Age Old Arguments

This was one of those projects that is just a big of fun, and may never be finished, I threw the kitchen sink at it!

I repeat stamped the arch from Andy's 'Gothic Grunge' set, masking off to create more columns.

Coloured the card with distress inks to start with....

Paynes Grey and Quin Gold added, then torn and inked around the edges with black archival ink.

For the base I just used a rectangular canvas I had previously painted with Emporers Gold and then bubbled (a workshop technique I use). I stamped and embossed images from lots of Andy's stamp sets all around the edge of the canvas. Skeletons and gargoyle stamped and embossed with white embossing powder onto velum.  Using vellum I was able to stamp the image twice and flip one over to create a reverse image and have them looking at each other! I also chopped of one arm at the elbow and changed the angle to give a different feel to it. Then glued to them card using Matt Medium.

Grey paints added to the stamped gravestones, cloth added, spider embossed with black powder and a bit of gold added to his back.

Clear modelling paste through the stencil which dries clear

but gives lovely texture for drippage and dry brushing.

Words typed, printed, cut out and coloured. Hills built up under the gravestones so they were a bit more 'grounded'. Layers of paints in golds, greys, cobolt blue, yellow iron oxide, etc. Shade added using carbon black around images and the focal card section; to bring forward the crosses and cast them each a shadow. Rusty wire and a piece of card for the collar and lead, gems on the gravestones. Metal embellies, a circle of rusty wire and jewellery chain coloured with quin gold, red iron oxide and trans yellow iron oxide. Black archival ink added around the outside.
In the final pic I've dry brushed white over the stamped areas around the outside to bring them forward from the background, and added chain so the embellies had an anchor point and weren't just floating - although I kinda liked that!

Thanks for looking! Below are product lists and some links to shops.

Happy arting! Suz xxx

Products used:

Andy Skinner Stamps: Spooks (Gargoyle); Gothic Grunge (archways) ; Birds and Bones; Fossils

DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Grey Value 6; Titanium White; Paynes Grey; Cobalt Teal Hue; Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide; Quinacrydone Gold; Transparent Red Iron Oxide; Carbon Black; Titan Buff; Matte Medium; Clear Modeling Paste, Dazzling Metallics Emperors Gold

Other products used:
white velum, cardstock, repurposed canvas, detailed white embossing powder, detailed black embossing powder, metal charms and embellies, greyboard spider from Tando Creative, cheesecloth (bit of old bandage), gems. jewellery chain, black archival ink