Monday, August 9, 2010

The Journey

Happy Monday Peoples!!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!  Today I'm sharing a project that I actually made LAST weekend but never had the chance to upload.

While posting these  pictures of the Grand Canyon, I remembered an idea that I have had stored in the recesses of my noggin for over a year and decided to try and finally see if I could put it to paper.  Now, my original idea was  do a mix media project on canvas.   That may still happen, but for this project, I went a different route with results that I just love!!


Let me just say that I am just tickled at how this turned out!!  I started with the melted crayon background technique on glossy card stock. The cool thing about this technique is that you can keep remelting the crayon until you get a look or texture that you like.  Wellll.....within reason!  LOL!! You can muddy up your colors if you drag over them too much!  I used mostly white with a touch of light blue for the sky and some brown, red, apricot, green (and who knows what else I grabbed!) for the "canyon". 

I wanted this to have more dimension so I stamped the Indian from Rubbernecker Stamps  on a folded piece of transparency with Archival Jet Black ink using my stampamajig so that I could place him where I wanted on my edge of the "canyon".    Sorry, I could not find the image on the site.  I don't know if it is no longer sold.  I colored the back side of the image with copics, letting the layers of color dry between so that I could add some slight shading.  Using the alcohol based copics on the transparency is not like coloring on paper.  You will start to pull off color if you try to "work" it too much while it is wet.  I added just a tad bit more shading beneath the horse than the image has to give it a more realistic look. 

I thought I had been clever stamping the Indian on the folded piece of transparency.  My thought was that I would adhere the transparency layer between the main image panel and the card base.  Welllll, the "front" flap did just that~~FLAP.  It did NOT lie flat, which totally ruined my scene of the Indian on the Canyon edge.  I tried to use a bit of clear drying glue just barely along the edges.  NOPE.  I finally used some spray adhesive that I had and lucky for me, it did NOT smear the alcohol inks and worked to adhere the transparency to the background.

I then stamped the pine tree from SU's Lovely as a Tree with Archival Jet Black ink on the front of the transparency to create more of a balanced look to the scene.  I will admit I was TERRIFIED that I would ruin my scene with this last step, but I think it was just what was needed! Supplies:  Paper:  Glossy card stock, SU's Close to Cocoa.  Stamps:  Rubbernecker (Indian) and SU's Lovely as a Tree.  Inks:  Archival Jet Black, Copic Ciaos.  Accessories:  transparency, spray adhesive, crayons, craft iron, stampamajig. 

Thanks for dropping by again today!!  I hope that you will run with the lesson that I learned from this project:  Inspiration is EVERYWHERE around us.  But if you just lock away the inspiration instead of beginning the journey of exploring the possibilities of creativity  that the inspiration can bring, then the "view" becomes just a forgotten picture in the mind.

Have a CREATIVE day! Till next time~~

7 comments:

Carol L said...

What a sensational creation! I've never seen anything quite like it, and it's just fabulous! Every detail is inspiring art! TFS

Sherry Cheever said...

Starla this is truly OUTSTANDING! The cliffs look so real . . . . my god girl you are turning the corner of being a padawan.

Stef H said...

omg! starla! you keep coming up with these beauties! holy moly! this is absolutely gorgeous. this definitely needs to get framed! wow!!!!!!

hugs :)

Sylvia said...

WOW! Starla, This is gorgeous! I am amazed at what you did with the crayon! You will have to do a tutorial! I know what you mean about being afraid you will ruin it, everytime I watercolor a background, I have that fear as well! Keep after it! Maybe you should try some 8x10's.

Gerrie Johnnic said...

Wowza, this is amazing, inspiration is not a long enuf word for this.....I adore it!

Wendy said...

OOOOH! FABU!

Glenda said...

Starla, I have to say this is just out there! It is AMAZING! You are really "getting it" with those crayons! Everytime I try this, it just goes in the trash!