3 of Hearts collage

Yes, I admit I have a problem. I really like flamingos! I don't know why exactly. Though the color is wonderful, and the seeming of gawkiness is endearing. They are different, but wonderful in their difference. Do I connect personally to this? Maybe, maybe. Meanwhile, I'll keep making collages with vintage flamingos and enjoying their beautiful gawky graceful differences!

Pink!

I think I have a "thing" for flamingos. I've been noticing a strange attraction toward them as I wander in antique stores & peruse Ebay. And now they seem to be littering my paper & computer files as well! Is it their wonderful color? Or the fact that they have those weird long legs? Or is it because it's cold now? The last one can't be totally true, 'cause this fascination started back before it got cold. Okay, I just realized as I typed this, that the other animal (yeah, I know the flamingo is a bird) I like the best & have for years is a ... wait for it... Giraffe! Both gawky, weird looking creatures. Should I be making the next available at the therapist's?

You may have noticed that there is no explanation of the collage today. Well, after much hard thinking, I decided that wasn't the direction this needed (or I wanted) to go. If there's a question, I'll try to answer it. Sometimes, there is a few days between the time I make a collage and the time I post it. And sometimes there is longer than that if I start & stop. Which can happen a lot if I hit a wall on something & move on & then come back. Then it's hard to remember what exact steps I've taken. So, rather than not putting anything on, I'd rather put my pieces up here with just a bit about them maybe, Maybe! And whatever else is on my mind. Within reason, of course. So, that's the new, gawky steps I'm taking. Just so you know, I'm well versed at falling & getting up again!

With a little help from my sister

Fun Flamingo Collage started with two photographs sent up from that nice warm state of Florida by my sister, Chrystal. She is a rather all-round adventurer who teaches kayaking. She is also a very good photographer who is doing me the honor of adding her photos to my collages. I just pluck out what I need, like the flamingo & the beautiful flower, and see what comes next. Actually, the flamingo was sitting on a wooden table against the orange stucco house. She had told me about it, & I liked the color combo so much, asked her to take the pic. I got rid of the wooden table by erasing & adding other sections of the wall. I then used the smudge tool to blend in the seams. I added the flower which I had pulled from a larger pic, rotated & enlarged it. Then set it between two layers of the flamingo with out the orange background. I added shadows to both. I used a piece from Leonardo da Vinci for the graphic behind the flower, which I color burned. I grabbed the dark color from that and added the F, which I enlarged & squished a little. On the left, I snipped a piece of a Dover art deco poster, enlarged it, used a soft light on it, then added a gradient to it. The bottom is a small side bit from an ancient astronomy piece Dover has. I enlarged it, then used multiply in the layers mode. I had to mask it & brush over it, as it had a white portion to it, & I wanted the orange to show through. Finally, I added the stamp from some 1800's letters I have. I dropped the opacity down some & gave it a small shadow. And there you have it , Fun Flamingo.