Vintage Photos With Grunge and Bling

I have always loved vintage photos. After taking a course called "Radiant Rust" with Seth Apter at Ink Pad NYC a few months ago, I got addicted to the grunge effect, and love combining it with vintage photos to enhance the aged look of my art pieces. These two pieces use similar techniques and materials, and both honor my own parents, and turn old faded photos into keepsake artwork. 

On the left is the piece I call "Football Hero Circa 1936," and on the right is "1942 Wedding." Both pieces developed as I went along, rather than being carefully thought out and sketched in advance. 

During the Radiant Rust workshop, I had created a center piece that I didn't like at all. (Click here for my blogpost about the workshop.) Rather than trash the imperfect artwork and fine watercolor paper, I decided to paint over it and keep experimenting.

This was the painted, stamped center piece that I didn't like and decided to paint over.

After painting over the original artwork with Seth's chalk paints, I added some of my favorite stamps--a dragonfly and a Julie Balzer geometric--with radiant rust and patina oxide Baked Texture.

The dragonflies and geometric stamps didn't work with the painted background.

I didn't love it, so I added more texture with a woodblock stamp from Gwen Lafluer. It was better, but still needed something more.

A little rust baked texture powder was added to the background.

One of Gwen's carved wooden stamps was added around the edges with rust baked texture.

I thought a steampunk image look might be cool with the rusty grunge effect, so I set to work with a few steampunk stencils. This time, I used an olive green embossing powder that I had on hand.

The olive embossing powder didn't work with the background, so it was covered with chalk paints.

It was pretty much a disaster. The olive was hideous, so I  painted over sections with the chalk paint and cheesecloth, and eventually ended up with a rusty, grungy background that I liked.

Eventually the color and texture looked just right.

The football hero photo was "auditioned" on another grungy background, which was later used in the "1942 Wedding" piece.

I was working on a few backgrounds at the same time. I auditioned a photo reprint of my father in his football uniform on one of the other backgrounds; I liked the effect. He was born in 1918 and the photo was taken in high school, so it is probably from 1936. He had been the quarterback for his team--what a difference from today's uniforms!

My father loved to read, so I found some old dictionary pages and tore them to give a frame effect. To go with the grungy idea, I decided to use distress stain to age the paper.

A frame effect was created around the photo with torn vintage dictionary pages.

The distressed paper frame looked good, but the piece still needed more.

A little more distress ink was added to the paper, as well as some extra rust baked texture.

The final touch was trying some baked texture Beeswax over the photo and dictionary paper.

 I was really happy with the final piece. The beeswax baked texture united the background and foreground, and added to the aged effect.

For the 1942 Wedding piece, I used one of the grunge backgrounds that I had considered for the Football Hero. The wedding photo contrasted nicely with the grungy background, but I knew it needed more. I auditioned a lot of elements until I found just the right combination.

A piece of sari scrap was just the right color for the background.

Sheer lace added contrast with the earth-toned background and sari scrap.

I liked the idea of lace with some of Gwen's Sari Scraps from the online shop. The colors were great with the grungy background and they added a nice contrast. I set about carefully cutting some coffee-colored silk and beaded medallions. 

I also decided that rather than pasting the photo on top of the background, I would cut out a center section and use the grungy background as a frame. Not only did this add depth, I also ended up with a nice little piece of the grungy background for later use in another project.

On the back of the background, I carefully measured and marked before cutting the frame.

The photo was mounted on some heavy, smooth paper before placing the frame over it.

I used some ink and a dabber tool around the edge of the cut-out center to give a more finished, professional look.

A small piece of the background was cut out, and the photo inserted.

The hard part was deciding on exactly how many medallions to use, where to place them, how much and what kind of lace to use, and how to arrange it all so it didn't look too busy or too stagnant.

Audition 1

Audition 2

Audition 3

Audition 4

Audition 5

Audition 6

Audition 7

Audition  8

Audition 9

Audition 10

I finally decided on an arrangement, and set about adhering the elements. I used a gluestick for the lace, and heavy gel medium for the Sari Silk scrap medallions. The gluestick went on purple, which is great because it shows where the glue is and is not, but it dries clear.

Just before the glue had dried, I decided I didn't love Audition 10, so I added some triangular shapes of lace at the top and bottom, which kept the design from being too square and boring.

The final "1942 Wedding" artwork.

The football hero of 1936 became a groom in 1942, and later a WWII hero, receiving a Purple Heart medal.

