In the second article of a two-part series, BizTech Times speaks to Roselin Yusof, a self-taught artist on her wonderful journey of creating beautiful handmade embroidery artworks.
Yuslinda Yusof or popularly known as Roselin Yusof, was formerly a landscape architect but found her new calling in embroidery. It all started after Roselin saw the exquisite work of Jura Gric, an embroidery artist from Lithuania, and she started to hone her embroidery skills ever since.
Roselin enjoys stitching as it allows the freedom to express her talent through thread work and lines. Having a landscape architect background has also helped in transforming her imagination and dreams into a reality through intricate embroidery artworks.
“Embroidery is a great meditation exercise, and it makes me happy. Every creation I make is lovingly made through my hands, heart and soul,” said Roselin. Working from her small studio at home in Setia Alam, she usually starts an embroidery project by looking for inspiration, ideas, before channelling it through a sketch. As a full-time housewife and mother of three, embroidery is not an easy task. It can take weeks or months depending on the type of skills, drawings, and sewing technique used. Her work is only done on weekends or during her free time. She spends about four hours daily to stitch as it can be very straining to the eyes and back.
Nonetheless, it is the pure joy of seeing a blank canvas turned into a colourful work of art is what keeps Roselin stitching for more. Through the threads and lines, she can express and challenge herself.
Showcasing Kampung Life through Embroidered Drawings
Many artists would often prefer the traditional style of stitching techniques or motifs such as floral, animal, human or foreign landscapes. However, it is not the case for Roselin. Her embroidery paintings are based on her creative imagination that draws upon illustrations, photographs, and observational sketches. Her signature style reflects elements of nostalgia and kampung life. These two elements remind her of her roots and home.
“Our country’s scenic views cannot be found in any other countries in the world. It reminds me of the Malay proverb “Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri; baik lagi di negeri sendiri,” quipped Roselin. She creates her artwork on kampung life as there is something nostalgic about home. “Sometimes in life, we should keep a little reminder of how it feels to be at home,” quipped Roselin.
Being a landscape architect has a big influence on her work as most of her pieces revolve around landscapes instead of objects. Many heritage houses have been abandoned over the years, while some have been completely re-modelled and lost its originality, charm, character and authenticity. Hence, Roselin wants to highlight the beautiful heritage of Malay traditional houses and promote Malaysia’s identity to the eyes of the world.
Some might be wondering what makes her embroideries so unique. The answer lies in her stitching patterns which are exclusively from her own illustrations, and it is 100% handmade. Every masterpiece tells its own story. She treats her project like a painting by using threads to ‘paint’ — before being transferred into the fabrics using washable pens and finally, colouring. Each thread colour works like a brushstroke of paint with multiple hues, resulting in a beautiful “oil painting” like effect.
Roselin’s depiction of kampung vibes often leaves admirers in awe, feeling almost as one with her artwork. This is due to the various sewing techniques used to achieve gradient which creates a three-dimensional shade to the artwork, thus bringing it to life. According to the self-taught artist, to get a fine or thick embroidery texture, various sewing techniques must be combined including long and short stitches, French knot stitch, seed stitch, and backstitch. For the tiny stitches, a magnifying glass is used. To Roselin, the type of fabric, the size of the needle and the thickness of the thread use play an important role in producing a quality piece.
Her first series of artwork displays the concept of ‘Nostalgia Kampong’, followed by the second series ‘Memori Sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri’ and her latest series, ‘Nostalgia Kemerdekaan’ which captures the essence of celebrating the country’s independence. Her embroidery is done with great care to invoke memories of “Anak kampung”. There is something nostalgic about a home. It is the place where we were born and nurtured unconditionally by our family and Roselin’s masterpiece evokes just that.
Embroidery may seem to be forgotten due to its complexity, but thanks to Roselin, there is still hope that this form of art will be revived to its glorious past. She hopes that the younger generation will learn and continue to discover embroidery especially hand-embroidery so that such artistry can be preserved. It may be time-consuming but with patience and sheer passion, anyone can learn to thread. “Try to find your own style of embroidery. Once you have identified it, go further and make it your own brand,” concluded Roselin.
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