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Velvet throw study in black charcoal, A1
Velvet is a very intriguing material!
It has a beautiful drape and a unique soft and shiny appearance due to the characteristics of the short pile fibres.
These make it tricky to draw at times!
The term “velvety” means soft, and it takes its meaning from its namesake fabric: velvet.
The soft, smooth fabric epitomizes luxury, with its smooth nap and shiny appearance.
Because of its unusual softness and appearance as well as its high cost of production, velvet has often been associated with nobility.
It has also always been popular for evening wear and dresses for special occasions.
Some historic facts:
Velvet was introduced to Baghdad during the rule of Harun al-Rashid (786–809) by Kashmiri merchants and to Al-Andalus by Ziryab.
In the Mamluk era, Cairo was the world's largest producer of velvet.
Much of it was exported to Venice (whence it spread to most of Europe), Iberia and the Mali Empire. Mansa Musa, the ruler of the Mali Empire, visited Cairo on his pilgrimage to Mecca.
King Richard II of England directed in his will that his body should be clothed in velveto in 1399.
This is an A1 study, drawn with charcoal and took quite a few hours to complete. :)
It has a beautiful drape and a unique soft and shiny appearance due to the characteristics of the short pile fibres.
These make it tricky to draw at times!
The term “velvety” means soft, and it takes its meaning from its namesake fabric: velvet.
The soft, smooth fabric epitomizes luxury, with its smooth nap and shiny appearance.
Because of its unusual softness and appearance as well as its high cost of production, velvet has often been associated with nobility.
It has also always been popular for evening wear and dresses for special occasions.
Some historic facts:
Velvet was introduced to Baghdad during the rule of Harun al-Rashid (786–809) by Kashmiri merchants and to Al-Andalus by Ziryab.
In the Mamluk era, Cairo was the world's largest producer of velvet.
Much of it was exported to Venice (whence it spread to most of Europe), Iberia and the Mali Empire. Mansa Musa, the ruler of the Mali Empire, visited Cairo on his pilgrimage to Mecca.
King Richard II of England directed in his will that his body should be clothed in velveto in 1399.
This is an A1 study, drawn with charcoal and took quite a few hours to complete. :)