Under the Sea

Wow, I can hardly believe we're already up to challenge #6 at

Aurora Wings Challenge blog.

The new challenge theme is 'Under the Sea', and there is

no shortage of Aurora Wings images to choose from in this category.

I had a hard time choosing an image myself, but I finally decided on this

lovely siren of the sea. And the fact that there was a skull involved help

to sway my decision.

I started out coloring the 'Secret Kisses' using Copics.

I made blotches in blue greens to give her a spotted koi look. Or at least

that's what I had in mind while doing this.

My next logical and obvious choice was to add my favorite lime green hues.

I also started out by making blotches, and then just blended out to the blue greens.

Usually with this color combo, I go for orange as my next color to really

give good contrast and pop against the cooler tones. I decided to just stay in 

the cool tones and went with purple. You can never go wrong with purple. 

I added some air bubbles to the background so she didn't just look like

she was floating in midair. 

When I think of magical mermaids, I think glitter and sparkles. 

Always.

Lots of sparkle and glitter. Lots.

And here we have my all time favorite colors. 

All together, in one magical underwater package.

This card is going to my SIL for her birthday, today.

She's not a super girly-girl, so I think she'll dig this card. 

Thanks for dropping by today.

 I do hope you'll make a trip over to the Aurora Wings challenge blog

and see all of the wonderful under the sea inspired DT projects.

Truly inspired works by all of the DT, you won't want to miss it.  

Got Goth?

This week we are celebrating all things Goth at 

Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge.

Our sponsor is Stitchy Bear Digi Outlet.  

I colored up BBKakes "Skull Diva" for this ATC.

She has such a great face!

I kept her fairly simple and just matched her to the dp.

Designer paper I have had for YEARS!! I think I bought a freaking

ream of this stuff when I first saw it. 

Pop over to the Wicked Wednesday blog and see what 

the other DTs have cooked up using the great sponsored images.  

Round 2, ding ding!!!

The second round of the DT throwdown at 

Smeared and Smudged has begun.

This time the theme is Faux Finishes.

Here is my faux finished skull.

Paper Mache skull with bronze metallic paint and patina treatment.

I used the VerDay paint set from Retro Cafe Art to achieve this

awesome finish. Very realistic IRL. It looks like it should weigh quite

a bit, like solid cast bronze. 

All paper and card stock gears and cogs and such, 

given a faux rust technique using acrylic paints. 
I also used some navy blue rhinestones that weren't 
getting used very often, to act as faux rivets.

Stamped stylized steampunk gears onto tissue paper and adhered it 

over the bronze and patina. Next time, I think I'll apply it before 

the patina step. Might make it appear more realistic and less

sticker-ish.

Good shot of the bronze and patina, and a close up of the gears and 

stuff. I used some grunge board, but found the cardstock to work
better. Grunge board doesn't glue down very easily, either.

The Haunted Design House team won the first DT throw down, 

and we'd love to go two for two on this round as well.

We all worked really hard on our projects and we think it shows.

If you would like to see the entries from all of the teams

and cast your vote on Thursday or Friday, here is the link. 

You do have to be a Smeared and Smudged forum member

to participate and vote, but it's free and very worth signing up.

Check out our collective entry at Haunted Design House. 

Hey! This is fun!!!

Wow! It's already the 11th day of 2013!!!

I have been so busy trying to finish left over projects from 2012,

I am already falling behind for 2013!

In my defense, I have been trying to get organized, and trying to finish

undone projects and even trying new techniques and mediums in my crafting.

About two years ago I received a beautiful art journal from my 

RSD EDT sister, Suzi. I wanted to start working in it immediately, but wasn't sure where to begin. I decided on making it a painfully cathartic journal to help me deal with, and heal past emotional wounds.

This was as far as I got. I think I scared myself .

Didn't touch the journal again for another year.

I was inspired by the challenge at Stampotique, so I dusted off the journal

and got out some paints and stamps and got busy! 

I used the Welcome Door, with Mister Stripes, and the body of Winter with the skull from the Hallowe'en Cube 2. 

All stamps are from Stampotique, and all images drawn by the wonderfully

creepy, Daniel Torrente.

The door actually comes with a heart on it, but I replaced the heart with Mister Stripes, the spider.

I stamped the door onto kraft card stock and then colored it in with pencils. Not my usual choice for adding color to an image, but pencils tend to give more vibrant results than Copics when using kraft stock. I did add some shading with Copics over the pencils for more contrast.

I'm only using some 30 year old Coloray and Col-erase pencils I've had since I was a kid. They still work, and with as much as I use them, they'll do for now. 

I do like the look of the Inktense pencils though....  

 

Mr. Stripes all UTEE'd up. I used my melt pot for the first time. I am thinking I could use some tips and some practice. I guess I didn't work fast enough, so the UTEE turned amber. Plus, I was having a problem with too much build up of UTEE and then bubbles.

Like I said, more practice is needed.   

I used some more dictionary page shreds here and there, and

 a Salvador Dali quote, "I am not strange. I am just not normal", from

Dilly Beans. Seemed fitting. 

My Grandpa called me, "consistently strange" once, and I had never been more proud! 

I will not reveal just how many different layers of paint went onto this page, but let's just say it was more than six. Yup. More than six. 

Winter has such a sour face on her (him?) that I decided to cut her face out, and use the skull face instead. I also swapped the heart on the hoodie for a teeny scarab sticker.

Hearts are just not my thing. Unless they're still beating and in my hand....

But, I digress... 

I really like all of the layers and textures and emotions that went into this piece.

I am looking forward to filling this journal this year.

I would like to enter this page in the following challenge:

Stampotique: journal page or cover or calendar page

Dilly Beans tag challenge

Today's challenge theme at Dilly Beans Friday challenge is

tags.

I can count on one hand how many tags I have made

in my entire crafting career. Not that I have anything

against tags, I just don't use them much in my gift

giving. I usually just include a handmade card.

Until now.

I love making tags! So flippin' fun!!! And so much

faster to create than my marathon (2 hours minimum,

but usually even longer) cards. I am trying to work on

limiting my time spent on coloring to under 30 minutes,

but I can barely finish most images in less than an hour.

I'm kinda a slow sculptor too.

Anyhoo,

here's my tag.

I used my favorite Dilly Beans image (shhhh! don't tell the others),

Monster Boy

 He colors up like a dream and is so darn cute and versatile!

For a monster boy, anyway.

I used a coffin image from Tiddly Inks as my tag base,

and then just added a cool tombstone ad stamp,

and an all occasion rhinestone spider brad. 

This is not the last coffin shaped tag you will see from me!

Stop by Dilly Beans Friday challenge for some inspiration

and maybe get addicted to tags yourself. Even better, enter

the challenge and you could win not only the envy and accolades

of your peers, but you could win some free Dilly Beans images of

your very own!

Quick sgraffito update:

It's slow going, but this is the back of the skull.

I started this a few months ago, and I had hoped to have it

completed in time for National Skull Appreciation Day, but

that did not happen. I'm shooting for Hallowe'en at this point.

I kinda hated the bat when I first did it, but there is no going back

once you scratch into the skull. So, I figured by adding all the other

flourishy schtuff, the goofiness of the bat wouldn't be so pronounced

(to me anyway - a Virgo and an insecure artist! Egads!).

I'm having fun adding as many "S" shaped flourishes as possible.

My last name begins with an "S", so I think it's kinda cool. 

Overall, I'm likin' it.

Have a great weekend, and

Keep it Creepy!