I’m guessing that when English inventor Thomas Saint patented his idea for a sewing machine in 1790 he never imagined that one day a guy would be using one to create realistic portraits of people. Yet that’s exactly what a modern-day version of his machine is being used for by one American artist.
Savannah Georgia-based artist and textile and fashion designer Micheal-Birch Pierce creates organic portraits freestyle on the sewing machine…similar to the way a sketch artist works…and the results are really amazing. He calls them “Free-Motion Gesture Drawings” and he creates them in one sitting…no pre-planning…with just a model in front of him and a sewing machine at hand.
Here are a few of my favorites (but there are lots more to see so be sure to visit Micheal-Birch Pierce’s website to see more.)
But wait there’s more. Here’s a video of the artist at work creating one of his machine embroidered portraits.
Damn, that is cool! Good artists blow me away when they have two qualities: a freakin fantastic concept, and amazing skill. This guy has both. What a clever idea, and beautiful execution. Love it.
Agreed…I’m in awe of artists and this guy has that triple threat going for him…great talent, great idea, & great execution.
Hey, that’s me! I just found this through my Google results. Thank you so much for your kind words about my work. It’s been so exciting to see the way it’s been received. Stay tuned to my site in the coming weeks, I’ve been making some exciting progress with these portraits!
Hi Michael-Birch,
I LOVE it when an artist or someone I have written about finds my tiny little blog and says hi. Thanks so much for leaving a comment!
I love your work and I will absolutely keep my eyes on your site to see what other wonderful stuff you come up with.