cottingley inspired fairies

This has to be one of the cutest projects I have ever done with children. It took on a life of it's own that only children can bring to the table.

One of the summer camp themes was focused on fairies and other folklore surrounding magical creatures. While researching project ideas, I decided to create one around the Cottingley Fairies, some photographs that have intrigued me since I was young.

I figured the children would enjoy the story surrounding these very famous pictures created by some mischievous girls who just wanted to play in the creek, much to their mothers' chagrin.

The children started by creating their own fairies using a heavy watercolor paper and liquid watercolor. I kept reminding them that it was important they keep arms, hair, and wands close to the body or not make them too thin in order to make sure things wouldn't break off once cut out.

We then took the fairies and a lone gnome to the woods to create our own fairy pictures. And this is when something magical happened with the children, like only kids can do, their imaginations took over and the fairies and little gnome seemed to really come to life as they composed and then sat for their pictures.

Fairies were fluttering amongst the tree branches as a little girl said hello. A young girl I might add who took composing this photo very seriously in hopes her picture would become just as famous as those of the young girls in Cottingley a hundred years ago.

A boy stopped to have a conversation with a gnome that happened to be walking by.

He had such a good time setting up several other photos of the gnome we had happenstance upon in the woods.

Fairies were hiding in the ferns.

And sneaking up on children to sprinkle a bit of magic dust on them.

The fairies were even sharing huckleberries with the kids.

Fairies became best friends with girls who were best friends and posed for one last requested photo together before it was time to leave the woods.

And they seemed sad to see it was time for us to leave and go back to the studio at the end of the morning, following us out of the woods. 

What a special morning we spent in the woods.

What a really humbling morning it was for me to get to be apart of the imaginative and magical world  only children can create. An amazing reminder of just how lucky I am to get to do this job for a living.