Steampunk Mosiac

I started this project by making this tiny canvas.  I had no idea, at that point how this piece would evolve.  I had a bunch of die cut tags from Graphics 45 and the scale was perfect for Tim Holtz's fragments.  I made a bunch of them and needed to do something, so i made mosaic on a tiny canvas.

  

I had enough to make another so I did.  That is when I had the thought to mirror the idea of a mosaic with canvases.  I had a stash of Steampunk Debutante paper that I had been "saving" and this seemed to be the perfect project.  I had a random few pieces of 12x12 and I also had an 8x8 stack.  

I recently hit an estate sale for a clock repair man where I found a ton of steampunky goodness, some seen in this piece.  My favorite image from this collection of paper is the gal with the gears in her hair.  It was a simple game of match up and her hair was soon embellished with real vintage gears. Many of my canvases also have altered tissue tape surrounding them.  This is a technique I recently discovered with alcohol inks with perfect pearls and it achieves amazing results.    

The next panel I made with Linda's recent Grungy Monday Challenge in mind.  I struggled with this technique for sure.  This was probably due to my thin foam frame.  I still made it work and also used the technique in another way.  I used the craft foam to make the image pop off the page to add dimension.  It may be hard to see here, but the girl on the top with the hat shows this alternate interpretation of the dimension technique. Since I had two sheets of paper, I fussy cut one of the images of the lady and backed it with foam before mounting in on another sheet of the same paper.   

I found a few ways to add texture.  Bits and pieces of clocks are scattered all over the piece.  I also used a few scraps of fiber to soften things up.  

I scored a bunch of the apothecary bottles from 7 gypsies at a really good deal.  I used a few of them along the top of one canvas and filled them up with the metal sticks that many of the gears were once pressed into.  The bottles were embellished with some scraps of paper.  A few of my gear sticks were also bundled with wire and used to frame out one of the images as well. I was pleased to use some bolts and screws since I had planned to toss them. 

I love the clock hands I embedded in this panel too.  I had to poke a hole in the canvas to get them to lay properly.  I also made another time charm with a pair of wings, and old clock face and a spinner.  

One thing that really stuck me when creating this layout was a memory of Yearbook class from junior high.  I recalled some of the principles that were taught in terms of the direction people are looking for good design.  How funny for me to remember that!

Thanks for stopping by!