Baby Blast

cut paper / illustration board

Blast from the past, that is. Every technique and style has to start somewhere, and “Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater” was pretty close to the beginning for me. Even though I had been using cut paper for a while before I did this piece, I had always been combining it with other mixed media; pen/ink or acrylics or scratchboard. “Baby” was one of the first fully cut paper pieces.

Sadly, not long after I scanned it, I managed to drip a big blot of black ink smack dab into the middle of the green. Knowing what I know now, there’s a chance I could repair it. Back then, the best I could do was shrug and file it away.

It’s been a long time since I looked at this piece, and what surprises me most is to see the beginnings of my current style here. Granted there are no odd critters (well, babies are kinda odd…) or parasitic trails of smoke, but the dynamic movement, the decorative spirals, and the weird little details are all there. Personally, I still dig the teensy little fingers and toes.

Illustration Friday