Bob Dylan Progress

This week, I started by tracing my rough sketch of Bob Dylan onto fabric, so I could begin embroidering. I began by embroidering the hair. This portrait contains much more details, the hair in particular is much more difficult, than my last portrait of Obama. However, I have not been making the same mistakes as I did on the first portrait. For this project, I plan on making it more colorful by filling in more of the empty space of the fabric. I feel that my Obama project ended up looking very plain, and I want to take on the challenge of making this portrait as detailed as I can.




While working on my project this week, I thought about how it related to last week's lecture on good workmanship and whether it is "sound" or "comely". I think that my portraits are what people would call "comely", because they do have some flaws. However, since I am not very experienced at embroidering, I am trying to make my work as aesthetically pleasing as I can. Therefore, my work is "comely" because it is not perfect, but I intend for it to look how it does.

Bob Dylan I

I have decide that for my next portrait I will be embroidering Bob Dylan. I know that last time I said that I was going to be making a portrait of Michael Jackson, but I decided that I wanted to make something that my dad would appreciate and want. Therefore, Bob Dylan seemed like the best choice, because my dad and I both love his music. I might do a portrait of Michael Jackson after this one if I get it done in time to start another portrait.

I thought that this idea of making a particular craft for someone tied nicely into the reading about patrons and crafters. This is because I chose to make something specifically for my father. He isn't paying me to make it, but this portrait is going to be made to please him. Therefore, I want to make sure that it depicts a person that he admires.

This week I started out by sketching a picture of Bob Dylan. I found a good picture of him on the internet from the sixties, but I added a cigarette in his mouth. I thought that during that particular time, Dylan was almost always seem smoking and it became a signature of his in a way.


I also wanted to incorporate his name in the portrait somewhere, so I wrote "Dylan" in the puff of smoke from his cigarette. I'm not sure how much I like how this looks. I may end up just writing the name beneath the face like on my Obama portrait.