Paper Cutting: "PopDisaster" WIP

I wasn't going to post anything about this one because the pictures I took were so crappy, but I took some of the yellow out of them from the overhead lights and I guess they will do for a work in progress post.

I like doing paper cuttings in one day if I can because the longer they sit around the more likely I am to tear them or warp the delicate parts with my carelessness. I'm actually a little embarrassed about how long I let this one sit, and sure enough, when I picked it up to work on it last night there were splashes of white paint on the working side. Considering my easel is set up about 4 feet from the place where I store unfinished pictures, I must have worked really hard to get paint across the room. Upon closer inspection, there is also paint on my closet doors. I suck at not making messes. It could have been worse I guess, the paint could have been on the other side and messed up the piece entirely... oh well.

So, here are two side by side shots of the parts that I have finished so far.

I don't know what I'm going to fill the background with yet. I was thinking of doing newsprint with crazy headlines or something. Really, I just want any excuse to make it more complicated so I can feel like I've actually accomplished something. I don't know if this constant desire to make things more difficult for myself is a good or a bad thing. I know less is more sometimes... but I can't seem to think that way.

I've already been planning the next piece, which knowing me I'll start before I finish this one. I think I'll do a hyper-realistic dragonfly over river water or something. I think all of the little cells on the wings would look pretty awesome cut out in dark paper. It's times like this that I wish I had a computer at home so I could look up reference materials on something other than my phone. Ooo! Or all of those National Geographic's that my Mom had been storing out in the shed! If only I had enough space to keep all the reference materials I've had my hands on over the years.