Arthur Coffin - 4x4

Last week was a busy one, leaving me little free time to work on any art projects.  And I swear I suffered withdrawal because of it!  So yesterday I skipped doing laundry and started to play around with some ideas I have for a Halloween-themed chunky swap.  After a while I decided that the images just weren't working for me, so I switched gears and this is what I ended up with.  It's not particularly "Halloween-y," but it is kinda spooky!

I started by covering a 4x4 inch chipboard coaster with some Halloween-themed patterned paper.  I toned it down with white gesso and added some stamping, stenciling, and book text.  The main images are stamps by Oxford Impressions.  A lot of distress inks, acrylic paint, and charcoal pencil went into giving this piece a dark and mysterious feel.

Have a great Monday!  Thanks for popping in.

Supplies:
Medium weight chipboard coaster (4x4 inches); patterned paper by Authentique; vintage book text; rubber stamps by Oxford Impressions; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger archival black ink; distress inks: dusty concord, antique linen, vintage photo, black soot, frayed burlap, rusty hinge; Adirondack acrylic paint dabbers or distress paint: espresso, frayed burlap, snow cap; white gesso; charcoal pencil; Dresden trim; white gesso; punchinella; gel medium.

Fraulein Collage

I made this collage in my visual journal using ideas provided by Mary Green in her February Green Paper Collage Club.  Because I am still developing my collage skills, I find it invaluable to have Mary's prompts and instructions.

I collaged a variety of vintage papers directly to my journal page using the blended paper technique, stamped the flourishes, and added some distress ink.  The German postage stamps were in a package of goodies from fellow collage artist Marie of Lost Bird Studio.  The photo was free clipart in a Somerset Studio magazine.

Looks like I'll have to shovel a little snow today.  Thankfully it's not too deep.  Have a great day!

Supplies:
Strathmore Visual Journal (watercolor 140 lb); various vintage text from a dictionary, geography textbook, sheet music, German prayer book, 1920s poetry book; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap and vintage photo distress ink; Stazon black ink; flourish stamps by Hero Arts, Inque Boutique, and The Unity Stamp Company; German postage stamps; free clipart photo; light charcoal pencil; matte gel medium.