Plaid Peacock Installation Preproduction and Production

Back in November I offered to be the first artist to create a window display for our local consignment shop, the Plaid Peacock. I signed up for the month of February thinking that this would give me some time after the holidays to work on my idea.

 

I knew that I really wanted to make a large paper cut to hang in the window but I wasn't sure how it was all going to work so I made a small 8.5 x 11 mock up of my idea.

The window is around 71 inches high and about 85 inches wide with another smaller window to one side. The first thing I did was to cut butcher paper the size of the window and so I could see how large my peacock needed to be. (Oliver really liked helping me with this part.) I quickly realized I would not be able to easily obtain a sheet of paper large enough to make the peacock out of one piece.

So I came up with a new plan to cut the peacock into three parts. In an ideal hanging situation, each part would be spaced just a little behind the other giving it some dimension. In the end though, we ended up hanging everything from one large curtain rod.

Using tracing paper I started to refine my bigger shapes and add more detail.

I transfered the pencil from the tracing paper onto the final white paper and started cutting out the shapes. I chose a two ply white paper which is very strong and flexible but it was not easy to cut.

2012 ServiceMaster by Harris Christmas Card

This is the Christmas card I created for ServiceMaster by Harris this past december. I used cut paper, markers, and colored pencils to render the office.

2012 Christmas Card

Happy New year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. I have a very good feeling about 2013, and I already have some projects in the works. In the meantime, there are couple of things left over from December I can share with you. 

This is the Christmas Card I designed for myself this year.  It is a mixed media illustration, rendered with markers, colored pencils, and cut paper. I am constantly trying to push my work towards the paradox of being both flat and dimensional and I think this piece is close to the effect I'm tying to achieve, but I can't quite decide. Also, while I was working on this card I had a brief moment where I wanted to quit my life as I know it and go buy a herd of reindeer. I think that moment has passed, for now :)

Cell Phone Knots

I made some charms as Christmas gifts this year and I taught myself how to tie a Pan-Chang knot.
This is the tutorial I followed if you want to make your own! Pan-Chang Knot

Sketch Binder

 

 

After I graduated from college I started keeping a sketch binder instead of a sketch book. It is great because I find myself scanning sketches a lot more and manipulating them in the computer, so I can just pop them out and then put them back in when I am done! I also have a second binder where I archive old sketches when I don't want them in my book anymore. 

Day of the Dead month

While Day of the Dead is traditionally only celebrated for one or two days, I celebrated for nearly a month! I just couldn't settle on one medium for my sugar skull design. I started with the felt pin, then made some paper skulls, and ended with Adobe illustrator to make my buttons, (which are available in my Etsy shop!)

Wedding Invitation Flowers

This past month I created two very special paper flowers based on wedding invitations. The first one (gold and white) was inspired by a friends wedding invitation and given as a gift to the happy couple. In the second flower, I used the insides of their wedding program and photocopies of their invitation for the peddles.

Birthday Stickers!

Thanks Everyone!

2012 Iowa State Fair Fine Art Exhibition

I am excited to say that my illustration "Working in Studio" was accepted into the 2012 Iowa State Fair Fine Art Exhibition. The Exhibition will run the 9th through the 19th so if you are planning to make a trip to the fair this year you can stop by and see it in person. 

The very cool framing was done by Van Doren's Custom Picture Framing.

Custom Paper Flower for Shelly Beach

Last week I was commissioned to make a special paper flower and crane earring set as a gift for the author Shelly Beach. I was asked if I could use some of the text from her books, Self-Talk to make the earrings and some of the pages from Precious Lord, Take My Hand for the book flower. This was my first time with a custom order and it was requested that I not harm the books themselves (normally I recycle book pages for the petals of the flowers) so it was a bit of a challenge. But I think that they turned out well, if I do say so myself :) 

 If you ever have a special project that you think I could handle don't be shy! Shoot me an e-mail and we can talk harris.caitlyn@gmail.com

2012 VBS Shirt

Westminster Presbyterian Church asked me if i could design a tee-shirt for this years Vacation Bible School and this is what I came up with. The animals are part of this years theme "Sonrise." I sketched the design out first and then finished it in Adobe Illustrator.

Recycled Pencils on Etsy

Good news! You can now buy some of my recycled pencils online!

I have gray, blue, green, and assorted sets for sale on my Etsy page.

Cute Monster Mugs

Remember the cute monster contest I entered awhile back? I didn't win but I did make some mugs!

Pottermost!

Have you had a chance to explore Pottermore yet? I have been pouring through it for the last couple of weeks and was inspired to do a little self portrait. Done with markers and cut paper.