{"id":15976,"date":"2025-09-02T09:03:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T08:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=15976"},"modified":"2025-08-04T11:54:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T10:54:46","slug":"mary-the-pekinese-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/2025\/09\/02\/mary-the-pekinese-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary The Pekinese again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP3_Watermarked.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"757\" data-id=\"15974\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP3_Watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"Gauze with stitching laid over the source photo. Beginnings of shaded fur around the face.\" class=\"wp-image-15974\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP3_Watermarked.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP3_Watermarked-300x284.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP3_Watermarked-768x727.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP4_Watermarked.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"808\" data-id=\"15973\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP4_Watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"Gauze with stitching laid over the source photo. Beginnings of lighter fur around the face.\" class=\"wp-image-15973\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP4_Watermarked.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP4_Watermarked-297x300.jpg 297w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP4_Watermarked-768x776.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP5_Watermarked.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"751\" data-id=\"15972\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP5_Watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"Gauze with stitching laid over the source photo. More light fur around the face.\" class=\"wp-image-15972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP5_Watermarked.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP5_Watermarked-300x282.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP5_Watermarked-768x721.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s quite hard to explain what I mean by the improvisatory, painterly approach I&#8217;m using for the assorted Animal Vignettes for the Conversion of Placidus project, so since Mary the Pekinese is relatively simple compared with some of the others &#8211; mostly straight stitches, rather than the tangle of Cretan I used, for example, for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/2025\/04\/01\/progress-on-the-rabbit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">little rabbit<\/a>, I thought maybe a sequence of photos was the best way to show you what happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP6_Watermarked.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"591\" data-id=\"15971\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP6_Watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"Gauze with stitching laid over the source photo. Beginnings of body fur.\" class=\"wp-image-15971\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP6_Watermarked.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP6_Watermarked-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP6_Watermarked-768x567.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP7_Watermarked.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"651\" data-id=\"15970\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP7_Watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"Gauze with stitching laid over the source photo. Beginning to sketch in the tail and more of the body.\" class=\"wp-image-15970\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP7_Watermarked.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP7_Watermarked-300x244.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP7_Watermarked-768x625.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP8_Watermarked.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"580\" data-id=\"15969\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP8_Watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"Gauze with stitching laid over the source photo. Beginning to sketch in some darkish shades on the tail and  body.\" class=\"wp-image-15969\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP8_Watermarked.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP8_Watermarked-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP8_Watermarked-768x557.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In each case I&#8217;ve put the frame on top of the photo I&#8217;m using. The finer, subtler details of the fur don&#8217;t really show through the gauze, but it does give you some sense of how I am selecting my threads to capture the impression of colour and texture that I&#8217;m working from. I&#8217;m not concerning myself at all with what fibre the thread is made from &#8211; if it does what I want it to do, I&#8217;m using it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m also recollecting a quotation I found, attributed to the painter Edgar Degas : &#8220;If it were not difficult, it would not be fun!&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP10_Watermarked.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"610\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP10_Watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"Mary the Pekinese finished.\" class=\"wp-image-15967\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP10_Watermarked.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP10_Watermarked-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/MP10_Watermarked-768x586.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Worth the effort, though. I do think she&#8217;s turned out rather well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s quite hard to explain what I mean by the improvisatory, painterly approach I&#8217;m using for the assorted Animal Vignettes for the Conversion of Placidus project, so since Mary the Pekinese is relatively simple compared with some of the others &#8211; mostly straight stitches, rather than the tangle of Cretan I used, for example, for&hellip; <a class=\"continue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/2025\/09\/02\/mary-the-pekinese-again\/\">Continue Reading Mary The Pekinese again<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[306,25,313,22,114],"class_list":["post-15976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-animal-vignettes","tag-experiments","tag-mary-the-pekinese","tag-stitches","tag-vision-of-placidus","radius"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15976"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15998,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15976\/revisions\/15998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blog.virtuosewadventures.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}