Sacred Fire- A Quilling Project

This is my latest IB Art project! It's called Sacred Fire because...well quite frankly because it's a Phoenix. The general idea of this was supposed to sort of look Japanese. This pattern I entirely improvised as I went, basically just going with the way the paper wanted to form, and deciding where to place it to greatest effect.

I was surprised actually how many people knew about this art form, called Quilling or Twirled Paper. Basically, you use a pen-like tool with a slot in its tip (where the nib would be) and thread the end of thin strips of coloured paper into it. You then twirl it in your hands to make it into a roll. When you take it off you can choose to let it unwind a bit and make it looser and/or form it into any shape you desire using your fingers. There are actually a lot of quilling patterns out there! Check it out! Unfortunately, I haven't seen quilling paper sold in Canada yet...but I had quite a stock from my visit to the States last March Break. Almost ran out of red, though.