Art on the Darkside Challenge #71 : Broken Hearts

Challenge #71 : Broken Hearts

Good day all Darksiders !

This fortnight's challenge is a suggestion made
by Toni (thank you for the input) and i will give
you an optional and short recipe :
corrugated cardboard,
something repurposed.

Happy haunting and happy crafting !
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I used one of the new Steampunk Romance Digi-Stamps by Simply Betty (Grace) colored with Stampin' Up! Markers.
The background is corrugated cardboard, lol... off a SU! box that was annoying me in the way at my feet. Take that stupid box! I splattered the cardboard with dark red glimmer mist (dripping from the tube inside the pump, not spraying).
Broken Heart is coated in 3D Crystal Lacquer.
Flowers are Prima, Brads are Keepsake Craft.
The rest is the Re-purposed portion.
Stickers off a valentine (ripped off then glue gunned on), broken watch and VCR bits and some old ribbon finish off this Postcard.

Another Broken Heart to
add to My Collection...

Art On The Darkside: Bones

Bones

Hello to all Darksiders !
This time it is going to be ...
Bones.
You can do any form of art, use materials as
you wish as long as you make it scary.
Happy crafting !

***********************
I put together this ATC.
Base Image & Hat from Collage Image Flickr Group
Sentiment Sticker is Melissa Francis.
Ribbon, Ink and Paper are Stampin'Up!
Eyes colored with dripped in Red Glimmer Mist,
then 3D Crystal Lacquer
and then gold bead 'pupils'.
soooo...
Are you frightened yet?

Don't miss out on your chance!
400th Post BLOG CANDY:
HERE

Art on the Darkside Challenge #69 : Where wisps lead you...

Challenge #69 : Where wisps lead you ...

Good morning Darksiders.
Another year means a lot of
new possibilities for us to express ourselves via Dark Art !
Let us therefor not waste time and start with this year's
first challenge, being "Where wisps lead you ..."

To kick-start your inspiration I have an excerpt of a
text about wisps here :
A will-o'-the-wisp or ignis fatuus — also called will-o'-wisp,
corpse candle, jack-o'-lantern, friar's lantern, gunderslislik,
and wisp — is the folklore term for a ghostly light sometimes
seen at night or twilight over bogs, swamps, and marshes.
It resembles a flickering lamp and is sometimes said to
recede if approached.

I wish you a lot of inspiration and happy crafting !
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I was a wee stumped on this one but my brain kept coming back to candle flames...
so that's were I let my Muse lead me.
Black Cardstock, Candle is white paper cut out and pasted on the rest is only Artist Chalks layered & layered...
Black inked around the edged.

Lady in the Flame

Creepy Christmas...

Time for a couple of Creepy Christmas Challenges...

Macabre Monday HDH069 - Colorblind Christmas

Ok, my little pretties... your challenge this week:

Colorblind Christmas

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based Winter Holiday cardWITHOUT using RED or GREEN...
Not even a teensie bit of it anywhere :)

I started with a Black Christmas Tree image (from a flyer ad)
Then 'decorated' it in Dark Blue, Purple and Orange Brad 'Balls'...
I used an extra-fine black Sharpie to doodle on them.
Then added a Skull Sticker on top.
Glitzed it up with Bright Yellow Glitter Garland
(3D Crystal Lacquer + Glitter) with an extra bit around ol'Skully too.
Final bit of Purple inking around the edges.
Merry Skull-mas!

Challenge #68 : The worst Christmas present ever

Good morning all Darksiders.
The last challenge for this year will be :
The worst Christmas present ever.
I wish you all very happy crafting and of course
a great few weeks of holiday time !

This was *approved* by my 12 year old for suitable creep-factor... lol.
I do wish the picture was better but after 40+ shots... I give up!
Reads:
I wanted to give you my heart for Christmas...
but I still need it,
so here is someone else's.
Merry Christmas my Love!
Quick spritz of red Glimmer Mist behind the box...
Box and Human Heart were both freebie Clip-Art.
Heart is coated and box is dripped in my signature
3D Crystal Lacquer and Glimmer Mist 'Blood Blend'.
Worst Present ever? I think so!

Lots To Do: What's your favorite technique? BLOOD!!!!

Its a toughie this week we are sharing our favorite technique(s) and hope you will share yours with us.

Not to tough for me! lol
I'm going to creep everyone out now...
My Favorite Technique is one I stumbled on by accident one day but have used again & again & again... 'cause it's just so 'bloody' easy and looks so 'bloody' good!
BLOOD!!!!
I start by dripping some 3D Crystal Lacquer on a scrap piece of paper.
Dime size blop is usually good for what I'm doing.
The recent Freddy Kreuger page I did I used to closer to a quarter size blop.
(See link at the bottom for pictures)
I also drip some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist on beside it. (Scarlet)
Then Mix with a hardened paintbrush or tooth pick...
something stiff.

