ELK: Next Step

I set out to add paint to my handmade paper elk, but it took me awhile to get up the courage to actually touch brush to paper. The medium I chose to use was coffe, for it's translucence and color. I used several other inks sparingly as well. 

When using a medium like coffe, where you are essentially "staining" the paper, it requires multiple layers (drying between) to build up color. I used very, very weak solution of my homemade gesso to add highlights to the antlers.

The background is artist's tissue I painted and stained to represent the light-filled meadow behind the Elk. There is a strip or two of moss as this Elk is grazing. Let me know what you think :-)