Let the Games Begin - Rick St Dennis Airless Chambers post

There  are so many things about this image,  Smilin' Joe Skull with Roses, that really amuse me: the broken skull contrasted with the beautiful roses, the hat with the ace of spades tucked into the band, the burning cigarette (Live) in Joe's (not so live) mouth. Anyway, I just HAD to colour him and create a mixed media background where he could star. You can find Smilin Joe in Rick's Zibbet shop or his Etsy shop.

I coloured Joe with Prismacolor pencils and tried out a new tip I thought might work. I was watching an encaustic video and the instructor used a piece of pantyhose to buff the wax and remove some of the bloom. Anyone who colours with Prismacolor pencils knows that this will occur at times if you press too hard and get a waxy build-up. Well, guess what...the buffing with the nylon removes some of that build-up or bloom, too, allowing the colours to be more true without the haze. Bonus! Joe was fussy cut and matted in black both for greater strength to pop him up and also for greater contrast with the background.

The background began as a layer of subtly printed kraft paper, distressed and inked on the edges, and matted with black cardstock. Jet Black Archival was used to apply the Dylusions  harlequin stencilling. White gesso was used to apply the TCW Mini Circles stencilling. A strip of black cardstock was embossed with a chain link pattern and highlighted with Treasure Gold wax so the pattern would show. Two playing cards and a layer of cheesecloth were adhered behind the popped up image.

The sentiment was computer generated, torn around, and inked on the edges with Black Soot Distress ink. It was then popped up on foam and baker's twine was wrapped to the back from each end. Black enamel dots embellished the ends. The two final details were the skull charm and a black corner triangle to which more stencilling was applied. I love how this turned out...it makes me smile.

Thanks for joining Joe and me today. We do appreciate your fine company. For more inspiration using Rick's fabulous images, fun challenges, and some wonderful sharing of projects and knowledge, come and visit:
our Facebook group
our Airless Chambers blog
our Rick St Dennis Gallerie
our Tuts and Comments blog
Hope to see you there.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Cuttlebug Mania ~ We Think You Are All Charming (Cuttlebug machine and Lifestyle EF)
Creative Card Crew ~ #65 Masculine
Loves Rubberstamps ~ #110 Anything Goes
Haunted Design House ~ Macabre Monday Eerie Inspiration (skellies)
The Corrosive Challenge ~ #202 Color Me Happy (Prismacolor pencils)
Left of Center ~ #34 Use metal (skull charm)
A Step in the Dark ~ #5 Dark Fantasy/Anything Goes

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie