Game of Thrones airs its final season this Spring and I am SO EXCITED! The show has been a big part of my life since it premiered, so much so that I've made three embroidery pieces inspired by the show over the years. Today I'm taking you on a tour of these pieces, 'ABC's of GoT' (2015), 'King in the North' (2017) and 'More Wine' (2017).
I've been watching Thrones since it premiered in 2011, and even booked my honeymoon flight in 2013 on a Monday so my husband and I wouldn't miss the episode that aired the Sunday after our wedding, haha! I cross-stitched 'ABC's of GoT' before I started Kate Hughes Art, and was just making it out of a genuine love for the show and a desire to hang the finished product proudly in my home.
The piece took me 5 weeks to make, but it was so worth it. Most of the characters were stitched from patterns bought online and I added a few character designs to personalize the alphabet to our character preferences. My favorite personal additions were Ramsey Bolton, Reek (Theon) and Rhaegal the dragon.
I was so happy to finish this 30 x 30" piece, not only because it was a literal HUGE labor of love, but because it was the embroidery that pushed me to start thread painting. Props to all the cross-stitchers out there, but I really enjoy the freedom that freestyle embroidery gives me over counting stitches.
Fast forward to 2017, it was time to get hyped for the 7th season!! I decided to work on a MUCH smaller scale this time, making a portrait of Jon Snow measuring 2" x 1". I was inspired by the gothic frame that I found at a thrift store to use for this regal portrait of the King in the North.
For my next Thrones portrait I challenged myself to work in a more limited color palette (Targaryen red) choosing the wine loving Queen Cersei. In the photo I used as a reference she wasn't Queen yet, but it was during the scene where she forces Sansa to drink with her during the Battle of the Blackwater. More wine?
The portrait of Cersei measures 2" x 1" and is mounted on a 3" x 3" black faux leather canvas, a nod to her future as an evil Queen.
I'm so grateful for Game of Thrones and all the inspiration it has provided to me as an artist. Next time you're feeling stuck in a creative rut, take a page out of my book and make something inspired by your favorite piece of pop culture!
You can purchase the original #JonSnow and #Cersei embroideries in my Etsy shop (KateHughesArt.Etsy.com) or find prints of #JonSnow in my Society6 shop (www.society6.com/katehughesart) .
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