So..... I was commissioned to do a tablecloth for an Amazing Woah! Man!!! in November. It was inspired by her Cajun roots. I researched so many different things in Louisiana... Mardi Gras, Iron Work, The French Quarter and so much more.... and this is the project from drawings to screens to the final product.
I have to say that this is one of the most complicated projects that I've ever undertaken.
The biggest thing for me was designing the imagery....
The mask was inspired by a combination of the beautiful ornate masks from French masked balls and Blacksmith Lattice work....
Crawfish are not easy..... They are tiny and have a lot of details that I wanted to look super realistic...I went through two screens before I got the print to come out just right....
Then came actually fitting it all together to make a cohesive center piece for the table cloth...
I tried black and white and did quite a few color tests before deciding on the final design...
Making a tablecloth requires knowing a specific formula... You have to figure out the diameter, the drop that you want, the radius and multiplying things by two.....
So, if you're like me and you don't want to make a huge mistake.... You take a "slow ride" to make sure your measurements, your folds, your tape is perfectly centered and that your marks are all exact before you cut that really expensive linen fabric.....
While setting up to start printing I realized that this piece was missing something....
You can't have a complete table setting without napkins....
I printed what I thought were going to be two sets of napkins, but became much more...
While I was working on the piece I realized that something was missing... I needed something special to add some beautiful flare..... So I drew up some filigree to add in...
While working on hand painting the napkins and place settings I had my Favorite person come in to help me out with the details....
P.S. Painting crawfish is no joke.....those brushes were TINY!!!!
The final thing that I did was to print and paint the tablecloth...
Once it was perfectly centered... I had to find the center point and start registering my prints....
Being off even half an inch would have ruined it.....
and if you're like me and can't see straight lines... you turn in to Tony Shalhoub as Monk... I had to have 3 straight edges.....
Once the centerpiece was finally printed and dried and I pinned the edges around the table as a marker and for the hem.... It was time to print the tablecloth drop....
The final product was so worth all of the work put into it....
I loved setting the table and the look on her face when she finally saw it ....
Hope that I get to do more challenging projects like this one...
Squirrely Doodle
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