Hello everyone, I am new to the forum. I first attended Vaishali's class at PTSA on clouds over the last past weeks. I loved it and it makes me feel that I need to go on with painting. I am a paper and book conservator specialising in Islamic and Indian manuscripts and paintings. If I have developped colour matching skills and retouching skills for my job, strangely enough, I have never really dvelved into painting and creation. I think it was too closed from my work and I wanted to do something else during my free time. Now, with the age, I am going back to it !
Here is my modest production and interpretation of the folio depicting Mi'raj of prophet Muhammad. Both cartouches only need a nastal'iq calligraphy but I don't feel confident myself to do it ! It was also my first attempt to draw ruled lines...
Happy to meet and share with you all !
Amélie, Utrecht, Netherlands
Oh this is just so elegant! I love the subtle color shifts in the shading in each of the clouds. That border is also beautiful -- is the interior border marbled paper? Just super! Thank you for sharing it!
Hi Amélie! 🙌💖🙌 Welcome & very lovey to meet you and see your beautiful work. It’ looks brilliant & I hope you get the calligraphy completed your painting really deserves to be finished. Did you enjoy the process? I find it very meditative. BIG L♥️VE Sara ♥️💛❤️
This is really lovely! great first attempt with the ruling pen too.
That was my first thought too - well done with the ruling pen! It's not easy. Your clouds are really consistent and just look right and harmonious. I like the choice of marbling and this was a technique they used in the past too - using marbled paper as part of the borders. Welcome Amélie and I hope you get the calligraphy in! I don't specialise in calligraphy and if I've ever needed it I've always asked a calligrapher friend to do mine. Just a thought, if you wanted to finish it quickly, in the spirit of the workshops of the past - get someone else to do it for you! I also never frame my own work (as I can't, I don't have the skills), I work with a professional framer. Same with photography, get a pro... the very last thing is I'd like to actually bind the book with a leather cover and the specialist for that is... my very own husband. But to try to get him to work with/for me is like blood from a stone. One day, though.
The colour green ruled line works really well too! And I see the gold. You could do more lines in between if you felt so inclined, or a geometric border to contrast with the gentle spiralling shapes of the clouds, for instance. Anyway - have a look around here and enjoy browsing! Lots of info on this forum. Nice to have your input as a professional paper and book conservator too!
@Amélie Couvrat Desvergnes , meet @Cécilia Duminuco , a fellow conservator and Francophone to boot ;-)
This is really beautiful Amélie, I love how you depicted the clouds, with all those subtle colours... and the marbled margins are so lovely!! Thanks Vaishali!! 😀 Amélie and I met each other a few years ago, and we are still in touch today, we love to share our love for non-Western art and books!! it's so nice to be together on the forum too!! 🦋
You've done a really lovely job on your first painting, Amelie. I hope you continue.