Fables de la Fontaine. Book in Progress (post 2)
Today is when I share my little secret with you. It’s my favorite source of visual reference ever. On the pages of this book I get to see detailed pictures of many well-known animals on planet Earth, plus some that you never hear of; like the Dardanus Pedunculatus or his cousin the Gecarcoidea Natalis (which is not related to my daughter Natalie).
But there are not only animals in this book, you will also see plants, rocks and anything found on our beautiful blue planet. This books is as heavy as a 9-moth-old-baby but I don’t mind carrying it around the house.
In terms of concrete work, apart from carefully studying my characters, reading the fables over and over again and visualizing all kinds of things, I’m cutting something as a test. I will share it tomorrow when I’m done. I want each illustration to be contained in a frame that will look like a theater, each one will be different. But I need to test the idea first in terms of colors and general shape. The best way to get the feeling of what I’m looking for is to do the real cut because a drawing doesn’t work as well.
Here is a little advance. At this point non of what I’m doing is final. This is the stage where I try to put my ideas in sync with reality. I’m dreaming but also trying to figure out all the practical aspects of this adventure.
Now let me tell you the one of the best parts of this book: This is going to be a pop-up book! Yay!! That’s one of the elements that excites me the most about this project. I have the honor and the luxury to be working with a professional paper engineer, her name is Julia Fröhlich and she’s based in Germany. Julia is as excited as I am about this project. She will make possible for this book to have dimension. What I’m envisioning is for each illustration to raise up from the background when you open the page. That way the theater scene in each page will be more alive. It’s going to be wonderful and fun to look at. I see the theater frame raising up together with the characters in a gentle movement as the background stays immobile on the back. I know that it’s going to be great 
Now, before I go back to work I want to finish this post by saying that I’m so happy, happy, happy! I’m so grateful with life!. When I feel this happy I like to remember the dark times from my past, all those dark days when I was living in a tiny hot burning place accompanied by my poor friends the cockroaches. It wasn’t easy at all to get here but here I am, living my dream of being an artist, using my imagination, creating my art and doing things that bring a little bit of light into other people’s lives. I feel so complete! Thanks a lot for being there with me, I feel really lucky
Read Post #3 Start from the beginning
And I feel lucky to be a witness on your journey, reading your thoughts and seeing your work grow.
You’re right, that is a fabulous reference book. I had to give “my” copy back to the library, but it’s on my wish list for my own library. = )
Thanks a lot Elizabeth!
Hey Jamie,
Isn’t that book the best?!
Oh Elsita – everything about this looks wonderful and I know that the pop-up will add yet another exciting dimension to your already incredible work. Thank you so much for sharing the process.
YAY. It is wonderful and I’m so happy with you.
I’m even more in love with this book now! I adore pop up books and get so sad that they are hard to find.
Yo doy las gracias por que tu estas allí, y porque yo te encontré!
Hello Elsa, What a fabulous book this will be. Can’t wait to see it!
your enthusiasm is catching.
a pop up of your beautiful cuts?
wonder-ous…
n♥
¡Qué lindo! y ¡qué complejo suena!
Muchas gracias por compartir e inspirarnos <3
Me encanta la mano de la esquina
Y el libro del Smithsonian, ojalá esté disponible en línea
(¡Hola Alice!
I can’t see wait to see this book. When I grew up we had one pop up book at home and it always seemed like magic to me, I remember browsing it over and over again. Now when I think about this kind of magic together with your fabulous paper cut…Wow,I am looking forward.
You are brilliant!!!
I can’t wait to see this book in its entirety! So excited to hear that will be a pop up book
Thanks for sharing titbits of your work in progress.
I can’t wait to buy my own copy one day…
B
I can feel your joy right through the post! How exciting to have found something you are so thrilled about. I’m looking forward to following along!
This is going to be the best book ever!!
I have to get myself a copy of that reference book! And of course of your book when it is finished
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thanks for giving a peek at the wonderful work you’re doing on the book.
I am constantly amazed with your talent and the qualities you have as a person.
love you
Great article, I think you covered everything there. . . I would say freelancing is quite hard especially if you are not used to working on your own, can be quite hard to motivate yourself also. . . we all know what it is like to stare at the monitor.
Bonjour, JE suis à la recherche de matériel dentaire, telque: Cire à modeler, dent résine et porcelaine, alginate, etc. 100Z