Creative Souls Halloween Self Portrait Challenge #6 "The Spooky Side of YOU"

This was a fun & hilarious self portrait challenge, there is still time to come join us. Have fun altering your face! :) This by far was the funniest challenge we have had so far! We are in the sub group section under "Soulful Self Portraits" at the Creative Souls site http://creativesouls.ning.com

BOO!!!!!

Creative Souls featured artist Tracy Rapier

I would be happy to share anything I know with you about epoxy figures . I find that working in layers , letting one dry then going on top of it with another seems to look the best and keeps you from bumping into wet areas that your happy with . For armatures , I carve dense foam for the waist and torso , then aluminum wire ( 14g ) for the arms and legs or if its bigger than 4" I use combination of wire and wooden dowels . If you want to make your mixture a little more creamy or give yourself a bit more time , make your mix A side rich , you can be off on your mix by 20 - 25 % and it will still kick off . I find that all the gear going on the figure is easier if I sculpt it separately , then put on later ( again layers . ) . Think of dressing a figure in the order a person would actually dress , from the bottom up . If you let the clothing layer beneath dry completely first , then the next layer you put on top of it will give you more options as you can cut hard edges and make wrinkles , frays , etc easily as the layer underneath is already hard and wont stick to what your trying to do ( look at Mellisas armor plates ). A heat gun is a fantastic tool for epoxy . You can force set a layer with it if your on a roll and dont want to stop , just be very sure you back off at least a foot or it will bubble . Experiment with the bubbles , its a cool affect if thats what you want , sculpt an area , then make sure its very wet ( if it turns white your good ) then pound on it with the heat gun about 3" away ! makes cool " rhino skin " , its random and hard to control . A dremmel tool is also a must with epoxy as you can carve in very cool patterns and textures with it ( clothing patterns ) . Epoxy takes texture pads very well also . Alley Goop is good for making those , paper thin is what your looking for on texture pads .
Also , if you want a hollow cavity , get balsa foam or florist foam , carve your shape , then cover with epoxy , let kick , then dig out the foam and you have a hollow piece . Make sure you paint the foam with latex or acrylic BEFORE adding epoxy . What this does is keeps the foam from denting more while you handle it and prevents the foam from creating a grainy dust that makes it hard to cover . Epoxy doesn't like to stick to unpainted foam . Learned this the hard way lol .
When you do layers of clothing ........ all you really need to fully detail out is the area that people will actually see . For example , look at my pic of " Dr. A " ( the purple guy reading from a book , not sure if I named him on this site ) His innermost shirt is only a one inch wide strip of epoxy . The multi layers on his vest that went over it are actually just a long skinny cone of epoxy smashed off to either side , then textured , the only layer he is actually covered completely with is his jacket as it is the final layer ( just like we would dress in real life ) This saves on material as well . If that makes sence .
Making an Art Journal: Now that your playing around with epoxy , you can also use it for making art journal covers . An easy , cheap way is to go get some plastic for sale signs ( they are flat and very thin ) , sand both sides , go to town with your epoxy and paint , then simply glue onto your journal . I use contact cement as it will not come off . Pictured below is my actual sketchbook done this way , you can even make frames out of the epoxy for photo inserts if you want .

Interview by Bernice Wagnitz & Tracy Rapier, interview can be found at the Creative Souls website, under the groups section "Sharing Techniques"

http://creativesouls.ning.com

Happenings~ This week at Creative Souls

artwork by Izabella

This week we have a few fun things happening, be sure to check it out!!

*PRIZE for the best entry!!! Through a Glass Darkly Group~ October's Challenge here

*Self Portrait Challenge #6 "The Spooky Side of You" here

*ATC SWAP October/November - WINTER THEME ATC Sign ups here

*Story Time Inspiration Challenge #25 here

*Sharing Techniques Group, there is a discussion on how to create videos for YouTube here

CS Featured Artist

Katrina Van Tassel
"THE CAT WITCH"

My Inspiration For This Halloween Digital Art Piece

~ Kym Decker ~

I have always collected vintage images and antique ephemera and was thrilled when I learned how to create digital art with my beloved images as the subject! When a idea or image comes to mind, my favorite part of my artistic process begins! I am always excited as I look for the treasured images that will speak to my imagination and show me exactly how they will portray the art project I have in mind! I can't wait to start working in Photoshop with the goodies I have found! As the creative process takes over, I smile as I vanish in to the little world I have created where magic and curiosity abound!

My creativity is fueled by the intensity of inspiration that I feel as I begin adding images along with little parts of myself, my feelings into the art. Art doesn't have any meaning for me unless I have allowed my feelings, my inner soul, to control and define the shape, design, and theme of the art, that when finished, defines the "real" me through the symbols, images, and colors I have used in the art piece.

My creativity seeks an outlet to tell a story about myself, to show who I am inside, or just to empty out the emotions of a bad day! At other times, I feel whimsical and want my art to say something about my happiness, my hopes, and all of my dreams that I have envisioned for myself!

When a day of careless freedom arrives, I will plunge myself into a large array of fun, fanciful images that will express the appreciation I have for the joys of my life! The day that Lynne at Moonlight Journey sent the collage sheet "Beautiful Witches" to me and I saw the elegant image of this vintage witch, I immediately wanted to use her to create some funny, irresistible Halloween digital art! I originally started out with one cat for "Miss Katrina" but he seemed very lonely and so I added three more cats and sat back to watch how much more amusement they brought to the piece! The mischievous cats show their personality quite plainly in the slant of their "curious" eyes and the look on their furry faces! Miss Katrina doesn't look that amused...or does she? Even so, this piece of art is something fun that I hope will make you smile and take you back to those nostalgic days of childhood when Halloween was something mystical, a magical evening of make believe, silly surprises, and spooky fun!

Have a Very Happy Halloween!

Credits: All images used in this digital art piece came from the

Halloween Collage Sheets from Moonlight Journey!
http://www.moonlightjourney.com/ (http://www.moonlightjourney.com/)