Then I drip in 2-3 drops of a much darker red Glimmer Mist (Brick) to get that darker, bloodier more realistic look.

Mix, Mix, Mix....

Then You can start to apply.
***WARNING***
It is much runnier than the 3D Crystal Lacquer was originally, almost as thin as water.
I always out a thin layer on quickly to seal the paper. Means you can apply as many coats as you want afterward, get texture etc... without it just soaking into the paper.

Once that 1st layer is dry (keep it thin and it'll dry almost instantly) you can start to build it up.
In this sample I put more on the lips, focusing in the center to make them look plump & ripe.
The blood drips are 3-4 layers... again allowing it to dry in between.
On the Freddy Kreuger page I even dripped it right on the page to get a Blood Spatter look.

That's it!
3D Crystal Lacquer
2 shades of Red Glimmer Mist (Bright & Dark)
Stiff Paintbrush or Toothpick
Scrap Paper (easy to toss when your done)

My Creep Vampire Postcard.
Image is from a magazine article on getting 'The Vampire Look' with make-up.
Eyes tinted with a Lime Highlighter Marker.
Printed in black & white and glued to Cereal Box Board.
Edges inked in Burgundy Ink.
mmmm.... Bloody Goodness!

Other Samples (click for links):
Freddy Krueger Page
Bloody Angel Eyes
Bloody Fairy Queen
Off with their heads!
My personal Favorite:
Fiendish Florence Nightingale (body parts!)

Art on the Dark Side #66: Bats

Challenge #66 : Bats

Our new challenge is bats.
Personally I really like bats and I find them gorgeous, but I also realize that there are heaps of people that just gross out by the thought of bats.
So if you are a lover or a hater, this challenge is for you !
Make the most of your feelings and put them into art.

I like Bats too... so this wasn't a creepy one for me to do. :O)
Spiders, *shudder* now THERE is a different matter.
I made a postcard for this challenge.
Paper is Basic Grey Eerie: Bats,
coated in Lumiere to give it a nice pearl-y shine,
then inked the edges in black
Green Bat strip is a sticker.
The rest of the embellies are all Glitter Chipboard punch outs.
The letters are Sparkle Thickers.
~gone batty!~

Back in the Saddle... or is that At the Easle?

My health is slowly improving... I can breathe again! I still have a super dry mouth and sound like a Veteran smoker but I'm off most of the meds for the chest infections and smoke damage.
I never realized just HOW important getting *enough* oxygen in was.
So my bruised Muse is on the mend too! I've been putting so much effort into the needed day-to-day sh-tuff that my Studio has been getting dusty. No MORE!
I managed to get 3 things done over the past 2 nights.
Artist Postcard for Art on the Darkside #61: Midsummer'sNightmare/Summer Break:
I dug this out of the vast Image Store on my 'puter. As soon as I saw this challenge I KNEW I was going to use her... I cropped the original image in closer then added Glimmer Mist to enhance the blood that was already there (and added more) Also used painted on Glimmer Mist to add color to her eyes and lips. I then coated the 'blood' and her eyes with 3D Crystal Lacquer. The camera does not do her face justice...the eyes are a brilliant Ice Blue and look eerily real with the lacquer on them.



Next up is my 4X4 Friday Challenge: Cemetery Angels.
This is a snippet of a picture I took up at MacKenzie King Estates near here in Gatineau, Quebec. They have some goooorgeous stone work that Mr. King had moved to the estate in his time... in one of the main buildings there were a pair of Stone Angels from a crypt entrance. Didn't do too much to this other than tinting around the edges and writing in the location... she's perfect the way she is. :O)


...and a little Tongue-in-Cheek 4X4 for Darkness Inspirations: Monsters.
Small snip of a larger image for the background (I love this eye!) then some more elements added... again very little extra coloring, just around the edges.

From the Studio of Sick...

I managed to drag myself to the Studio today to get some DT work done as well as a few personal challenges...
For those that don't know I'm pretty damaged up right now.
I won't go into the deets since they are already blogged: HERE
I'm doing much better. It's amazing what happens when your up to 7 meds to treat one nasty.
Bring on the Cannon and blow up that Fly-Swatter!

TOOT-TOOT!!!
During that time I also got some FANTASTIC news:
I'm going to be the June Guest DT on Gutter Girls!
It's not up yet but I'll be sure to post it. :O)

First up is a Postcard for Collage Obsession #18: Mirror.
I used a cropped shot from a bigger project of mine.
Which I blogged about: HERE.
I wanted a smaller version of the main for inspiration up on my wall, in my Art Area, where I can see it.
The theme of finding my MUCHNESS is kinda a *big* deal for me right now.
I'm moving on... and Our Wedding is in 105 days (eek!)
This project reflects that and I wanted a version I could keep out. :O)
I spritzed it with sheer Glimmer Mist and inked the edges to finish it off.


