Just a short little post about the wings. I intended to make one wing, with the cloth added before making the others, just to see if it will work the way I want. Of course I didn’t stick to my plan. I decided to make the top pair of wings. I painted the structure black after I finished. I’m pretty happy with the main structure of these wings. They aren’t as detailed as real dragonfly wings. I knew that would be impossible. But they are analogous to the wings of a dragonfly. That’s all I was shooting for. I’m happy with them, happy enough at least to continue the project.
Next, I have to cover them with cloth. I bought two different kinds of cloth to experiment with. First is this purple-ish colored, sheer kind. I have no idea how purple it will be with only one or two layers. We’ll see.
Then I have this iridescent, clear-ish cloth. Again, very cool in many layers.
Here is a close-up of this cloth. Very cool. Still, I’ll have to play around with both to see how each looks over my wing structure. I’ll let you know.
I’m working on the lower pair of wings now. Eddie saw the camera and wanted to say “hi”.
This is as far as I’ve gotten on this pair. I am happy with the bamboo. I think it gives the organic look I wanted.
More later. Thanks for stopping by!
Gourmet Paper Mache Blog 
Looks good so far, Dan! Your fabric looks great. I have noticed that working with these sheer fabrics can be quite different from cloth sheets. While working on the Leo dragon, I have found that it works easier to run glue on the covered wire frame first and then lay the dry cloth over it. I found that doing both sides gives better color so I turn the wings over when it is dry and then repeat the process on the other side. Afterwards I take a brush and brush glue (might want to thin it a bit) over the entire wing. When it is partially dry I press it around all the ribs and make sure it has glue where I am going to cut. Draping sheer fabric when it is wet I find kind of difficult because they shift where you don’t want them to go once they are wet.
Anyway, just a suggestion. I’m sure you will figure out what works best for you. Can’t wait to see it! 🙂
Thanks for the advice Diane! I will take all that into consideration when I do the cloth on these.
Nice detail on the wings. These are going to be really nice, I’m sure. Can’t wait to see them when they are all done.
Thanks Lori! You are always very sweet. These wings are taking forever. Hopefully this will pick up some steam and I’ll get moving faster. I have a couple other irons in the fire that are distracting. I’ll let you in on those at some point. See you
They are wonderful!!!! Can’t wait to see the whole ‘Fly”.
Date: Mon, 4 May 2015 23:12:47 +0000 To: dianesorensen@hotmail.com
Thanks again Diane. I’m enjoying this one. Good luck on your new projects.
Whoa. These are amazing!
Thank you Sandra!
Hi Dan!
Two things:
We’ve missed you and this is already looking like it’s going to be something reeeeaaaaally special!!
Hey Nacho. Thank you for the comment. Glad you like the wings so far. About time…it gets more elusive the older I get. It seems at times that everything is conspiring to keep me from my art. But I’m launched (on two projects) and feeling good. I just have to remember to post more often, to show progress in smaller steps. Hope all is well with you.
Awesome! Glad they’re working out. Oh, and hi Eddie 🙂
Thank you! And Eddie says hi, or maybe he just wants food…not sure.
they look so real!! [?]
That’s nice of you to say Elaine! At least it’s good enough to go forward. Take care
Your wings are going to be beautiful, Dan. The bamboo is just right for the shapes and I’m sure will be stunning when covered.
Thanks Carol! Of course the second pair are looking much better. Should have them done soon. Then I can start on the other parts. Yeh! Talk to you later.
Love the cat.
I’ll let Eddie Know! Thanks!
They’re gorgeous! I love your work 🙂
Thank you Sarina! I just finished the structure of the bottom pair. Time to move on.
Thank you Dan. I think I speak for everyone who has watched one of your videos, read one of your posts, bought one or more of your books, and especially people who have created a project. You put a lot of time and effort into making your videos, books, and responding to questions and comments on your videos. The list could go on and on about what to thank you specifically for, but to sum it up, thank you for everything.
Well, this is just a wonderful note. I’m so flattered. To hear this makes all the work worth while. I do enjoy sharing what I love. It is supremely satisfying to hear that a video or book inspires someone to do art. I know that doing my art “feeds” me the right way. I’m so pleased to hear that others are experiencing that same joy. Thank you so much! You made my night! And you made me realize that I must get another post on here soon.
No rush to get a new post out here, posting quality updates is more important than posting a lot of lower quality updates in my opinion. But do whatever suits your fancy. Keep making amazing works of art!
Well thanks. I never know how much progress I need to make before posting. I’m almost done with the wings. I’ve been experimenting with the different types of cloth. Maybe I’ll show how each turned out.
Take care