September Rick St. Dennis Progressive Challenge

After a summer break, the Rick St. Dennis Progressive Challenge begins again today on the Rick St. Dennis Sparkle and Glitter EDT blog. The first month, which is September, features a theme and any Rick St. Dennis image is allowed as long as the theme is followed. For those who play along in the September Challenge, the free image will be given to them for the October round of the challenge. If you don't play in September, you will still be able to enter October's round, if you purchase the October image. This month our theme for the Progressive Challenge is Anything Goes with an RSD image.

I created a mixed media art journal page featuring Screaming Me! Me! who seems to depict exactly how I have been feeling lately. You know when you have too many screens open on your computer and it gives you that message about too many files open? Well, my head sometimes feels like there are too many files open and this is a fun way to remind myself to focus on one thing at a time. I coloured Me!Me! with Prismacolor pencils, fussy cut him, and matted him with black cardstock before placing foam dots on the back. I wanted him to really stand out from the page.

The background started with a gessoed double page spread to which I added scribbles of pink, orange, and yellow Neocolor II crayons. After activating the crayon with water, I let it dry and repeated the process. next I took gelatos in the same colours and deepened areas, spreading the colour with a dry finger. Red gelato was added to the outside edges followed by Black Soot Distress ink and Black Big Brush pen.

Pattern and texture was added with black gesso through TCW's Mini Netting stencil and with white gesso through TCW's Harlequin Circles stencil. Text was randomly stamped using Jet Black Archival ink. File folders were cut from manila cardstock, inked with Vintage Photo Distress ink, and labelled with a black pen Some were adhered fully open and others had foam dots inserted between the layers so that they would still appear open once folded. The word Focus was printed on a Dymo Labeller and added to one of the file folders. Me! Me! was adhered over the left pile of folders.

The large letters, Ransom Alpha Parts, were adhered to the top and side with Glossy Accents. An arrow was cut to create movement and white paint pen dots were added to both the arrow and the letters.

The other sentiment was computer generated onto cream cardstock which was then matted in black and popped up with foam tape. Drywall mesh was cut into chunks and added to both pages to add still more texture. In order to bring the blue colour over to the right hand page, Salty Ocean Distress ink was pounced through a stencil across the spread. To repeat the pink from Me!Me!'s mouth a button flower was threaded with white ribbon and added to the lower right corner. The final touches were some doodling with black pen and the addition of a zigzag border to one edge of each page.

I love the way that Screaming Me! Me! turned out and how he helped me turn frustrating feelings into a positive reminder...that makes me laugh. Rick's images inspire me and frequently spark an entire journal spread like this. To check out other fabulous projects from some of my talented EDT teamies, please pop over to the Sparkle and Glitter blog. We would love to see you play along in this month long Anything Goes challenge. There will be another set of EDT projects posted  on September 15 just to remind you to please join us.
I am entering this spread in the following challenges:
Anything But a Card ~ Use 5 (colours on BG, patterns from stencilling/stamping, peaks on border)
Through the Purple Haze ~ #56 Anything Goes
Hiding in my Craft Room ~ HIMCR#163 freestyle
Open-Minded Crafting ~ Office Supplies or Job Related (file folders)
Left of Center Creative Challenges ~ #43 LOC (creepy, dark)
Sweet Pea Stampers ~ Lots of Layers
Southern Girls Challenge ~ It's All about Texture

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie