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Thursday 22 October 2015

Calico Autumn Shadows

Hello all!  It's been very quiet here in the last few days, and I've still only got a catch-up post for you today.  There are a few things going on behind the scenes, but I'm really only getting to craft for deadlines again at the moment.  In the meantime, here's a Calico creation from more than a year ago, but I wanted to re-share it before Autumn turns in to Winter.  (As always, don't feel you have to comment again.)

I'm glad you enjoyed the recent tower of Autumnal ATBs over at Calico Craft Parts.  This shadow box uses some more of those fabulous leafy shapes - I can't get enough of them!


As regulars know, I try to get all my work done for DT blogs "under one roof" here at Words and Pictures in the end, and since the demise of the old Calico Crafts blog this one hasn't actually been available anywhere until now.  Here's what I wrote back then...








I used several of the leaf designs and layered them in and on a shadow box frame to create a sense of dimension and depth.

I know none of them are leaves from a pear tree, but those golden pears were just crying out to be a part of the whole thing.














The box itself is an Artemio Square Wood Shadow Box Frame, 15 x 15cm and just under 4cm deep.  It has an acetate cover, which I ended up keeping in the box, because I wanted to use it to add another layer of dimension with the fence, but you could equally well leave the front open.





  




At first, I'd thought of leaving the leaves unaltered - they really are lovely even in their raw state, but as the background progressed I decided to take a leap and got out the paints.  













Here's the first sketch of the ideas starting to form...

I started with the  Mini Sugar Maple Leaves - being small, I thought they could be the furthest away, on the back wall of the box - and then the larger Sugar Maple Leaves would be in the foreground.












The background is formed of lots of torn book pages glued down.  Once the glue was dry, I started adding shading using various DecoArt paints - Burnt Sienna, Lamp Black, Raw Umber, Transparent Red Iron Oxide and Quinacridone Gold.














The colours built up to a nice depth, and it was then I realised the leaves needed a bit more oomph, so I applied those last two (you don't want me to type out those huge long names again, surely?!  T.R.I.O. and Q.G. - that'll do, won't it?) direct to the surface, and used a bit of Raw Umber for extra shading.












The T.R.I.O. and the Q.G. are both translucent, so you get a beautiful glow from them.  To enhance that even further, I decided to give the leaves a coat of DecoArt One Step Crackle.  The gorgeous crackle this creates never fails to delight me...















... and with some dark ink applied and wiped away, I get even more of a kick out of it.















For a finishing touch, I added just a hint of Florentine Gold Treasure Gold Gilt Wax around the edges - subtle, but great in the sunlight!













I'd had my eye on them on the Shiny Yellow Pears for a while, but stupidly hadn't read the measurements, so they were larger than I was expecting - beautiful, though, and perfect for this box.













And the little Golden Pear Liniment label is part of a line of Vintage Labels which has sadly ceased production.  It's mounted on a double layer of padded tape to create another level of dimension.
















So the inside of the shadow box was looking pretty good to me by this point...








... with lots of dimension created by mounting the large leaves on some more of my cut-up foam packaging sponges.













I needed to start tackling the frame.  I started with a coat of the dark grey Relic Chalky Finish Paint by DecoArt, and then added a layer of the Americana Decor Crackle Medium (specially formulated to work with the chalk paints).










Once that was dry, I used Everlasting Chalky Finish Paint (the soft white) as my top coat and watched the magic happen.  I then started adding some shading, using the same collection of paints as on the interior of the box (yup, including T.R.I.O. and Q.G. of course!).

I added in some Spicy Mustard (another DecoArt Americana colour) too, to pick up the yellow of the pears.












And I used a lot more Raw Umber and Lamp Black in the corners where I planned to put the flourishes, so that they would stand out against the darker shadows.













I sealed it which also adds a bit of a sheen.  The final touch was to add some Florentine Gold to highlight some of that texture from all the paint layers, and echo the golden pears and leaves.















Speaking of the flourishes, I used two: the Medium Peacock Flourish in the top corner...














... and the Large Vine in the bottom corner.

I thought I'd cover them in book pages to echo the interior.  















I stuck them to the pages and then pressed down hard around the edges to start getting rid of the paper.  I used an emery board to sand away most of it, always sanding downwards so as not to risk the pages peeling upward.  












