Saturday, March 10, 2012

Eroded Clearly for Art...

Erosion is a slight theme around these parts this week. Both my brain and crafty zone are being worn down on all sides! The decorator is in da house...my house! So I have had to be be up really early every morning, live out of a suitcase and also empty my entire craft room. I'm suffering serious withdrawal symptoms and feel quite lost. Anyway, before my universe shifted, I was having a dabble with Wendy Vecchi's modelling film, Clearly for Art (CFA). Wendy has been showing us a great crackle effect with Alcohol inks and so I felt inspired to experiment and try out my own idea. So this is my take on the eroded look....
I cut nine Tattered Leaves from CFA to form my petals and brushed each one with Claudine Hellmuth Matt Medium. I painted it on in a rough, uneven way to create texture and dried it with my heat gun. It was alright to do it all wrong by getting a bit too close with the heat gun because you get lots of great bubbling... Then I picked and scraped away at the surface to create an even rougher, more ragged effect.
I then applied Alcohol inks, building up the layers of colour. I used a mix of Pool, Silver and Gold metallic inks to create the tones - pouncing the CFA with my applicator tool and a little Alcohol Blending solution. To achieve a more rusted, eroded look I lightly swiped the surface of each leaf with Rust and terracotta inks. Not with a brush...but my finger!
I only wanted to catch the top texture with colour and found this was the best way... (no hot dates that night anyway). A brush released too much colour and you don't want it going down into all the cracks otherwise you lose the contrast of colour and texture. I then heated my leaves and was able to add lots of shape and movement. CFA is specially created to allow you to do this time and time again which is great because you can shape every single leaf in a different way... exactly as you please...even just the tip.
I stuck them to a circle of card stock with Glossy Accents and added an inkified watch cog and Philosophy Tim tag to the centre.I had to leave it under a bottle overnight to fullydry. The next day, for a little extra something, I also went for an Idea-ology Swivel Clasp, key and foliage grunged with more ink and Distress Powder. I would have liked to have made a lot more, tried out other colours or gone for a whole project piece, but the "empty thy room" bell tolled too loudly. Hopefully you can get the gist of it and maybe have a go yourself. Even the reverse side of the leaves looks fab!

I shall be enjoying myself at a vintage fair all day with my hubby - flogging our oldly, worldly stuff to other hoarders...! Then doing a couch potato all evening as I'm totally cream-crackered! So I'll bid you all a fine and merry weekend! Thanks for peeking in. See you again soon... Sarah.

15 comments:

Lesley Edmonds said...

This is so beautiful Sarah.

I feel for you with all the upheaval - never a pleasure - just a pain - but worth it in the end.

Hang in there.

Rita said...

Oh Sarah, most of us have been there, but it's worth it in the end. I just love what youv'e done with those leaves. I have never tried anything like this before,but now I am so tempted to give it a try. Have a lovely time at the vintage fair. Hugs from Scotland Rita xxxx

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Gorgeous Sarah, love the texture and the intensitiy of the colour, absolutely gorgeous. Must give this a try. Off to work in my messy dusty craft room lol. Enjoy the vintage fair. Tracy x

Debbie Rock said...

This is just stunning Sarah and I absolutely LoVe it ... just the sort of work I'd love to be able to do myself (but can't!!!!). I really must learn to just let go and EXPERIMENT more. I do so admire your work ... very, very well done to you. You are TRULY an inspiration! Love Debbie xXx

Dorothy said...

Wow, very cool!

Crafty Loops said...

Heehee, Im in the same boat Sarah! Hubby is decorating too and my room is being gutted and I feel lost without my craft room! The bathroom is nearly done expect for one tall boy cabinet thingy to be built....good ole Ikea, the kitchen just needs painted and the panelling distressed and my craft room has one side tidied with shelves up. It just needs the other side done now! Yuck....the sooner its all done the sooner I can play! I love this project, the texture looks amazing. Hope you have great success at the fair today. My problem would be making any profit because anything I made would probably be spent at other stalls, lol. Lee x

Barb King said...

Those flowers have so much character, I love them! Beautiful work.

Redanne said...

Ooh, I love this, I really must give it a try. Beautiful!

Janny Jager said...

Only one word
BEAUTIFULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.

Greetings Janny

Anonymous said...

The rusty appearance is always oh so appealing and for us who don't have the patience to leave something to the work of the elements and wait and wait and wait, we need speedy ways to create that patina and you certainly achieved it. Gorgeous work.
Wishes
Lynne

Candy C said...

Really beautiful flower you've created from leaves and anything but what you would think of to make something floral! haha I love all of the textures you achieved through heat tooling, alcohol inking and "finger inking". It looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your time on the couch! <3 Candy

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

I loved this technique ever since I saw Wendy use it. But your colors rock...it totally looks like rusted metal...AWESOME!!! Hope you get back into a new and fully stocked mojo filled room soon. Good luck on the redecor!

linda said...

Very cool! Your colors are wonderful.

Marjie Kemper said...

This is a stunner. Takes CFA to an entirely new level!

lilyandthelotus.blogspot.com said...

wonderful rusted metal...wonderful.
susan s.