Frankenstein portrait

Well the lockdown is stretching out far longer than I imagined. I am finding creating and gardening are making it bearable. The weather here in Ireland is still surprisingly sunny. I dont do hot weather so I neglected the garden today and went to the attic where the breeze it cool and I can still hear those lovely summer sounds. Ive been playing with lots of textures using paste, stencils and distress crayons - more Tim Holtz Live prompts.

He uses Idea-ology frames in lots of his demos. I love the look of them but I am always more tempted by inks and stamps when I shop. The packs of frames seem expensive in the UK and I think I would be too tempted to hoard rather than use them. I do have an old disintegrated photo album which has old frame windows. I took the plunge this week and covered it in paste and crayon. I had no idea what I might do with it when I started out. When it was finished I decided I wanted to frame the anatomised head. I cut  the page into two and got out one of my favorite stamp sets, "Cadaverous," yes they are all my favorites. I love the anatomised head and he does remind me of Frankenstein. I also used a prompt from an ephemera pack and made an advertisement for an old imaginary bookshop window, propped up infront of stacks of leather bound dusty books. Everyone creates in a different way often what I make is based on a story in my head.

The backgrounds for the stamped images were made with mixed media paper. I sprayed a little  distress ink stain in frayed burlap and antique paper and then spritzed it with water and blotted the centre to create space for the foot and head.

The images were stamped with embossing ink and embossed with walnut stain glaze and then watercolored with reinker. It makes it easy to wash colour over an image. the gloss repels the ink and it settles into the white spaces.

As well as using the album pages for the first time I used some tiny 'mini metal fasteners' screw heads to attach the booksellers sign. I didn't do much to the images as the frame was so textural and colourful. I left the images simple and understated.

I loved the way the crackle paste worked along with the distress crayons it was fun to do and so forgiving if you dont like a colour it just wipes off and it blends beautifully. There are lots of oil/wax colouring sticks Gelatos, Scribble Sticks and others but these are a joy to blend with and the colour stays perfectly vibrant. I love using them.

My garden will get attended to tomorrow but today I enjoyed the studio. Hope you are all enjoying your creative space and your gardens! Thanks for visiting and stay safe and creative xox

I think this qualifies as a "A Man Thing," as that is the theme over at Simon Says Stamp this week I am linking up with their Monday Challenge.

I am also linking up with Creative Artiste's Challenge which is Anything Goes.

Shrine to female botanists

I posted the tag accordion last night just after midnight so it looks like I have been super prolific today! I made this today but I am still thinking of nature themes. I wanted to join in with A Vintage Journey this month. I started with a stamp. I love this thoughtful looking Victorian woman surrounded by fossils and plants. She reminds me of all those amazing lady botanists who never gained recognition for their work but whose discoveries lie demurely hidden within the publications of many famous male botanists. Like Ellen Hutchins who is considered the first female botanist in Ireland, or Jeanne Baret a botanist who was the first woman to sail around the globe. if you are interested in finding out more about them I have put links below. The sentiment I settled on was by Richard L Ratliff:

"I tend the flowers of my mind
Watering our memories as they bloom"

These words seemed perfect for all those women who persevered in developing their minds and enriching their lives despite the way women in those days were discouraged from taking their 'work' seriously. Once I had settled on this subject and stamp. I wanted to make a sort of shrine to these inspiring ladies. My husband cut out three base pieces for me in plywood and I cut three sheets of book paper to use as my background papers.

I had great fun dipping the paper in puddles of distress ink and infusions to create three backgrounds. I used my lovely new stencil by Sheena Douglass. I used some crackle paste on the left panel. On the right hand panel I use Paperartsy grunge paste.

this image is of the finished panel

The centre panel I simply used for the stamped image. While these dried off I stained my base panels with a dark brown distress stain and then some Distress metallic stain. I ended up covering this up later!

I used Washi tape to create hinges for the shrine.

I stamped the fossil lady onto the centre piece with black archival ink and added a bit of the tree branches from a Tim Holtz tree stamp onto the right panel to balance the strong black out a little. While everything was drying I printed out my sentiment with the computer and tore it into strips. I coloured these pieces in puddles of wet distress ink and edged them with a little brown distress so they would blend into the background a little. Once all the ink and paste was dried I glued on my decorated papers and  the sentiment pieces. I added rock candy crackle paint pretty much all over. You can see it created a great shine and texture. It also intensified the colours of the ink which were quite dingy when I first inked the paper.

I finished off the edges with treasure gold because lets face it a shrine has to have a little gold.

I just made it in time to join in with A Vintage Journey for their July Challenge  Get Sentimental
Im also going to join in with Love to create who say Anything Goes this month Challenge #10

Products Used:
Stamps - Paperartsy Ink & the Dog Collection A6 Petals Plate 3 and Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz Regal Findings
Stencil - Sheena Douglass Wild Foliage
Sizzix Tim Holtz movers and shapers dies -  Mini Vintage Cabinet Card
Treasure Gold Renaissance
Distress ink - Crushed Olive, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Spiced Marmalade, Shabby Shutters, Gathered Twigs,
Paperartsy Infusions in Rusty car
Paperartsy Grunge paste
Deco Art Crackle paste
V&A Floral Washi tape
Tim Holtz Rock Candy crackle paint
Tim Holtz Distress stain in Ground Espresso and Antiqued Bronze
Book pages from an old book on fly fishing

If you are interested you can read more about Ellen Hutchins here and Jeanne Baret here