And in the really fiddly bits I occasionally employed my tiny scissors to get right into the corners.

Once they were ready, I applied some washes of paint to tone with the papers on the inside of the box.  












When I laid the flourishes in place, I realised it needed something else... so I grabbed some more leaves - this time the Maple Leaf and Twig (probably my favourite of them all).














I cut it so that I had two individual leaves, and then gave them the same treatment as the leaves on the inside.  So now there are three layers of depth to my leafy Pear-Maple orchard!














I realised that with the acetate in the frame, I had the opportunity to add yet another layer, and grabbed some of the Natural Wood Picket Fence I got ages ago. 













I painted it with Raw Umber, dry-brushed some Lamp Black over that, and finished by highlighting it with some more of the Florentine Gold - especially on the wires - to tie it in with the rest of the colour scheme.















The acetate makes it a bit difficult to capture the piece on film without strange shadows and reflections, but it's worth it I think to get that fence in place - and the naked eye can cope much better with the lighting problems.  I even quite like just the frame by itself, especially framing my beloved ivy!!









Thank you so much for your company through yet another mammoth post... I'm really going to try to practice economy in future.  I need to make simpler projects, I suppose.



Hope you enjoyed this autumnal catch-up.  I'm hoping to do some catching up myself around Craftyblogland in the next few days, and I'll be back on Monday with a double helping of new creations to share.  See you soon!

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.
Elizabeth Lawrence

47 comments:

froebelsternchen said...

Another autumnal TREASURE from you Alison! Masterly done in your unique style! Love it!
oxo
Susi

brenda said...

I absolutely adore today's creation Alison, the frame works so nicely with the pears and leaves which look amazing with the colours and crackle, a perfect Autumnal piece of artwork.

B x

A Pink said...

A really fabulous Autumnal shadow box! Alison . Love the aged vintage look of the box, those pears are, like you say, perfect for your box and those leaves are lush both in colour and texture . Wonderful design and composition too . x

Inky and Quirky Designs said...

Oooh stunning work Alison, makes me all misty eyed and nostalgic for the harvest festival :)
Hugs
Donna xxx

Anke said...

WOW WOW WOW so beautiful, fantastic work.

Hugs
Anke

chrissie said...

A wonderful scene in a box Alison Autumn colours are so beautiful

Love Chrissie xx

pearshapedcrafting said...

Absolutely beautiful Alison! Such amazing colours and crackle - a truly wonderful celebration of Autumn, Chrisx

Gitte said...

Beautiful creation.

Rainey's Craft Room said...

I love this Autumnal shadow box and the textures you have created within. These leaves look fabulous along with all the other elements too. A wonderful project.
Lorraine

Helen said...

I loved it before and I love it now! the apples are gorgeous. Looking forward to your new shares next week!

Kelly said...

I love your shadow box, very soothing and inviting colors. The techniques look awesome that you used. You have such patience with those flourish pieces. I always admire your work!
Hugs Kelly

Paper Profusion said...

What a beautiful rich and textured piece. Gorgeous work Alison - especially love those glossy pears. Nicola x

Dorthe said...

Dear Alison, your shadow box is absolutely wonderful.
The altered shabby look on the box, and inside is a beautiful background for your gorgeous leaves, ,pears and picket fence. Love your swirls with the book text paper, and your fence :-)
Hugs,Dorthe

Julia said...

Beautiful Autumn things. I love the book pages covering the swirls to match in with the background and the layers and leaves are just perfect.
Julia x

Annie said...

This is fabulous Alison.............wonderful details and the cradle on the vine leaves is fantastic........I note how clear your photographs are too....such a difference when taken outside xx TFS

Huge hugs
Annie x

SewPaperPaint said...

Oh Alison! This is so beautiful and brilliantly designed! Love the treatment of the cut outs!

Corrie Herriman said...

Still gorgeous !
Corrie x

rachel said...

stunning make Alison - I love the crackle on the leaves and those pears look yummy - fabulous!!! Big hugs rachel xx

Juliz Design Post said...

Absolutely stunning Alison and must look gorgeous on your wall.
Julie x

Meggymay said...

A wonderful Autumnal box, gorgeous details and a delight to see.
Yvonne xx

Lynne Moncrieff said...

