Tag Book: Poe

Okay...so...I like Tags. They are an office supply...love all office supplies, too. The Tags I use are #5, I think. They are not huge or big; they are your normal size shipping tag. They are a bit bigger than an ATC. (I measured one...they are 4 3/4 by 2 3/8".) I have a bunch of them as I bought in bulk and figured I could use them to practice on. I love to create backgrounds on them, fancy them up with stamps or collage, then use them as a focal point on cards.

But this project was strictly about the tags and using the hole in the top to bind them on a ring. What better subject than Edgar Allan Poe?!

Here's a look at the finished tags then I'll show you the "book" with the binder ring. All the tags have a quote and the name of the short story they represent on the back of them. All the tags were colored with Distress Ink or Dylusions spray for the background.

Original Concept:  As you can see I planned for 12 tags including the "cover" with a portrait of Poe. I sketched out and made notes in a journal about how I wanted each tag to look and what short stories I wanted to include. I decided to use the concept of advancing through the color spectrum as my background inspiration. This idea is based on Poe's story, "The Masque of the Red Death" where Prospero chases Death through all his many rooms, each room meticulously detailed to reflect a color in the spectrum until at last he ends up in the black room with the horrible grandfather clock. Once I determined this, I arranged the stories I picked to suit each color along the spectrum.

Take a look at them up close and I'll give you a few details as we go along.

Cover and The Oval Portrait:  The cover is straightforward and simple. I just did a distressed background and added a portrait of Poe. The first tag represents a story that I thought could best represent the lightest color. This frame was embossed with Lindy's Stamp Gang powder in Desert Moon Green Gold. I stamped in Timber Brown StazOn on the acetate and that stamp is of a Gibson Girl that I hand-carved. Lace and button finish it off with a Victorian feel.

When arranging the progression of stories, I had two that would represent my red color. The idea of using acetate on the first tag and allowing the second tag to show through got me excited. Even more so when I realize I could put my Masque right at the same spot as my Gibson Girl to get a very interesting effect when the tags are right on top of each other.

The Masque of the Red Death and The Tell-Tale Heart:  These two stories were the best candidates to represent Red. The Masque is positioned precisely and I didn't want much else to show through the acetate of the first tag. I went with the ticking of the clock over the background. (The image is another hand-carved stamp I made. This is from original artwork in Ray Bradbury's, The Halloween Tree. Chapter 1.) I like to have interaction when I make these kinds of things, so Tag 3 has a hinged "trap door". The red "blood" is acrylic paint spattered and dripped.

The door is fastened with a button from which I couldn't remove the shank. So I just poked a hole through to the back and it fits snugly so the door lies flush on the top. The heart on the inside is another stamp I carved and it is embossed with red embossing powder to make it look wet. The eyes are a stamp from Lost Coast Designs.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Sphinx:  The Murders tag I had pretty much in the bag. The Orangutan was from another hand-carved stamp but the image was originally drawn (in a much better piece of artwork) by Josh Pincus. (I thought I originally found the work on deviantart.com but can't find it on there now.) I remembered a brick background in the original piece and stayed true to that. I added the touch of graffiti with a black sharpie.
The Sphinx had me stumped but I decided to draw the scene right out of the story. I stenciled the background to look like old ugly wallpaper then added my window of watercolor paper. Overall, not too shabby. (I recreated my blue beetle here!)

Morella and The Premature Burial:  This is where I began to get stuck on ideas. (Probably because I didn't have any more stamps that readily matched my themes.) But upon re-reading "Morella", I thought it should be a witch type tag. Again I was fascinated with eyes and added some shine to these eyes with Glossy Accents. I just drew the details in then painted over it with acrylic paint. As I worked, I couldn't get the song, "Witchy Woman" by the Eagles out of my head so I added the quote to the cauldron.
The idea for the Premature Burial was simple but my sticking point was I would have to do more free hand drawing. The tombstone is a stamp I carved but I had to improvise the rest. I'm working on being more positive about the things I draw and not let it stop my idea from moving forward. This turned out better than I expected. (Even though the hands seem a bit small in comparison, it doesn't bother me much. It's the concept that I wanted to relay.) I added the words in the background with a silver Uniball Signo pen as the background just needed something.

