Pixels & Paper Challenge Blog ~ Monochromatic March!

"Siblings"

So it's time for a new challenge over on the Pixels & Paper Challenge Blog, and I must say, I love this one!

MMMMM - Coffee!

The criteria for this month is "Monochromatic Colour Scheme".  You are welcome to submit traditional paper layouts, art journals, divided page protectors, smash books, a mixed media canvas. Digital entries are welcomed and encouraged.  

For me this month, I had an idea right away that I wanted to put a black and white photo onto a black and white monochromatic page - however, it took me a few false starts to get there!

I initially started with a 12x12 black board that I'd picked up in a specials bin - I wanted to seal it with black gesso and then after that was dry, daub white gesso then white acrylic paint to create an interesting background effect...  

Well, I'm not sure if it was the board, or the black gesso that was a bit suspect, because everything white that I added to my background turned pink - every single layer!  I even put a layer of clear gesso over the offending pink in order to break the chain, but still my white acrylic paint turned pink ~ aaarrrggghhh!!!

So, I scrapped that idea and moved on to my next one - and it turned out much better!

The black border is the background 12x12 Bazzill Cardstock. I then grabbed some heavy-weight white smooth cardstock and cut it down by 3cm all round.  I then cut out two half-circles out from the edges top and bottom so the black would show through underneath.

I mixed up some DecoArt Crackle Paste with black acrylic ink to make it a grey colour.  Then using Finnabair's "Cobblestones" stencil, I stencilled in the crackle paste on an angle down the middle of the white cardstock.  I also dropped random splatters of Liquitex 'Carbon Black' acrylic ink over the page using the dropper tip.  This was set aside to dry.

Onto the background on the left hand side, I stamped 'Filmstrip' by Stampin' Up! twice using Versafine Ink in 'Onyx Black'.  Once the background was completely dry, I stuck it down onto the Bazzill Black cardstock.  Using the dropper tip from my Liquitex 'Titanium White' acrylic ink, I drew in the heart shapes on the Black background where the half-circles had been cut out.

I actually used those half circle cutouts to make a new embellishment for my page - I joined them together to make a circle, and then added a circle piece on top from a Kaisercraft's Collectables set (I can't remember which one) because it had a heart in it.  I used two other pieces from the same Collectables set, one to put the date, and the other with a camera on it as it suited the overall theme and the photograph.

I've used some old Creative Memories Storybox papers to mat the photo and to build up the layering, and finally I used my new favourite tool - a dip pen with Liquitex acrylic ink - to write my title "Siblings". 

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you feel inspired to join in this month's Pixels and Paper challenge! 

Deb.xx