Alison
You truly captured Autumn in this shadowbox.
Gorgeous colours and textures such as the crackle and those pears look good enough to eat.
Wishes
Lynne

Rika said...

Gorgeous automn shadowbox Alisoon!

Tracy said...

Oh my ... seriously wowed when I saw this Alison .. I feel I can reach out , touch, smell autumn and those pears ... yum!!! Xxxxx

Lucy Edmondson said...

This is gloriously autumnal, Alison. I love the leaves with the golden pears. It looks beautiful outside my window right now,

Lucy x

Alie Hoogenboezem-de Vries said...

Such a nice make, Alison...it screams: autumn!
Greetings, Alie

Margik said...

A wonderful composition, Alison, the pears look so fabulous. Another great autumnal project!
Mar xx

Candy C said...

Really a lovely piece, Alison. Love all of the crackled work. Looks so authentically vintage. Love the soft autumnal colors. The cut leaf vines are really pretty, too. Really pretty piece.

suzyb said...

Reeeally like this shadow box, the effects are amazing. Love the crackle!!!! Great piece and I can imagine what it would look like in person. Perfection.

Terry said...

Stunning Autumn shadow box, Alison! The crackled effect looks so beautiful with all the elements! Love that fence!!! Hugs!

Redanne said...

I really did enjoy your autumnal catch-up, the frame alone is stunning with the crackle and those leaves are simply gorgeous. The pears look beautiful to me and the little sign is such a great embellishment. Loving the fence too. Anne xx

Sue said...

This is amazing Alison, I really love your crackle leaves. I hope you get some 'crafting for fun' time soon, it's not the same when you are just crafting for deadlines is it. Have a great weekend. Sue xx

Julie Lee said...

I don't remember seeing this beautiful autumn shadow box before, Alison. It's perfectly lovely with the rich, golden pears and that gorgeous crackle frame. The leaves are the crowning glory! What a beautiful project. xx

Adventures in Paperland said...

Love this Alison, you always achieve the best crackle on your projects. Fantastic autumn inspiration!

Astrid Maclean said...

This was beautiful the first time round and it still is! Those cracked leaves just always do it for me!!

All the very best for your new ventures, - thinking of you! xxx

Mrs.B said...

It's lovely to see it again, and it is the perfect time to show it again.
Avril xx

Unknown said...

Oh oh oh, this is FAB! Loving those little pears too by the way, I want to eat them!! xx

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

Autumn fabulousness!!! I've got to get some of these! Gorgeous scene here...fantastic layers!

Elly said...

Really? Spicy Mustard? What about TYIO aka Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide? I'm still smiling (:o) Love your box and especially the glaze on the leaves and the look of the frame. Yummy crackles. Hugs ♥

Words and Pictures said...

No, it's definitely Spicy Mustard! I made this before the DecoArt Media Line even existed!! Glad you like it though!
Alison xx

Deborah Wainwright said...

This is super fantastic Alison, the crackle on the frame looks so authentic and the design of the canvas looks amazing. I love the colours of this time of year and you have xaputered them beautifully. Hope you are okay? Hugs Debsxx

Cocofolies said...

I well remember this amazing autumnal shadow box Alison, SO beautiful and so perfectly done and realistic at each and every detail and element... A triple Wow wow wow again for me!!!!
Looking forward to what you are preparing behind the scenes... :)
Hugs and happy Sunday, Coco xx

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Alison, it's decided to let me in, no idea why I couldn't leave a comment before but that's computers for you Lol! This is a gorgeous shadow box and a perfect project for this time of the year. Your tower is perfection.
Happy crafting, Angela x

catherine said...

This is such a fAbulous project Alison - but you always show such talented things. Loving all the elements you have added and those leaves look wonderful. Sorry it's taken me a while to visit this post but been busy with college.
x catherine

Kerstin F. said...

Gorgeous and absolutely beautiful with all the wonderful effects and autumn details!

Deb said...

So glad you reposted this Alison, I have not seen it before and it is gorgeous! Fabulous colours and love all the amazing crackle and fragments of text, a wonderful creation for Autumn, thanks for sharing it! Deb xo

craftytrog said...

A beautiful piece of Autumn art Alison! xx

Jackie PN said...

Absolutely beautiful Autumn display Alison!
Thank you so much for sharing your steps with us! xo