The Fall of the House of Usher and The Spectacles:  Now into the indigo and purple tags. The House of Usher tag was inspired by the movie I had seen of it years ago. The only real part I remember was towards the end when the door opens into a dark hallway and the woman is standing right there! So I recreated it. Again, no stamp images to help me out, so I freehanded it. The door is on a paper hinge and opens.
The Spectacles is an actual tracing of my own eyeglasses. The background has a bit of shimmer to it as I added some Perfect Pearls spray in there for interest. I debated about putting acetate over this, too, but decided it didn't need it. It's kind of a tag that you can put up to your face like at a masquerade ball.

This is the inside of the Usher tag. The background was very dark so I cut her out and glued her on. I added a "halo" of white gelato around her hair.

The last two tags are my grey and black. Can you guess the stories?

The Pit and The Pendulum:  I repeated the time aspect here and added the gears to reflect the relentless and unstoppable force of the pendulum. The Pendulum does move as it is attached with a brad at the top. I used acetate to make the blade and colored it with silver alcohol ink from Ranger. I used two pieces so that each side is smooth and razor-like. I considered spattering red ink on it as well but decided to stay true to the story.

The Black Cat:  At first I thought to depict the gigantic shadow of a cat but the tag size threw me off. The tag is more vertical and my idea seemed more horizontal. In my sketchbook, (the one where I worked out all these tags ahead of time) I practiced drawing a cat's head and body. I thought I would actually draw the cat in the story but it's particular white markings didn't look right. So I decided to add in the noose as a foreground element and it could frame out the cat's head with it's one evil eye. It was a challenge to draw in black sharpie on a black background. Even though the Distress ink background wasn't totally dark, the images just didn't pop the way I wanted. So I colored in the noose and outlined it again with a Sakura Glaze pen. (the one I used was just clear) I also used this on the cat's eyes but I didn't want the body to stand out like the noose. I opted, instead, to outline the cat with white gelato to give it a ghostly glow. I added more black in around the edges to brighten the center and draw the eye to the Black Cat.

So here's the tag book with it's binder ring and some great ribbons and beads. All finished! (Now onto the tag book of Poe's Poems! Nevermore.)

Hope you found some inspiration here. Thanks for looking!
-Wy
"Madman! I tell you she stands without the door!" --E.A. Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher"

Red Carpet Studios Challenge #74: Grown Ups

After my patriotic banner for the last challenge, I decided to go a bit simpler this round.

This Challenge is inspired by the movie, Grown Ups.

Challenge: Create a project that features "a kid at heart." Amusement parks, summertime fun, family get togethers...we can't wait to see your inspiration!
Challenge ends July 26th!

Here's the card I made. It measures 6.5 X 5.

Bubbles:  I cut the circles out for the bubbles and added a sheet of clear acetate behind the whole front. It didn't seem the effect I wanted so I added an iridescent embossing powder to each bubble to give the look of more dimension. I used a Versamark pen to add the curve then just heat set the powder (Stampin Up, Iridescent Ice). I inked the background with Distress Ink and outlined each bubble (Peacock Feathers). I just hand drew in the bubble wand and outlined two banners with sentiments. At the end, I decided it needed a few more small bubbles and added them in with an extra-fine tip Sharpie.

I like the card as it is one layer but still has quite an impact. A word of advice: The acetate will warp under heat embossing unless you have some of the "new" acetate I've heard about that does not. Mine did and at first, I wasn't too thrilled but after adding in my "sketchy" pen marks, I decided that it added to the card's homemade appearance. :)

So there's my card for some FUN! Hope you enjoyed.
I'd love to see what you make. Please go over to Red Carpet Studios for all the details of the challenge and submit a photo of your project!
--Wy
"Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional."

Goldfish Dream: Canvas

This 8 X 10 canvas started with the kernel of an idea I had been toying with for awhile; using aluminum foil colored with alcohol ink for a background. That was my start.

I tested a few scraps of foil for how the alcohol ink would look, stick, and what would rub it off. I experimented with how to attach it to the canvas and if Mod Podge (my "glue" of choice) would affect the surface if I was extra messy with it. Did I like the foil more crumpled or more flat?

After some fun, I made a few decisions including the main focal elements. I wanted a deep sea view using my favorite jellyfish stamp (from 100 Proof Press ) and I wanted the canvas to be very transparent/metallic. I didn't want to cover much of the colored foil with paper elements or cut-outs as I wanted that look of gazing through water.

