However, well over a year ago I began a handmade book with said title and in an effort to tackle my WIPs, crochet, knit and otherwise, I unearthed the box from the closet containing this little art piece with the hopes that I could actually attempt to work on it again.
Beginning at the beginning, I came up with the idea for this book after making this Chinese dragon inspired puppet from my felt scraps...
I sewed this guy entirely by hand and, oh, embellished him with a bit of embroidery too.
After finishing the dragon I thought I would create a cast of characters to accompany him. Having always been a fan of shadow puppet theater I assembled a small army of these guys...
I figured the dragon would benefit from having a few friends into the martial arts. I even embellished each of these flat guys with a bit of thread...
After having made of these puppets I thought it might be cool to detail these characters' adventures in an artist book. So, I busted out my paint, brushes, plethora of collage materials and got started. Thus far, I've only completed two pages.
For page one I painted an acrylic likeness of my dragon and placed him atop a composition made up of more paint and collaged ephemera (including my LadyLinoleum avatar, which by the way is a Photoshopped pic of me when my coif was much shorter).
In addition to paint and collage, I also utilized sewing as an element on this page. I really like sewn paper for it is a reminder to me of book-making processes past. In addition, I attached the painted dragon's head to his painted body with a small brad (see the center of his mouth) further alluding to his puppet origins.
My head on a spike...
Page two consists of more paint, collage and more Photoshoppery...
I began painting the ground for page three this morning. I don't know what's in store for the rest of this tome, but I can tell you that I'm enjoying the process of working with these materials, and anyway, I need to give my hands a rest from holding hooks and needles.
Happy Sunday everyone!
Copyright 2007 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.
