It's Spooky! - by Claudia

Servus! Claudia here today and I am so happy that you stopped by to take a look!

It's time to get a little spooky when it comes to crafting as Halloween is fast approaching. So this time I am sharing with you a "Spooky" Halloween shadowframe - well, it rather is a "shadow-board" to be precise as I used one of Calico Craft Parts' wonderful shaped greyboard mixed media boards and layered pieces on top of each other.

Calico Craft Parts used:

- Shaped Profile Greyboard Mixed Media Board - Style 1 - 200mm x 140mm
- Raven MDF Wood Bird Shape - medium
- Spooky - Halloween MDF Wood Word - medium
- Art Deco MDF Ornament Wood Shape - Style 2 -  small
- Grim Reaper Border Scene MDF Wood Shape - X-large
- Skeleton Tree MDF Wood Shape - Style 2 - medium
- Gravestone Croos MDF Wood Shape - Style 2 - small
- Sheet of Mini MDF Wood Birds - Crows & Ravens
- Flying Bat Colony MDF Wood Shapes

...and of course there is a detailed step by step for you to follow!

So let's get 

1. Arrange the Calico Craft Parts until content. (maybe take a picture to help remember your design later when it's time for assembly ;)

2. Apply DecoArt media black Gesso to the Craft Parts (but not to the greyboard). 

Water the Gesso down a bit before applying it to parts with finer details so you don't loose any.

3.  Apply DecoArt media black Modeling Paste to the skeleton tree, gravestone and raven 

using a palette knife. 

Create a lot of texture by using the tip of the palette knife 

to indicate bark, rough stone and feathers. 

Let air dry.

4. In the meantime use DecoArt matte Decou-page to adhere some designer paper to the greyboard. Then seal it with DecoArt media Matte Medium. Once that has dried randomly scrape on some DecoArt media clear Crackle Glaze using the palette knife again. Let air dry.

5.  While the Crackle Glaze dries, paint the "Spooky" word with DecoArt Americana "Primary Red" (apply two coats).

Once the paint is dry cover everything with DecoArt media Liquid Glass.

Set aside to let it dry naturally.

6. Mix DecoArt Americana Navy Blue, Charcoal Grey and Bleached Sand to dry brush the Calico Craft Parts that have been coated with the black Gesso and/or Modelling Paste. Start with a darker tone and work your way through several layers - each lighter than the one before. 

This way the textures created before become visible.

7.  Apply several washes of DecoArt media Sap Green and Prussian Blue Hue to the shaped greyboard panel. This will leave some of the design visible but also seep into the crevices from the clear Crackle Glaze so they become visible too. 

If the result looks too bright add some more washes with a mix of Paynes Grey and Sap Green. 

8. Paint a glowing full moon using a mix of DecoArt media Translucent White and Hansa Yellow Light. Water down towards the outer edges while the paint is still wet. 

9. Use the same mix to add some more dry brushing to all the pieces. 

As you can see the dry brushing even highlights the brushstrokes from the black Gesso. 

So if you keep this in mind when applying the Gesso, you can already "build" texture for the bats' wings for example.

10.  Create two more pieces of painted designer paper - one strip for the front piece and a little "hill" for the gravestone to sit upon. These will be layered using sticky foam pads.

11. Use DecoArt matte Decou-page to assemble all the pieces of your 

spooky mixed media shadow-board. 

Add dots of Liquid Glass to the bats' eyes and the bloody tip of the reaper's scythe 

to make the red pop.

12. Stamp a Halloween quote onto tissue paper using black archival stamping ink, fussy cut and decou-page it to the gravestone. 

Voilá!

You're done!

I hope you are having as much fun as I am crafting for Halloween! 

There is a wide range of different fab Calico Craft Parts to use for this fun spooky time of the year!!!

I am so looking forward to browse all your blogs to see your spooky goodness! 

Hugs and happy crafting!

Claudia

xxx