So using a blue palette of alcohol inks, I colored the foil and liked the metallic look it retained. But since it was already attached to the canvas, it was impossible to stamp directly on it and get a clear impression. So I decided to stamp on clear acrylic sheets and cut them out. In addition to the jellyfish, I added a school of fish (Lost Coast Designs) and a spore in the left corner. (This was part of another idea that I trashed early on of using the spore as a Sunlight source shining a ray into the depths...scrapped it.)

I attached the stamped images with gel medium. It dried clear and invisibly and I was careful not to use too much as it seemed to affect the alcohol ink beneath it.

The canvas still looked quite plain so I added the middle line of "bubbles" using very old epoxy circles that have been in my stash for way too long. I debated about putting some kind of paper under them, like dictionary, but wanted to stay true to my original idea of a see-through look.

This is where I originally decided the canvas was complete: Deep Dive.

But I didn't like it. It didn't look finished. I tried adding purple fluid acrylic around the edge to frame it out but it didn't help. I kept staring at it wondering what it needed.

It needed a foreground and it would have to be something that stood out. I thought I'd cut out some seaweed to add; stamped images that would be cut from paper then attached. But then I pulled out some embossing powder; and man, did things change!

I'm becoming a big fan of torn paper and I'm using it a lot in my stuff. Since I had wanted to highlight the bubbles with dictionary paper, I decided to tear my seaweed from that. Then, I sprayed it with Dylusions ink, Cut Grass. And here's where I got excited!
I had in my stash from several years ago some of the Moon Glo embossing powders from Lindy's Stamp Gang. My sisters and I bought a few colors after seeing some amazing techniques done with them. Naturally, after we got home, we forgot about them and how to really maximize their usage. I was on the verge of getting rid of them. I decided to give them a whirl on my seaweed to make the paper look glossy and wet.

So glad I did! I used a Starlight Gold/green powder mostly but added in some Desert Moon/ ??  (sorry I forgot the other color in the mixture. Each embossing powder from Lindy's is a two-toned powder!) I inked the whole face of the paper with Versamark ink and sprinkled the powder on. As it melted it curled the edges of the paper, but what a great look for me. The translucent nature of these colors allowed the paper to show from underneath as well as the green ink. And the touch of brown you see in the photo is from the embossing powders. These powders also give a pearlescent sheen to the paper making it reflect similarly to the foil on the background. I LOVE IT!

After adding my seaweed (squeal) with gel medium, I wanted just one more element; something to tie it all together. I added my goldfish. I thought about that movie "Finding Nemo" where the fish in the tank all dream of getting to the ocean. Nothing fancy about him, just cut out, attached, and outlined with a subtle hint of gold gelato.

So now...finally...this canvas is finished. "Goldfish Dream" is a new favorite of mine.
--Wy
"Just keep swimming." --Dori from "Finding Nemo"
Note: After my paper curled up from the embossing, I did manage to uncurl it mostly. The very edges remained curled but that was the look I wanted, very 3-D. I just needed enough of the surface to make contact with the canvas so that it stayed attached.

The Serendipity Canvas: Bling

One important thing I've learned from watching art videos on YouTube is that: if you're not happy with the canvas, just paint over it. This canvas was just that.

This canvas was going to be a neon/fluorescent skull more or less like Day of the Dead but it never started good and went nowhere fast. The neon paints I had were very cheap craft store paints and were too "watered down" to give really good coverage to the canvas, especially the green and I wanted to use lots of that color. I rolled with it and applied several coats to get it where I wanted. It wasn't perfect but most would be covered anyway.

I had a vision of using black acrylic over these bright colors to "frame" the focal of a stencil skull which would also be done in black. I added black acrylic around the edges of the taped down stencil then went to work on the skull. Well...

I intended to simply draw it through the stencil with an Extra Fine Sharpie (oil-based) but the stencil had such small details that even the Extra Fine tip wouldn't fit through the openings! Damn it! So I decided to dab black acrylic through the stencil with a sponge. It still wouldn't work. I either couldn't get it through the openings or it seeped under the stencil leaving a very undefined look which I didn't like.

I didn't even finish half of the stencil when I gave up on it. Stenciling really isn't my thing. I need so much more practice, I guess. (Back to chemistry 102 for some more lessons) So now I'm stuck with a neon colored canvas with a black acrylic outline and a half-stenciled "skull" which mostly looks like a couple black blobs that might be daisies.

