Four by Four Friday - Grungeboard

If you haven't had a chance to try the new Grungeboard by Ranger, do it! This stuff is great. It bends, distresses, cuts, and glues like paper or chipboard without the rolling or pilling or sagging that is common to many types of paper. I created this piece using grungeboard elements. The hinges, keyhole, and peephole cover are all Grungeboard, embossed with two coats of copper embossing powder. Then brads were added. I hammered the whole lot with a small hammer that I use for setting eyelets to give it a more distressed look. I then glued the elements in place using Crafter's Choice glue - one of my favorites. I call this piece of work "Speak Easy" after the bars that went underground during Prohibition in the United States.

4x4 Friday - Numbers

Here is my submission for this week's 4X4 Friday challenge. I used for my background a vintage arithmatic book page from 1890's or so. I painted with with a light wash of gesso. I then added some really cool number stamps that I purchased. The picture is courtesy of Paper Whimsy.

4x4 Friday - Masks

I decided to execute this assignment digitally. While I feel that learning the basics in art is paramount, it is also important to keep up with the new technology. I have recently purchased a copy of Photoshop Elements. I've also been buying a British Magazine called Photoshop Creative. The great thing about this mag is that it comes with a disk of extras (like brushes and patterns) plus it gives tutorials on how to work with the new tech. I originally purchase a copy because it is giving workshops on how to restore old images. I like to work with cabinet cards and CDVs, but they usually scan with all the noise, speckles, fades and spots that the years have worn onto them. So I originally purchased the magazine (which is a bit pricey at $15.50 an issue) to learn how to clean up some of my old pictures for future artwork. Of course, the freebies helped too.

So here is my homage to one of my favorite "masks" - Edgar Allen Poe's story, The Mask of the Read Death.

Four by four is not always a truck

I love blogs and websites that offer challenges. Sometimes you need a little something to spur your creativity.

Yesterday, I went over to my father's house and found my oldest sister pacing the driveway. She is starting the groundwork for her dissertation. I knew exactly what she was doing by pacing: she was forming the outline for her next chapter in her disseration in her head and needed to pace to get the creative juices flowing.

Challenge blogs/websites are the same thing. They are a place where you can look and see if that is the driveway you want to pace up and down to get your strike your creative spark. I have a few sites on the right side of this blog for you to check out. These two brides were created for the theme of vintage brides for 4x4 Friday. These pieces of work measure a mere 4x4 inches.

So check out the site and give it a try!