Rug Hooking a Face: The Background

This portrait of my imaginary woman is now complete.  Notice the lower part of her neck.  I think the uneven edge actually gives the neck more dimension.  I did do a bit of tweaking once all the hooking was done.  About the time I added the sashing, I decided to soften her forehead some more and added hair.  Be sure to add the shadow that the hair casts on the skin.  Her right eyebrow was adjusted also.  I added more light in this area.  I added a dark shadow under this eye also.  The little bit of dark under the lower lip helps to make the lips stand out.  I darkened the nostrils.  These are never circles.  I added a dark line using the same wool that I used to separate the lips.

Notice how her hair and the background tend to blend together in some areas.  When I studied watercolor painting, getting lost edges was an advanced technique.  In rug hooking, lost edges tend to make most people nervous.  When you are hooking in a realistic style, do not fear lost edges.  They enhance the work and make it more interesting.