I just may get orders for a bunch of these from my extended family--my brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews all love the family history and vintage photos.  But, even if I do make a few more, each one will be unique, depending on which colors of paint, embossing powder, lace, trim or sari scraps that I decide to use.

Steampunk Subway Portal

Art Deco designs make me sigh with happiness. There's something so magical about Deco...so structured and mathematical, yet so curvy and fluid at the same time. The Art Deco stencils designed by Gwen Lafluer for StencilGirl capture that magic.

Like many of my art pieces, this Steampunk Portal emerged as I went along. I started with no plan other than to experiment with some of the Art Deco Stencils. I started by painting a big piece of heavy watercolor paper in one of my favorite colors--light aqua--and once it was dry, I used some molding paste through the two Art Deco Bookplate stencils. The one on the right became the piece I called "Yearn - Dare" which you can see here. The one on the left became the "Steampunk Subway Portal."

Gwen's Deco Bookplate stencil pair was printed with molding paste onto a painted aqua background.

My worktable, covered with various deco stencils and prints.

The effect of the white molding paste on the aqua background was pretty, but I knew it needed more. So, I took out my Derwent Inktense Blocks and added more color. They go on like a chalky crayon, but when you add water, the colors pop, intensify, melt, blend and get really delicious.

The first few strokes of Derwent Inktense Blocks were applied to the painted, stenciled design.

Once water was added, the Inktense colors intensified.

More color was added with the Inktense blocks until the design was ready for embellishment.

I added shades of indigo and moss green and brown until I had an effect I liked. Then I set about deciding how to embellish the background. I had a set of Tim Holtz compass coins that had been in my stash for about a year, and one was just the right size and color for the center circle of the design. I auditioned some of Gwen's Turkmen Jewelry Parts and Dresden Trim to see what would compliment the compass coin.

The chain was too long and the Dresden trim corner pieces too small on this "audition."

The big Dresden corners were gorgeous, but too bold for the background, and they overpowered the central elements.

A smaller piece of Turkmen jewelry was too short and bulky for the background.

 I liked the long chain with a dangling diamond-shaped end-piece, but it was a little too long. I also liked some Dresden corners that I had cut from a bigger piece of a Dresden Medallion, but they were too shiny. I decided to grunge up the gold corner pieces with Seth Apter's chalk paints, and once the paint was dry, added a layer of black ink.

A Dresden medallion was cut apart to make the deco corner fan shapes.

Chalk paints and black ink gave an aged effect to the Dresden corners.

 I felt that the Turkmen chain was too long and considered cutting it. But even if I cut it, dangling it from the center of the compass seemed too boring. I didn't really want to cut it, so I decided to anchor the coin with a large brass brad and then wrap the chain around the top of the coin. I used some thread to stitch it in place and a little heavy gel medium for extra holding power.

It seemed to need words, so I found a Rumi quote that I had printed on a clear Avery mailing label, carefully trimmed away the excess, and adhered it to the top and bottom. The words are: "Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray."

Once the words were on, I knew I was almost done, but still felt it needed more. I put away my art supplies for the night and slept on it.

The next day I was thinking about how to finish the piece, and realized it was looking pretty Steampunk. It also occurred to me that it looked like a magical door or portal. As I was riding the subway on my way home from work, I realized that a few months before I had taken a photo of the sign in the station of my new work stop--149th Street in the Bronx--and that the photo would go nicely with my work-in-progress. The colors in the photo were greenish and old, and the mosaic tiles, the design of the sign and the font--as on much of the old signage in the NYC subway system--are authentically early 20th century.

Subway sign over the tracks at the Bronx 149th Street station

I shrunk the photo down to the right size and printed it, then cropped it so only the number showed. My color printer was a little off and it looked dull printed on ordinary copy paper, so I covered the little sign with some of Seth Apter's Baked Texture Beeswax embossing powder, which greatly enhanced the image. I also edged the little sign with sepia archival ink and added a touch of Lumiere gold paint, then used heavy gel medium to adhere it to the stenciled background design. Last, I strategically added some little square brass brads, which echoed the mosaic of the subway sign and complimented the deco geometry.

I realized that the NYC subway system really is my daily portal. I get on the subway every weekday morning by going through the lobby, and then through the basement, of the gorgeous Art Deco Chrysler Building. So,  I have my "aaaah" moment of beauty twice a day as I am going to work and coming home. During my commute, I love looking at all variations in the designs and colors of the old deco tiles signs along the way, which makes what could be a long, boring ride a little more interesting.