T is for ~ altered dictionary spread

Hello my friends. I'm glad you are here. Continuing on with my altered dictionary, I decided to complete the T spread and chose the word tramp to illustrate. Ever since I took a film course in high school, I have been captivated by the work of Charlie Chaplin, aka The Little Tramp. His ability to convey so much of a story and such a range of emotion without words, the charm and quirkiness of the character he portrayed, and his instantly recognizable silhouette all  delight me. I decided to pay tribute to Charlie with this spread.

Keeping the definition uncovered, I began by gessoing the two pages of the spread and then adhering each to the next page for added strength using matte medium. The pages were then scribbled over with three shades of red Neocolor II crayons. The watercolour crayon was spread and blended using white gesso instead of water. More crayon was added to intensify the edges and random places and activated with a wet brush. Red gelato was used around the edge and spread with a damp finger. Aged Mahogany Distress ink was applied over the TH Shattered stencil and one of the designs from TCW's Well Rounded stencil on both pages. Next Studio 490 black Embossing Paste was scraped through another design on the Well Rounded stencil to achieve the dimensional rings,

Next white gesso was applied through TCW's Spinning Tops stencil. A Stampendous crackled marble stamp was inked with Jet Black Archival ink and rolled onto the background here and there for additional interest and texture.

Two awesome Chaplin images from Room 29 on Etsy were printed to size and cut as rectangles. The head shot was given rounded corners, white dots, and foam tape on the back. Two tickets from Vectoria Designs were printed, cut out, and inked with Vintage Photo before being tucked under Charlie's image.

The second image was a full shot of the actor. It was matted in black cardstock and then again in white. A checkerboard border was doodled onto the edge of the white matting. This image was adhered directly to the background and a filmstrip frame cut with a Sizzix die was angled over it and adhered with foam tape.

Two sizes of black cardstock stars were punched and scattered across the pages. The large stars were embellished with white paint pen dots. A black threaded button was added to the large star at the bottom of the page. The small letter stickers have a bit of a shimmer to them which catches the light IRL. The large letters spelling Chaplin are Idea-ology Alpha Parts in Ransom font.

Words and phrases from Idea-ology Remnant Rubs were applied in three places (artist,dreamer of dreams, Original) to introduce more text and help tell the story. Three pieces of camera washi tape were added to the edges of the pages and doodled around. More doodling was done around the pages and on the sides of the stencilled designs.

A wooden letter tile was added to the spread to indicate the letter of the dictionary being illustrated. This dictionary makes me laugh because the definitions are about the lamest I've seen anywhere. That and the quality of the paper appealed to me when I chose it at the thrift store.

Finally to complete the spread, black Big Brush pen was used to edge the pages in a thick/thin loose fashion. I like it to show more in some areas than others to create a grungier feel. White gesso lines were applied using an old gift card to add some brightness and a little structure and straightness (new word) to the chaotic background. I often like that contrast and it seems to give the eye a chance to rest when the background is busy.

And that's it for Mr. Chaplin and me today. We thank you for visiting and for your wonderful comments that always make my day. I am truly grateful for your company on this creative journey.

I am entering this project in the following challenges:
Craft-room Challenge ~ Stencils & Masks
Paper Minutes ~  #294 Movie/Cinema
Through the Craft Room Door ~ Nov. 5-11 Anything Goes
Try it on Tuesday ~ Colour Explosion (bright)
Twisted Tuesday ~ Free for all/anything goes
Through the Purple Haze ~ Anything Goes

Life is good, so is art.
Bonnie