It Is Done

I'm feeling the empty nest syndrome.  My little birds flew away today.  It was really hard to let them go;  I've really become attached these last few weeks.  They are very much filled with my soul.

 I promised to take you through the process.  I've left out a few pics, but you'll be glad, because this is going to be a very looooooonnnngggg post.  I started with this sketch, and these shoes.   I started the process back here, and next I put on several coats of Lumiere paint.

I pierced the front of the shoes and inserted copper wire that served two purposes; it formed the beaks, but I left it long to use as a hanger during drying times.  I used Delight Paperclay to form the front of the face, moving into the beak area.

Before I ever started and as I went through the process, I spent a lot of time simply thinking about it.  Most of my work is two dimensional, and the process is entirely different. The 3D requires more thinking ahead and planning; each step builds on the one before it.   When you are making a painting, if you put on a layer of paint that doesn't work, you scrape the paint off, or paint over it.  You can even start with a totally blank canvas and just start painting to see where you end up.  But if you are making a sculpture and you suddenly realize that you've been sewing all the feathers on a wing in the wrong direction... well you have to take every single one off and start again!  That whole abstract thinking thing can be difficult for me at times.  If I had any ability to think ahead, I never would have married my first husband.

I cut out feathers from pages of an old book, and I painted them.  I made piles and piles of feathers.

I started gluing them on the shoes and I would soon run out.  So I would make more piles of feathers.  It was like they were disappearing or something.  I kept having to go back and make more and more and more.

I originally was going to sew every feather on.  I was able to think ahead enough to realize that that would hurt.  It also would be fairly impossible to sew them onto the front part of the shoe, as it's made with several layers of paperboard pressed together to make the shoes hard.  So I used E6000 glue, which is a good glue, but can be frustrating.  Especially when the back end explodes and shoots glue all over your favorite sweater.  It may have been an old crappy sweater, but it was my favorite.

I started at the back and worked my way forward with the feathers.  I took them most of the way towards the front of the shoe, then used paint and Golden heavy gel medium.  I think there is some light molding paste in there too.

I decided to use an old book for the base.  I couldn't find a blue or green one like I wanted, so I painted the red one blue.  Then I used Mod Podge to seal it shut.  Oh, and I didn't like the title, so I put light molding paste of that and wrote my own title in it.

For the wings, I used the Paperclay to make, more or less, a bone.  I covered that with a piece of silk dupioni (you can see it up above in the picture with all the paper feathers).  I sewed the wing feathers onto the silk.  I sewed the wings onto the bodies (it hurt), and used more of the silk to cover the shoe opening.  I had some silk fiber that I used to embellish that area and added it to the wings for downy feathers.  I drilled a couple holes in the book, filled them with more E6000, and inserted the shortened beaks.

Creating these birds, especially as I sewed the wings, I could feel them taking on life and personality.  I had to be so careful while I was sewing, because the paper feathers were very delicate.

Finally, I added a big red flower that I sewed from silk, with wire inserted to give the petals some form.  I used yellow silk fibers for the center of the blossom.

And there they are.  I must say I am quite pleased with myself;)