Before the 850th anniversary of Moscow I had realized I'd been ready enough
for big bead loomed things. I decided to start with coat-armour of Moscow,
the more so because the art college where I was a student then, was ready to buy it.
To be not too original for the first time, I took the official look of Moscow
coat-armour. To be frank, I'd never loomed anything wider than herdans
of 30-40 beads in width before, so the picture of almost A4 format proved
to be not the most simple work. The main difficult thing was to adapt to the rows
which were much longer than the needle, so I had to sew each row not once,
but by few little stitches.
As I did not even know about framing shops then, I made a classical coat-armour
shape to my picture fringing it with the vertical beaded threads.
But I also needed to make a fastener on the top as to hang the picture.
For the sake of it I also strung red beads on the upper vertical threads
and fastened them on a carpet ring.
The coat-armour turned out nice, but I was a bit embarassed by the fact that
it contradicted (as the modern one of Moscow) European heraldic canons.
As initially the coat-armour of a knight was on his buckler, and a buckler is always on the left hand,
a figure on it must be turned to heraldic right side (left for a spectator).
In that case the figure moves in the same direction with the knight.
Otherwise it looks like running away.
I started seeking earlier pictures of Moscow coat-armour since the centuries-old
history of the city has several ones. I fixed upon the one
adopted in 1856. This variant turned out more colourful, as I used 8 colours
instead of official 4 ones.
Bead implementation of George the Victorious carried me away so much that I
decided to make it in peyote stitch. The dragon came out very realistic, but George's face
became poorish, too outlined. On the other hand the peyote stitch technique
allowed me to shape the coat-armour as I needed, to narrow it on the bottom. However,
lack of vertical treads put me before a problem - how to fasten the picture straight
on the wall? Necessity is the mother of invention, so I sewed a coctail straw on
the back side of the picture, having put a beaded thread into it as to make it stronger.
Now it seems amusing, but then I supposed it the best designer's idea.
Unfortunately, this, the third George suffered a sad fate. For several months
he hung in my Mom's kitchen, but one day he fell behind a base unit and
lay there for a long time. For his bad luck at the same time some mice appeared
in our flat from heaven knows where. (Imagine - the 7-th floor of a 14-stored house in
Moscow! What mice?) And I must say the thread which George was made made with was
waxed for more strength. So once, having hunted our mice, we found poor George half eaten
by these mean animals. Since then poor knight has waited for a restoration patiently.
But the most funny was creating the fourth Victorious. It also had to be made by
peyote stitch.
However, drawing a blank of bead paper in PaintBrush I didn't notice how stretched
beads on the blank to the wrong side. The blank looked smart enough, I drew the
next rider with a dragon on it and began working. And the more I worked, the
longer pulled my face, looking how my George was falling lengthened.
I couldn't stop the half-done work, so finished this knight with a bit
Gothic proportions. Somehow I associate him with El Greco paintings.
Eight years have passed since then, and I feel that the time has come to start with a new
long-suffering George, especially as because the next anniversary of my loved city
is not far off.
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