A Wind from the East - Gothic Arch

I still owed a Gothic arch to one of the participants of ARTzona 2013. Yesterday, when I came across the baggie of arches I had cut to take with me (but forgot to pack!), I felt the urge to go wild and just "git-r-done."

Except for the butterfly (Artchix Studio) and the eyeglass rub-on (Michaels), the ephemera I used to make this Gothic arch were in a pile of leftovers from previous projects:  paper scraps, Crossword Lexicon game card (with circle already die-cut), postage stamp, an eye cut from a magazine, and book text.  I did some rubber stamping, stenciled through punchinella, and created the circles using old plastic hair rollers and acrylic paint.  Once everything was adhered, I outlined certain features with a myriad of tiny black dots using a Pitt artist pen.

This arch was so much fun to make!  And it gives me a better idea of what size my focal images (such as the butterfly) need to be in order to create larger collages that are balanced and to scale.  There's just no way to get around it:  I will have to spend some time scanning and enlarging images if I want to create larger collages.

Thanks for dropping by!  Happy Father's Day to all you dads, grandpas, and father figures out there.

Young Love '20s Style - ATC

This ATC made in 2010 features my paternal grandparents in 1920, just a few weeks after they were married.  It's one of my early ATCs and still one of my favorites.  All of the elements came together so beautifully.

Have a great day!



Supplies:
Pinecone Press ATC matboard; decorative papers from Cosmo Cricket and The Paper Studio; Bazzill black cardstock; vintage photo distress ink; timber brown Stazon; Making Memories gold leaves; Sticko brand number stickers and mini black rhinestones.

Wakely Heart - Gothic Arch

This Gothic arch started with a piece of background paper that I made myself using a variety of items for stencils and acrylic paint.  More on that below.

I cut an arch from a section of my paper and layered on some washi tape, book text, and a stamped flourish.  The heart image by Dina Wakely was also stamped on my background paper, then jazzed up with silver acrylic paint.  I finished with a metal bird by Momenta and a silver border.

I am extra pleased with how this arch turned out.  It reminds me of the mixed media projects I see in my favorite Somerset Studio or Stampers' Sampler magazines.  Those art pieces always look so "easy," but having worked to achieve that look myself, I know that there is actually a lot of thought and planning that goes into every aspect.

Here is a picture of my stenciled background paper before I cut my arch out of it.  Can you identify some of the items I used as stencils?

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; white gesso; alizarin crimson and cadmium yellow deep acrylic paint; small spray bottles; miscellaneous items for stencils; washi tape (various vendors); titanium white acrylic paint; flourish stamp by Hero Arts; heart stamp by Dina Wakely; black Stazon ink; book text; metal bird by Momenta; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber.

B is for Bird Gothic Arch

This mixed media Gothic arch features a variety of new and old papers, blended with acrylic paint and distress inks.

I cut the B using a Cricut and used it as a stencil, backing it with some sheet music.  Although the purple vintage postage stamp (from Hungary, I believe), ended up being partly obscured, the pop of color contrasts beautifully with the green in the background and the orange of the bird. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; patterned papers by Basic Grey; vintage book text and sheet music; vintage postage stamp; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap and dusty concord distress ink; Stazon black ink; postal cancellation stamp by Stampa Rosa, north/south/east/west stamps unknown; black cardstock from Stampin' Up; bird clipart from Red Lead Paperworks; Cricut Classic Font.