My subject also had different colours in their coat, so the hunt for suitable shades in the local newspaper, had me cutting out the same segment multiple times. It had to be just the right shade, or it looked odd and ruined the subtly.
Click to enlarge
I'm not entirely happy with it, but I wonder if it's only because it didn't conform to the image I had in my head. Perhaps it works in its own way? It was meant to be a patchwork cat after all.
But I learned a lot from this particular gruelling challenge too. It's worth looking for just the right image and shade to create an illusion of depth or reflective surfaces.
Closer view
The shadow of my cat, came from a ceiling in a hall for a community meeting. It had some fancy lighting which reflected off the white roof. This gave my shadow, a more luminous quality, that wouldn't have been so with a flat colour or just newsprint.
This was a wonderful discovery, worth the hair pulling at times.
Most of this picture is collage, with only the front of the face and front leg - a little back-leg outlining too, in watercolour pencil.
I'm glad I went for it when the opportunity arose. It was intimidating me somewhat, because I didn't know exactly how to make it work. Yet now I have something to show for moving forwards and have learned a little more about collage too.
The only way I'm going to improve my art, is by making mistakes and happy discoveries, all at the same time!
