a new set of wings

The first project in Kelley Rae Robert's book Taking Flight is a collage journal. There are 2 parts. The first one is creating the little tags and then the journal itself. I've been working on it the last few days and found it to be a very rewarding experience. Here is my cover page along with the tags.

The tags are made from layered scraps of fabric fused to an interfacing then decorated with paint. I had to change some of the steps in the instructions because I didn't have all the supplies she recommended. I was initially frustrated working on the tags because I ran into a few glitches right away.

My gel medium (Gesso) didn't work well as an adhesive and it also caused the interfacing to peel away from the background fabric. I also didn't have the proper hard pencil to sketch the letters. After a deep breathe I became determined to make it work. I used a super strength glue stick for the fabric scraps and once I painted over the letters I really started to like it.

Instead of using hardcover book covers for the pages I used heavy corrugated cardboard that I happened to have handy. Because I was focused on learning the techniques I followed Kelley's example for the cover almost exactly as far as the design. I tweaked it a little but again I wanted to learn the technique.

Once I finished the face I was surprised at how the page turned out. I really liked it! I loved making it and I felt thrilled to be learning something new.

The individual pages were just as exciting to make. They're so simple when you do them step by step but seeing it come together was incredibly satisfying. Here are a few of the pages I finished (3 plus the cover). I already started adding a few of my favorite words and quotes. I'm making 3 more plus the back then I'll take another pic when I've put it all together.

This project gave my confidence a nice boost. I think part of what allowed me to tap into my 'real' creative self was not worrying about making something to sell or whether it served a practical purpose. I made it because I wanted to learn.

Having another artists' work as a visual reference was like having her hold my hand until I was ready to use my own wings. It made it easy to focus on the process and as I worked I started to find my own style. Having to work with what I had available also created a challenge but in the end I'm glad I did it without having to invest in a lot of new materials. I think I might revisit some of my old doodles and see what I can do with them now.

I think I'm liking this new set of wings so far. Maybe I'll paint them pink.