This is the second of the blank books I am working with to create a series using imagery of trees and birds. I don’t think this one is as successful as the first book and the more I look at the finished product the less I like it. The different elements don’t quite come together and the branches look like antenna sticking out of the top of the book. I think I will work on this one a bit more…

The cover image is another of my black & white tree photos taken with a Holga camera. I wanted to have the doorway cut directly into the trunk of the tree to create a sense of shelter for the nest inside. The two yellow feathers are from Yuuki the lovebird and the blue stone is actually a heart-shaped piece of beach glass I found on Bowen last year. The nest came fully formed from Michael’s craft store, where I went a few weeks ago looking for supplies.

After gluing the pages together with gel medium I used a drill through the top of the book to create holes for inserting the branches. It worked better to start with a small drill bit and slowly make the hole larger rather than starting with the correct size. The paper didn’t have much resistance against the larger drill bit and I had to be careful not to destroy the book in the process.

I really like adding a little “something” to the sides of the book as a finishing touch to break up the white space, and have used rubber stamps on the last two books.

Materials used: blank book, ink jet print of holga photo, gel medium, tree branches, lovebird tail feathers, nest, beach glass, acrylic paint, rubber stamp and ink, decorative paper, and door transparency.