Unusual and novel guest book requests…Part 1

Sometimes I get a challenge come through into my email box….."would it be possible for you to paint x with x and get it to me in 24 hours half way round the world!" What was at first a bit of oooooo and what a great idea often hits the realism fan…….
I create art, it takes preparation, messaging details, compositional ideas, color matching requests, wording and layout ideas, and then finally painting, detailing, adding little final request touches, sending proofs, packing, wrapping, post office runs and mailing time……so often the answer is no and I feel a bit negative, one for letting someone down…but more that people don't grasp that artwork takes time and hard work, love and attention. It is not just print out and send.

Sometimes though I get a request that ticks all the boxes, and it is super exciting to create something new. It's a bit nerve racking when you send the final proof though, and I hope to holy mackerel that what I have created fits the ideas of the person.

So here are some of my alternative fingerprint guest books that were created on those requests:

One of the first was for Erin and Mike ( I will link later to a fab wedding blog that featured their handmade wedding (mostly by Erin by the way). What a beautiful setting on her parents christmas tree farm!

Erin came to me with a very unusual request for a fingerprint guestbook. At first I thought this might be for a birthday party, but the more info I got the more I realised this was for a wedding, making the request more unusual……but truly individual and quirky and meaningful for them……..

Erin had some great ideas, but the more we played with ideas and initial sketches, on an angle, with twisted strings etc……we decided that really the simpler the better, and it gave in the end to a clean image that didn't have distractive elements or background to it.

So here is the Old British police call box painted in water colour.

And the finished fingerprint guest book ready for all the wedding guests to leave their fingerprint as balloons to help the police call box fly…see the little shadow underneath.

 Here are some more pics from Erin and Mike's wedding go and take a look as they were featured here on this great wedding blog: http://www.onestylishbride.com/real-weddings/stonehaven-farm-wedding-erin-mike/

A big round of applause to Erin who made nearly all the hand made elements of her wedding. And congratulations on their wedding.