It all starts somewhere

This little sketch (3"x4"ish) is the beginning of my next major project. I drew this on a scrap piece of paper while watching my daughter rip and smoosh a PB&J sandwhich into a million pieces before actually consuming it....oh, the glamour ;o)

These rough sketches don't usually represent what the actual paper piece will look like but they give me a starting point. I never bother to draw the tree foliage or other smaller details because they're not really necessary at this stage and the less prep work I can do the better! I am always too anxious to get going on the next step.

So here's the plan. This little sketch will eventually be an 18 x 24 spring blossom scene. I have only done one other piece this large. The ground will be mulberry, the trees will be cut from some really special paper I found that has the look of bark (at $9 a sheet! Ouch! but well worth it). Leaves and blossoms will be indian batiks and any ground cover I do will be from hemp paper my mom found in a dollar store of all places (GREAT stuff)! The fence will be made from an off white crackle-looking paper (pealing paint) and the road will be made from cork paper that I thought looked like a million little stones. I'm not sure what the mountains will be made from, it depends what I have on hand or if I have to order something.

I am really excited about this piece. For one, I really take my time on the larger ones, I get to do more detail and its a cummulation of a lot of components I have tried in other pieces, lessons learned and a few new ideas. I have not done mountains, roads or fences yet.

Also in the works right now is a Cherry Blossom branch that I am currently frustrated with and ignoring until I come up with some brilliant plan.

Oh, I meant to share my typical tools. I don't rule anything out but my main tools and supplies, besides paper of course, are:

Paper punches (leaves and flowers)

Exacto knives (trees and detailed pieces)

Modge Podge (assemblage)

UV Acrylic Gloss (preservation)

Paint brushes (fine details and for applying water for torn fiber paper edges)

Acrylic paint (fine details)

water (thinning glue and wetting paper edges to be hand torn)