Quilled Cardinal

One of my other major interests is quilling. It is an ancient craft, nearly 500 years old. Basically it is thin pieces of paper rolled around a pin and shaped. I am doing a quilled 'painting' of a cardinal. I will share it with you as I work on it so you can see how it can come together from little pieces of paper.

This is the beginning. I took an acid-free magazine backing board (similar to hot press board) and did a simple watercolor to tone the background. I then transferred my design to the board to use as a guide.

I then took 1/8" wide paper strips and began the quilling.

1. The beak is done with an orange triangle and an orange marquise. I just guessed at the length of the strips to make them fit the outline of the beak.
2. The eye is a 4" black strip glued to a 2" white strip. I made a tight circle starting at the black end of the strip.
3. The black mask is made of 2" marquises. This is to make sure to properly fill in the mask area. I fit the eye in place at this time.

I will share my progress and instructions as I go along. It will not be every day, but at major stages in creation.