{Creative Process} How the new klt:mobile was made...

There is a new mobile design at klt:works and I am just thrilled about it. This idea has been kicking around in my brain for quite a while now- so it is very gratifying to finally have a finished product under my belt. This is just one of the many ideas in the works right now. My mind tends to move at a much faster pace than my fingers. Most of my studio time is spent filling orders, but every now and then, I sneak in new stuff to keep me excited. My hope is to offer a list of thread drawing characters to choose from - so a person could  choose their own story in a klt:mobile. I loved the idea of using my thread drawing for the floating images for a number of reasons. But having a mobile that is both high contrast (b&w) and modern in color & shape, is a big one (babies are said to see in b&w until they are 3 months). Maybe it is the art professor in me, but I thought that the creative process of how this mobile came to be might be an interesting thing to share.  So here we go....

Thread Drawing from elSage on Vimeo.

It all starts with drawings in thread. I know that I showed this video before, but it was in my first post and I really think it was just my mom who read it. Besides, it is the best way for me to describe how I draw in thread. This was a demo that I did for hutch studio. Most of the time,  a drawing would take a little longer (and I wouldn't have an audience either), but you get the idea. So this is how I created the squirrel, bird, owl, & nest for the klt:works tees, pillows, & now mobile. 

Once I have the images drawn, I take them to a local screen printer (that is 5 minutes away from my studio) and have them screen print my designs for me. It is Chris (not my husband, Chris) that is printing above- he is the one that has worked on a lot of  klt:works projects in 2010. I have been going to the same place for the last 4 years and consider the three of them, part of the klt:works team.

Then comes another fun part of the process, I get to pick out the fabrics for the back of the critters. You might remember me mentioning my love of Ink & Spindle fabrics in one of my Fabric Friday posts. I knew the minute I saw their fabrics, that I wanted to use them for my woodlands mobile (which I fondly think of as the Northwest mobile). I found this video on the Ink & Spindle blog and loved it. 

The last step is something that I really can't leave out. Chris makes all of the wood mobile structures in his little teeny shop area in the garage. He is literally wedged between piles of stuff & the car, when he works on his various house & klt:projects. He then heads upstairs to the klt:studio and methodically strings all of the critters on the mobiles - weighing them carefully with his gram scale from the ceramic studio. He puts the finishing touches on every single mobile that is made. I must pay tribute to those working hands above. Because without them, the mobiles would never be completed.

And that is how the new klt:mobile was made. Hope you enjoyed your creative process tour!  All in a day, right?