Making of my final piece

I've found an old wooden cupboard, approx. 70x40cm

I started off by polishing the surface of it's doors, to make them less shiny and more appropriate for painting and collaging.

Then, i collected wooden strips and cut them, so i could stick them onto the cupboard door to decorate it.

I sketched where the strips would be on the door, so i could be more precise.

Next, using wallpaper-glue i collaged a few layers pieces of old book pages onto the door. 

This type of glue was the best, because of how easy it was to apply it and it wasnt visible after it dried.

In some places, i collaged more layers on. This way it was more interesting and appealing.

On the inside of the cupboard i also put a layer of collaged book pages. Even though i wanted the inside and outside to look different, i decided it needed a linking element - like the collage.

The element making those different was colours: black on the outside, and light colours/white on the inside.

 

For the middle part, i decided that cardboard would be the most appropriate material - it was easy to craft/adjust/move it in the making process.

After getting all the measurements right, i cut out a hole in the middle of it (to put branches through it, which were the 3D element) and stuck wallpaper on, using collage in some places and paining over it with watercolour white paint, to make it more even colour.

 

I proceeded to draw my self-portrait onto it.

Next, i painted on the poem chosen by me on the inside of cupboard door.

I added more layers onto the bottom, added decorative dried flowers and put branches through the hole. 

The finished piece

Overall, the final outcome was a success. 

If i was to re-do it or had more time and materials however, i'd use wood instead of cardboard. This was a problem that i managed to solve by using an alternative material, saving time and resources.

In my work i was inspired by/used the style of a few artists, including joseph cornell (using a cupboard as a base for my work/being interactive), robert rauschenberg (combine painting elements) and margaret woods (style of drawing).