Solution: Cover it all with black.
Problem: Now what? I have such a hard time working on black. I LOVE the look of a black background but it takes me forever to figure out what to do with it when it's blank like that, staring at me. For a light canvas, I can simply add color, any color, but a dark canvas requires more thought.
Solution: Try something I had been meaning to do...throw on some aluminum foil and drop alcohol ink to make a background.

I just used some of my favorite colors: wild plum, stream, bottle, and cranberry. I think I put a little lettuce green in there. As I dropped and dripped it, I picked out what I liked about it. The stream and the wild plum looked great with a touch of the bottle. The cranberry and other green...not so much. With blending solution, I fixed what I could. But because the aluminum foil was very crinkled ( I did that for texture) the ink pooled and was hard to remove.

Problem: I had no idea what I was going to do with this mess. While I liked the colors, I didn't like the way they were so haphazard across the canvas. It was very busy and I wasn't sure what to put over it.
Solution: Let it sit.
And sit. And sit.
I finally came up with an idea to make it a Deep Dive canvas. I would use my jellyfish stamp (100ProofPress), stamp it onto clear acetate and attach it to the canvas with clear pop dots so they would almost hover above the canvas.
Problem: After stamping and cutting the jellyfish, I discovered that the images were too indistinct with the pattern of alcohol ink behind them. Even popped up from the canvas, you couldn't see the stamps. Damn it!
Solution: Leave it alone. Let it sit...again. Work on the other canvas and notebook. Work in the art journal.

So here's why this canvas became my Serendipity Canvas. As I was thumbing through my hoard of magazine clippings for a page in my art journal, I found an image that matched the canvas perfectly. The young woman stood tall in a wild plum skirt and a blue top that both held this wonderful metallic sheen. She was fashion, she was material, she was bling.

So I cut her out and set her free. She crowns the canvas with her "accessories". I currently debate whether this canvas is finished yet. I had an idea today to outline the collage elements with white pen and add little jewels.

Perhaps not entirely finished, but it is serendipity.
--Wy
Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; a fortunate mistake. Specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it.

Lawn Fawn Challenge (My splurge!)

Front of card: Stormy Skies

Inside of card: Sunny Skies

Whole card with backlight


I have seen many youtube videos from Lawn Fawn and have fallen in love with their cute little stamps! I have been wanting to purchase a set or two and finally last week, I splurged! I saw their blog post about submitting entries for photos to be in their new catalog and have a card displayed at CHA! So I decided to get to work.

The stamp set featured above is Sunny Skies.

Other supplies: Adirondack Alcohol Ink: Cloudy Blue and Stonewashed
Transparency sheet (acetate)
Distress ink pad: Black Soot
Distress Markers: Stormy Sky, Pumice Stone, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Faded Jeans, Barn Door, Spun Sugar
Blue twine/thread
white cardstock card (5 X 6 1/2")
StazOn Jet Black
Ranger Archival Ink: Black
scraps of white glossy cardstock
solid blue cardstock
adhesive (I used double stick tape/tape runner.)


So here was my grand idea:
My goal was to have a multi-layer card. The front would be like a window to the inside. But then, I thought, why bother to have a front at all if you can see everything through it? So I decided to cover up the elements by cutting the clouds out of glossy white cardstock rather than stamping them directly onto the acetate. So the front ending up being my Cloudy Sky and the inside was my Sunny Sky!

I cut the oval out of the front. Stained some acetate with alcohol ink and attached it to the inside front of the card. I used a solid blue cardstock to line the inside front over the acetate to hide the edges. Because I started with a white card, I inked the front lightly with Black Soot to get a nice gray color. I stamped the inside of the card with the elements I wanted from the set in Archival Black and water colored them with Distress markers. I colored the words "you are my" in blue then used orange and yellow for "Sunshine". I stamped the clouds in StazOn onto glossy cardstock and colored them with Distress markers. I cut them out and positioned them on the acetate so they would conceal the colored elements on the inside. I attached the clouds to the acetate and tied a blue thread around the bottom front.

I thought the card turned out really well. I intend to try this style of card with the other stamp set I purchased, "Critters Under the Sea". It would make a lovely ocean scene!

Posting more cards from this challenge in subsequent posts.
Hope you enjoyed!
Wy
"All of my blue skies are waltzing to gray." ---song lyric, Susquehanna String Band