Tarnished

Although I have been quite happy creating pages in my Opus summer sketchbook I couldn't really see where I was heading with it until today. I've finished reading the novel "Perfume" which I found very disturbing but it kept bringing me back to the idea of layers so I've spent the last couple of days focusing on another of the words from the list - tarnished. I'm thinking layers of peeling paint, layers of rust etc

The following page was made with layers of tissue, shredded paper and scrim - painted with Dragon's breath Ink and Iron Gall ink (thank you for introducing me to these Lynda.) I then overprinted with metal effects paint and rust activator and this was finally rubbed over with gold treasure wax giving the impression of tarnished metal.

The whole thing was given a layer of acrylic wax and then I found these old beads which seemed to fit perfectly.

I then remembered I bought a Gwen Hedly CD "Surfaces and Structures" at last years Knitting and Stitching show, which is full of images of rusty surfaces like this one and it occured to me it would make a lovely edge to a vessel or some other 3D object.

So now I'm rust printing kunin felt and other fabrics in preparation for some samples. I'm not sure where I will end up with it all but I'm finding it very exciting (It doesn't take much!) Don't you just love it when an idea takes hold and you can run with it... and of course it fits in with the other work I was starting on rust. Just got to wait for the fabrics to turn rusty!