Second up another Postcard, this one for Macabre Monday HDH042: Sinister Shadows.
I created the Shadow by painting Slate Glimmer Mist on with a brush, letting it soak into the paper... then added the innocent little miss, deep in thought with no idea what lurks even in her own shadow! *shivering*


Last but certainly no least a Postcard for Art On The Darkside Challenge #60: Jack the Ripper.
I started with an image of a dirty London Alleyway, spritzed Deep Red Glimmer Mist on messily and then added Dear Jack. I highlighted Jack's Weapon with silver pencil crayon and added some more Glimmer Mist blood.
Yup, not someone I'D like to meet in a dark alley!

Art on the Darkside #59: Ghost Whisperer

ahhh... this was toughie. I have never watched the show so I'm not 100% sure if my project suits... I sure hope so though! :O)
Art on the Darkside #59: Ghost Whisperer... The suggestion was also to make a 'shrine' which is also a newbie to me, other than a matchbox one which wasn't what I had in mind when I started working.
What I did do was use the iPod case I've been hiding away... it seemed to suit.
I printed off a still from a creepy Halloween screen-saver, reinforced it with black card-stock, quick spritz of Glimmer Mist in a parchment brown and then using the original label as a template... cut it to fit inside the back of the case.
Then I used a scrap from the back ground as 'ground' for my Ghost Whisperer to stand on in the foreground. I sprayed the plastic with a dark blue/black Glimmer Mist and let it dry. My GW is an image snipped from a magazine (gardening), also mounted on card-stock for stability.
Once everything was 100% dry I just popped the case together and sealed it.
You might want to click on the pictures to get a better look without my Blog Background making lines, sorry for the glare... I took about 40 shots and different angles but the iPod box is so curvy it kept picking more & more glare up.

Lucky... or Un-Lucky 3...

Decided to sit down and work on some of the 'darker' challenges tonight...

For Darkness Inspirations: Magic
Artist Postcard, liiiiiberally sprayed in Glimmer Mist. Words and outer edges are in Silver (my camera sucks) then I used a glue pen and much-o glitter (that was called Dark Magic... lol).


For Haunted Design House #37: Ode to a Bruise
4X4... I was a little stumped at the start with this one but I LOVE a challenge... I found the quote, then I found a close up picture of a bruise (on someone's back... ew!) and cut the heart out from the picture. The background is some of my Glimmer Mist 'spray scraps' (I always save what I spray on!) I attached the quote with 3D Crystal Lacquer then gave the whole project another light Glimmering.


For Art on the Darkside Challenge: Scary Dolls
4X4 used a small piece of a bigger collage image, went over the eyes in Black Sharpie then 3D Crystal Lacquer. Lightly tinted the lips then drew the stitching in sharpie... blood around eyes and off mouth SU! marker.

Freeeeeaky Friday...

In a mooooood today...
It's just been one. of. those. weeks. with my 4 boys driving me slowly insane.
Not any 1 thing just many, many little things chipping away bit by bit...
The fact that my fiance has been working early afternoons to late morning, then coming home to sleep til noon (so he can do it all again) hasn't helped much.
I'm solo-parenting this week and it looks like next week too.
*sigh*
So... I looked at the list of projects I wanted to get done and decided to vent myself on a few of the creepier options... why not? Art is Therapy!

This is my Arch for Art on the Darkside: Fear Itself
HUGE thank you to Elizabeth at The last door... down the hall for the Template... it was poi-fect!
I found the image online, printed it off faint... sprayed it LIBERALLY in 2 red Glimmer Mists and a bit of gold. Black inked the outside edges.
The Quote:
Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat
it is a basic mechanism occurring
in response to a specific stimulus,
such as pain or the threat of danger.
The quote was coated again, LIBERALLY in 3D Crystal Lacquer, when it was partly dry I tipped it up to let it drip.




This is an Artist Postcard for Darkness Inspiration: Bewitched
Clip-Art Glitzed up with Martha Stewart Glitter on 3D Crystal Lacquer.
Background also sprayed in 2 red Glimmer Mists.
I really like the look on her face... so... so... Bewitching... lol.


Artist Postcard for Haunted Design House Macabre Monday #35: Walking Dead Divas (HDH035)
I shimmered her face up with Pearl White Lumiere, painted (yup, dipped a brush in it, instead of spraying) her eyes, lips and the Rose with Glimmer Mist. Then I 3D Crystal Lacquered her lips and the blood pools on the Rose. When the 3DCL was dry I painted some more red Glimmer Mist on the blood and her lips.
Good to the last bite...