The 90th day of my 90 Day Art Challenge is finally here. It feels like I started this challenge just yesterday, but by the same token, it feels like I’ve been doing this for a long time.

The growth I’ve seen from my first piece to what I am creating now, is definitely evident. I feel like my pieces have so much more depth and are a lot more detailed. Overall, they are a lot more professional looking, in terms of the execution.

Keep reading to see what I worked on these last 15 days and to find out what I have planned next.

Day 76 – March 17, 2018

I remade the dress, to give it more folds and a bit more detail. I also remade the face and started planning out what the hair will look like. The hair is what’s given me the most trouble in the past, along with the head scarf.

Day 77 – March 18, 2018

I decided to tackle the hair today. I’ve always found making hair with texture out of paper to be hard. Especially, when it is shorter hair that is curly. I tried different configurations, but I wasn’t pleased with any of the short ones. I finally decided to make her hair longer, but to keep it white.

Day 78 – March 19, 2018

I worked on adding more layers to the hair to give it texture. I wanted it to look as if her hair was swept back. I am a lot more pleased with the overall look of the character after making this change.

 

Day 79 – March 20, 2018

I added a clip to her hair. I remade her face (I wasn’t pleased with the old one). Then I made her eyes, eyelids, ears, and added some details to her face. I think once I add the rest of the details and wrinkles, she will look like an older woman.

Day 80 – March 21, 2018

I added more wrinkles to the face, finished the mouth, then separated some of the hair pieces and fingers (by cutting between the strands and fingers) to make them look more realistic. Then I attached the head to the body. Finally, I attached the Tree Woman to the piece. I am a lot more pleased with the overall look of the light box. I feel like making those changes to the Tree Woman, really made a huge difference.

Day 81 – March 22, 2018

I started working on the Into the Woods Light Box again. I began working on a new child. I want them to look creepy, but cute. I also want to add as many layers as possible on smaller surface areas, which can be a challenge. Deciding on the size of the dolls is difficult too, because I want to make sure they match the background in terms of size.

Day 82 – March 23, 2018

I detached the eyes and added a clear orange paper in the back to have them glow when the light is on. I also made sure to paint pupils. I glued all the pieces together and added details to the face, dress, and hair. I am not too pleased with the details, they look too smudgy and messy. I might decide to go in a different direction.

Day 83 – March 24, 2018

I began working on the little girl’s mask and I also worked on some bats and a crow. I want to add little touches on the trees to give the light box more of a creepy vibe.

Day 84 – March 25, 2018

I wanted to give more texture to the ground and the trees, so I decided to create a moss like effect. I drew random shapes on green paper. Initially, I thought it might be easier to cut out the brown part and add a green layer of paper on the bottom, but moss grows on top of the ground, so the effect was likely to look odd. So I decided to stick with this plan.

Day 85 – March 26, 2018

I cut out the green mossy bits from the paper. It took a lot longer than I thought it would take, but I’m hoping it will pay off in the end. I just want to make sure I am pushing myself and adding more detail to my pieces. (I did not take a picture of the green scraps of paper for today.)

Day 86 – March 27, 2018

I glued the green pieces of paper and I am really pleased with the way it looks. I think it still needs a bit of work to give it more texture and depth, but, overall, I am happy I went in this direction.

Day 87 – March 28, 2018

I added a bit of shading and shadow effects to the trees to give them more depth and dimension. I also began outlining the pieces of moss to also give them more depth. It still needs more work.

Day 88 – March 29, 2018

I finished this layer by adding more dark and light to the trees and also adding a bit more dark to the mossy bits. I am so happy I decided to add these little details, I feel like it brings the piece to life a bit more.

Day 89 – March 30, 2018

I worked on the second layer with the trees and added shading to the trees and a bit of mossy bits to the areas that were visible behind the top layer.

Day 90 – March 31, 2018

I colored the foreground with markers. I added more depth to the dirt area and to the mossy bits. I think it improved the piece substantially. I also created a new character that will be lurking in the woods. She is far from complete, but it’s a start. I will be creating quite a few characters. The previous two that I created will most likely not be included in the final piece.

Week 11 and 12 REVIEW

I am so thrilled that I decided to create this personal challenge. I was able to create three light boxes that I absolutely love and that helped me grow as a paper artist.

I faced a lot of obstacles along the way, but in the process, I learned so much. I also pushed myself to try new techniques and to create things that initially felt like they were more advanced than what I was capable of. Overall, this challenge was an amazing learning experience.

What’s Next

After the 90 days, I don’t feel that I am done with paper art. I love the medium so much and I’ve decided to partake in the Instagram #AprilArtChallenge created by @Bybun. I will continue to work with paper art and create more light boxes using the prompts as guides. I also plan on posting a blog every day for the month of April.

Make sure you follow my blog so that you can get more info on the process and creation of the light boxes.

Wish me luck!

Make sure you check back and follow me on Instagram (@WhimsicalStoryBooks) to get sneak peeks, updates, and opportunities to win some of my art.