More Animal Skin: Giraffe!

Besides admiring this unusual and magnificent animal, I love his gorgeous patterned skin - and use it often in designing for different projects. It is simple and elegant.

When using the giraffe pattern, one must be careful to have the scale of it right for the project - that is, it would be rather strange looking on this mini-stocking if it were painted with smaller spots - or very large ones. It wouldn't "translate" as giraffe, and would not be attractive.

As with the other animal patterns, I trace the shape and size of the project onto tracing paper, and then move it around until I have it positioned as I want it - then put it onto canvas.

The pattern is very attractive for belts, as well - so of course bracelets and napkin rings. Another for the Safari set!! I'm showing this one in stages, as I decided to jazz it up a bit for the table with beads. You can see where I have prepared for the beading by simply using basketweave every other row (on the warp "bumps"), leaving the dips of the weft for the beads. The background will simply be basketweave, as I couldn't see beading this piece "solid."

The tracing will print out the exact size you need for 18 mesh canvas. It's 5 1/2" long x 1 1/2" high. Just ink the lines if they aren't dark enough, and trace it onto canvas, using previous instructions.

Also - you could make a bracelet, using the pattern and instructions on the previous post on animal skin napkin rings and bracelets. For bracelets, you will have to make a tracing, adding more giraffe patches to the length. Easily done!!