience and Fortitude, have captured the imagination and affection of New Yorkers and visitors alike.  They flank the main entrance to the downtown branch of the NYC library.  Posing regally, they gaze down at the coming and going of the library patrons and visitors.

It was a bright summer day when I visited the library, so my photos of the lions show dramatic sunshine and shadows.  This is Patience (on the south side of the library entrance) basking in the summer sun against a backdrop of leafy green trees.

I enjoyed the challenge of creating the NYC library lions in monochromatic colors for the Chromatopia exhibition.  But when I took these photos while in New York, my intention was to depict the lions in realistic colors – shades of gray against a backdrop of leafy green trees. (I have since learned they are actually carved from pink marble, but when I saw them in 2019, they looked like they were carved from gray stone.)

There were a couple of advantages to using the same design again. The first is how I created the line drawing. I applied a pencil sketch filter to the photo of the orange lion and printed that as my line drawing – much quicker and easier than using the original photo at my starting point. I labelled each shape with a value code, then printed a full-size version, as well as a mirror copy to use for tracing the shapes on fusible web (Steam-a-Seam Lite).

The other advantage is the selection of fabrics with the correct values, which is the trickiest part of this technique. (See my post about the challenges I had with selecting values for the blue lion.)

Since I was very happy with the values I used for the orange lion, I only needed to find gray fabrics with the same values. I selected the fabrics, then used a black & white filter to ensure the grey fabric values were comparable to the orange fabric values. (I keep the value chart taped to the cupboard above my ironing station for reference while cutting out the shapes.)

As with the orange lion, I cut the base layer from the lightest fabric. I fused the base layer to parchment paper, then I gradually added the light, medium-light, medium, medium-dark and dark fabrics. I love the way the lion appears increasingly solid and 3-dimensional as fabrics are added, so I take a lot of photos during the process. Here are a few that show the progression. (Click to enlarge)

I think he’s a pretty regal-looking, handsome fellow!

Here’s the original photo I took in NYC in 2019.

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Thanks for stopping by.  I will be linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative and inspirational projects.

• Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday
• Can I get a Whoop Whoop? by Confessions of a Fabric Addict
• Love Laugh Quilt Monday Making
• Quilt Fabrication Midweek Makers