Bird post cards - part one

 

Quite a few years ago, I bought a whole bunch of little trading cards with birds on eBay that were originally distributed in boxes of Arm & Hammer baking soda.  I didn't have any specific idea what I was going to do with them, other than just look at them!  Like many people, I've had a long-term fascination with birds, and I have lots and lots of "favorite" species depending upon the time of year and who happens to be visiting my feeder.  Nuthatches, chickadees, and gold finches are all favorites that continue to be favorites year round for various reasons.

Now I think I might know what these cards will be used for, not physically, but inspirationally.  I've been wanting to make another series of fabric post cards but haven't been sure exactly what the topic would be.  I think what I'm going to do is use these cards to inspire some drawings (oh, ouch!) of birds that I will use to create some small layered fabric post cards in a manner similar to these fruit quilts that I was obsessed with before:  Tomato Quilt and Pear Quilt.  Jane Sassaman, from whom I learned this basic technique, calls it "abstracting from nature".

So it's time to start drawing, not something that I'm particularly comfortable with!

Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four

Copyright 2011 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

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