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Behind the Scenes of My Two Hands Paperie Illustration Project

It’s so fun collaborating with other artists. So far this year has seen a lot of fun projects that I get to do with others.
I’m in the final revision process for the book I am illustrating for Cory Huff of The Abundant Artist. I just finished a project with Two Hands Paperie and I want to share my experience with you.
It’s been fun to photo document the process of making something. There was a steep but satisfying learning curve, but solving these kind of problems is fun for me.
In this photo essay, I hope to share some of that process with you. You may have seen some of these images from my Instagram feed.

The project: Full-spread illustration for Two Hands Paperie newsletter
The idea: Travel like an artist with my visual journaling capture process, Capture the Wow
My creative edge: What’s the point of view? How to lay out a pleasing page?
The deadline: June 18, 2015

Cynthia Morris art studio watercolor illustrator
I love being in my studio, so all the time it took to figure this project out was enjoyed. Even when I was clueless or insecure, I liked being engaged in this process of making something.

Cynthia Morris coffee
Espresso with almond milk and a smoothie start almost every day. Beverages are important to my work, as you will see.

Cynthia Morris art studio journal
I spend hours studying travel magazine layouts. I trace one in my notebook to see how complex yet clear a page can be.

Cynthia Morris Original Impulse collage watercolor illustrations atelier
I assemble sketches, illustrations, journal blessings and capture tools alongside studio scraps onto a page. This feels great to see different elements come together. I studied magazine journalism at university so this analogue mockup felt like a throwback to that time.

Time to get out of my head & studio and into the world. Off to Capture the Boulder Wow at my favorite people-watching café, Ozo. My travel kit, ideas to explore, a cappuccino....I love this artist life.
Time to get out of my head & studio and into the world. Off to Capture the Boulder Wow at my favorite people-watching café, Ozo. My travel kit, ideas to explore, a cappuccino….I love this artist life.

Cynthia Morris Capture the Boulder Wow
I saw so much in Boulder that day, and paused many times to savor it. My journal captured a lot of ideas that made it into the final project.

Cynthia Morris art studio blank page
Back at the studio, time to lay out the page. I tape four pieces of watercolor paper together and start sketching out ideas. Washi tape along the edges gives me a colorful border that I know will come off later.

Cynthia Morris illustration process
I spend a good deal of time penciling it in, laying things out on the page so I can see how everything works together.

Cynthia Morris illustrator
With the deadline a few days away, I have to commit. I start inking my favorite part – the Beverage Cycle wheel in the middle. These are my handy tools: pens, pencils, eraser.

Cynthia Morris Capture the Boulder Wow Two Hands Paperie
Many hours later, I completed the piece at Two Hands Paperie on the deadline. Ignore the color; the newsletter designer is going to add that in based on my blue tag notes. It felt so great to finish this!

Cynthia Morris artist art studio Denver
The next day, I cleared the studio desk for the next project. I realized the illustration for Two Hands Paperie wasn’t done. I think of at least 5 things to add or change. But it’s too late. I have to let it go and move on to the next project.

Want to Wow it up with me in Boulder this summer? I’m teaching a half-day Capture the Wow class in Boulder on Saturday July 25th. Space is limited so if you’d like to Wow it up with us, head over to Two Hands Paperie to register.