Shadow Box Dioramas at the Springs Preserve

Been working on gluing and constructing the dioramas I've been working on for months. As promised, I wanted to show you what I have been able to do so far today. Two more weeks till they are available at The Springs Preserve here is Las Vegas. They are being sold in their gift shop. EEK! No pressure!

Snips and Snails

They are constructed from color pencil drawings that I cut out and fold. The backgrounds are created from gouache paintings on thick watercolor paper. It has been fun to see the evolution as I experiment with different techniques. I hope you enjoy them!

Hummingbird with Hibiscus

Hummingbird with Red Yucca

Hummingbird Extravaganza!

So I went to the store last night to find half the frames were broken. This forced me to consider alternatives. I think I'm going to end up spray painting the black frames since they are too dark, but pleasantly surprised at how nice the white looks. Last night I had fun drawing Allen Hummingbirds. I think they are my new favorite. I just love their little face!

As soon as I am able to take a break from hummingbirds, I have been itching to draw some quail. I see them running around outside of my house and think they are the cutest. I can't help but smile when I see them scuttle by with their fleet of young.

Hummingbird Dioramas

The studio is filling up with hummingbirds!

Here is a peek at what I was up to this weekend. I have to confess that the watercolor backgrounds are my favorite part in making them. The puzzle of putting them together in the different layers and folding them to look more realistic comes in at a close second. I am running out of frames and need to go pick more up today after work. Fingers crossed for them being on sale!