This page is taken from the lines found on the Nazca plateau in Peru. These shapes laid out in the desert have been thought to be proof of intelligent aliens having visited our planet, but current archaeological research have come up with some very plausible explanations for how and why they were made. Recent discoveries of buried, intentionally destroyed artifacts links these sites with ritual tradition. The forms were easily created using basic observational methods to map out these very large animal and abstract forms, which are truly only visible from the air. The lines are most likely specially created footpaths which would have been walked by the ritual participants and would have had a similar purpose to the labyrinth form.
This particular form is known as the humming bird, and is part of the reason that I chose to use pinks, as their plumage is usually very brilliant and colourful. The other reason was that I wanted to do bright pinks!
;-)
Anyway, the initial progress was a little frustrating, for several reasons. First of all, I wasn't at home when I started the project, so I was stuck using whatever marker I could find, and it ended up being a lot darker than I wanted...
Also it was difficult to find a size of image that would both allow the path to be beadable, and to have the entire form on the page...
The other problem was that I chose to use a polyester felt as the substrate. It ended up being very flimsy, so I used an iron-on support fabric.
But once everything was sorted out, it became just a matter stitching the beads onto the page.
So here's the final result. It's not exactly how I pictured it, but when are they ever.
The footpath is laid out in the silvery Delicas.
Now what do I do for April, May and June?!?
