As embodied artist I always had this dillema: if I do the usable item, and use a craft techniques, but still I deeply desire to create singular objects- should I call it ART or CRAFT. or Art craft? So, I execute the design with the best possible way using all my crafty skills though -which is in my very nature- I follow the flow. The result is often very surprising and I have this on the back of my head-why I didn’t make it maybe simplier? Probably that is why I really appreciate word Artificer, because i might feel like kind of invertor as I,m not following the whole rules of decent leathercrafts so I cannot be called leatherworker really… Lets go to the point. In article HERE I was exploring a bit the topic of pet bookmarks, so it seems to be like I will continue the topic, but a bit from the OTHER side.
Short story long:My luck that in very challenging time for me some people from IG community shows very emphatetic support, which seriously helped me a lot. I decided that for that one, so selflessly involved person I will make a special thank you gift. I already knew that this person read books and also Is a huge cat lover. I collected photos of her beloved, study it- 3 cats no joke, it a task level -pet portrait ) to proceed my intention. Personally, I’m not a fan of big bookmarks. So in this case the biggest possible area for portrait would be about 3x4cm.. I wouldnt call it a miniature still this was quite a challenge.
In past times I did many types of bookmarks and it revealed one single rule which will end up as a full sucess ONLY if I can make something: unusual/customized/personalized with animal, letters, specific and difficult motif… I will put in it all my heart and skills to create it- if simply the item could be anyhow an art and not repeatable craft XD.
Sounds wonderful but it complicates making process though. I could make if maybe faster with no fuss…Obviously that I could. But -usually if I have to keep it plain and repeatable my brain just going to sleep. So after tracing prepared draft of basic motifs on veg tanned leather I was already ready to have a nap. The only way to make myself be excited about usable item is to fr possible unique (:D!) . So I started to think about cats names names and how to compose it. I allowed my hands to do what they want (yes, I do artwork this way) and turn off the judgmental mind the whole new idea appeared. And I had this good feeling that I know how to customized those bookmarks for their future owner.
From this point evrything appeared so quickly. If I would decide to design the whole bookmarks at the stage of linear art on the paper this would never turn this way. Why? Because I am inspired by medium, by shades of leather , how leather dye deeper the tones. and you make a general design just to transfer the main idea what you doing. The creating process in this case is almost until last layer of paint on the object,