Valentine Steampunk Hearts

I was at the CHA Supercraft Show held in Anaheim (Jan 2010) and this was one of the projects I worked on, steampunk hearts made from Primo Modelling Clay.

Okay you can take your pick for Valentines from me. I have two screwed hearts, and the others I've added watch gears and parts to them, brushed mica over them.

To make these just roll the modelling clay into a ball, then funnel roll in your hands making a cone shape, then use a plastic knife to mold down a crease at the top, which then turns into the heart.

Then add your wat nots (watch gear parts etc) and dust over with mica.

To bake have your oven on at 130°C and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Steampunk Inspired Birdie

I have recently come back from CHA Supercraft Show.

One of our projects was to make a steampunk 'inspired' birdie. Now I have quoted inspired, because there is nothing about this birdie that is steampunk.

I was a little disappointed with this. First it was made of papier mache. Then it was just collage work of vintage bits.

The only thing that was anything that could be steampunkish was the propeller on top of the birdie's head.

I added the watch parts to its necklace.

The old painted look was achieved by smearing vaseline (petroleum jelly) on the column and then painting on top of this. Applying a heat gun to help dry the paint and then it would start to crackle, then a tissue was applied/dabbed over it to remove some of the excess paint to give it that old look (but that still doesn't make it steampunkish).

First Say to yourself what you would be and then ...

Click on the images to read further.

Digital Collage using Photoshop

So how do I spend my holidays?
Usually doing art or design classes of some sort or another. I've just spent two days doing digital collage, and this is all I have to show (well, there is one more I've done which I am going to turn into an art quilt).

Cute vintage monkeys.

Jules Verne Revisited: Sea Monster

Here are more scenes that have been altered. This is a collaboration between myself and an illustrator. I have used two different lighting effects.
The correct colouring is the first two images.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Revisited): Inside the Nautilus with Captain Nemo

So here we go again Captain Nemo inside his Nautilus (submarine). Once you look into the water you will see paper fishes of various sizes have been added, plus paper shells, some little oddments (e.g. treasure chest from the pet shop, and that I've added extra seashells on to it too).

Inside I've added a gramophone (they're got to have music right?), some ink pottles and fountain pens (actually Captain Nemo is standing in the way so you can't see them here), special sea measuring equipment, and compass. What fun I have had.

This photo is not too good, I will upload another one later.

So here are the divers, but the mermaid is not in the story (just a fantasy element).

 

 

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Revisited): Divers getting ready to despatch

Well here we go again, the altered art theater/theatre with 20,000 Leagues under the sea revisited.

Here we have paper crabs,  tumbled seaglass, miniature shells, fake shells, paper coins, and one paper fish thrown in for good measure. Plus a compass right in the middle (not sticking down properly for the photo).

There is a ship in the background, an air balloon, plus another boat with divers. I've also added seagulls, a fish in the parrots mouth, message bottle on the water and an anchor on the side of the ship. There's also a life buoy, a net with an assortment of fishes in it plus rope.

Closer look.

I think this may be a better photo.

Scandinavian Christmas Celebration

I'm a bit behind on the art journalling session, this one was for Christmas. I did the Scandinavian Christmas traditions this year and celebrated St Nicholas' day (December 6) where the kids got some pressies, and yes they got more pressies on 25th (I know they are over indulged).

I did a title page in my journal for the Scandinavian Christmas, and the next page I put in some information on who St Nicholas was, along with the advent customs, and finally one yummy recipe (there were more recipes but I'm not making a recipe book).

Hope you like the pages.
I've done some painting, some glitzing with Glimmer Mist, some hot embossing (using stamp and heat gun) and have added some die cuts from Mamelok Press.

Art Journal Cover

I have done a number of pages in my art journal, but had never done the cover. I just had to wait for that inspiration to happen, and it finally did. I had bought two books of the same title (Creating the Artful Home - the aesthetic movement by Karen Zukowski).

The aesthetic movement was all about the arts and craft era/movement. It is one the particularly resonates with me to a certain degree. I like the architecture and interiors of that period in time, so because I had two books with the same title (silly me on my shopping spending spree) I decided I'd use one for cut outs (it wasn't that expensive as the second book I bought was at a sale price).

So I cut out some of the images from the book that appealed and tiled them together on the cover. Then I have added a few rub ons, as well as the word Art Journal. Then I've coated it with Gel Medium.

Second page of the journal as an introduction page, I've added Rosetti's art works. First I had painted a pinkish background, added the images, some rub ons, and then used Glimmer Mist to give it that irridescent look in the corners.

Victorian Beach Summer

This is one of my more ambitious projects, and as you can see it is life sized (that's me standing by it).
It has taken a number of years to do, only because I ran out of time and I was making it when I had my Altered Art Alchemist shop in Mt Eden, so it was good to do between customers. But since closing the store down I never really had time to work on it until these holidays (yeah).

 

And here are the close up images that I am looking at.

 

This is one of the side panels, and the other is the back of the other side.