Hello friends,
Happy Saturday! I’ve been monitoring Mr G downstairs today and doing a bit of drawing at the dining table, that I wanted to add to a page idea I had. This is another art journal page to share with Art Journal Journey where the lovely Tracey is hosting the My Favourite Colour is October challenge, and with the 31 Days of Halloween Hop+Challenge 2021 and maybe one or two more, so check the end of the post for more details. So far so good this month, as I have been creating something every day and because of that and because of it being Halloween, I have constructed my journal slightly differently this month so that I will have a whole month of Autumn/Halloween inspired pages.
This page was inspired by this paper bag from Schuh which I have kept for four years because I thought it was too good to throw in the recycling but not sure what I was going to do with it. Then it gets to the point where you start to think, why am I holding on to this old rubbish when it really should go in the bin! I was reorganising a cupboard the other night and came across it again and was determined to use it right now – I love the quality of the paper its made from and I love that is is black on the outside and bright vivid green on the inside – perfect for this month! My post from yesterday also used some strips of black paper from this bag. It’s a huge bag so I will get a lot out of it.
So I started dissecting the bag carefully so as not to waste any of the paper. I cut a piece that was the same size as my journal page and glued it down, green side up! Then I started playing around with the big SCHUH letters that were on both sides of the bag wondering if I could use them too. My librarian brain instantly saw SHUSH and I went off on a tangent thinking about libraries and book-inspired pages, but then circled back to Halloween and realised I could write HUSH instead.
Hush (season 4 episode 10) is an award-winning episode, which is almost completely silent. I think is one of the best and also scariest Buffy episodes and I usually watch it at Halloween, so I started down the road of creating a Hush inspired page. If you are not familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show or this episode, here’s a short synopsis taken from Wikipedia:
In “Hush”, a group of fairytale ghouls named “The Gentlemen” come to town and steal everyone’s voices, leaving them unable to scream when The Gentlemen cut out their hearts. Buffy and her friends must communicate with one another silently as they try to discover why no one can speak and find whoever is murdering the townspeople. “Hush” addresses the limits and assets of language and communication and the disruption to society when communication breaks down. The Gentlemen are often counted as some of the series’ most frightening villains, and the episode is frequently included on lists of the best of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
There is something extremely creepy about the way the Gentlemen seem to float across the town, plus the way they look and did I mention the iron teeth? Plus all the silence and spooky music – eeek!
(Video viewing time: 3 minutes)
While the page was drying, I got to drawing the Gentlemen on ATC sized pieces of watercolour paper.
I wasn’t sure at this stage whether I was going to leave them on the ATCs or cut them out but I wanted to make sure I didn’t draw them any bigger than that so that they would fit on my page.
Then I got to the fun colouring in part, again not sure if I needed the green background or not. I decided not on the hands after testing one out with a green background. (I ended up fussy cutting the hands.)
I had this idea to try and make it an interactive page, so after fussy cutting the hands, I attached them with tiny brads which would be hidden by the black hush banner later. Then I added the HUSH letters backed with more paper and I even ironed the paper though it doesn’t really look like it lol. It was very creased after spending four years folded up in a cupboard! Final touches to break up all that green was to add some pattern with a black brush pen and attach the page into my journal. I wrote part of the nursery rhyme on the black card at the bottom of the page. I have also included the full rhyme below.
Can’t even shout
Can’t even cry
The Gentlemen
Are coming by
Knocking on windows
Knocking on doors
They need to take seven
And they might take yours
Can’t call to mom
Can’t say a word
You’re gonna die screamin’
But you won’t be heard
The black square with the writing on it, is attached to a long strip of card,at the top of which, is this guy, Gentleman number 5, who lurks under the Hush banner ready to pop out and surprise the unwary…
The banner is not glued down all the way across, so there is space to slide the fifth Gentleman up and down or float him across the page. I made a very quick little video to show you how it works. It was late and it’s a little wobbly but you get the idea I’m sure LOL. I will try and improve this tomorrow so the video may be replaced depending on when you see this post. SUNDAY AM EDIT – new improved video is below 🙂
(Video viewing time: 14 seconds)
Let me know what you think in the comments. As always, thanks for reading!
Ingredients
my handmade journal, watercolour paper, Schuh paper bag, gel medium, glue, archival ink, neocolor IIs, micron pens, pencil, paint pens, PITT artist pens, white pen, masking tape, brads
Challenges
Art Journal Journey – The Colours of October – October Challenge – my colours are green (very green!) and black
Country View Challenges – Autumnal Colours/Halloween – October Challenge – I choose Halloween this time
Creative Artiste – Challenge #76 – see ingredients for list of products used
LeighSBDesigns – 31 Days of Halloween Hop+Challenge 2021 – Day 9
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This is so creeptastic! It scared me a bit to be truthful! I absolutely love that someone else stashes away things that just have so much potential you can’t throw them away! Your bag delivered big time on Halloween fun and rearranging the letters….genius!
Popping back to say a BIG thank you for also sharing this super page with us @ Creative Artiste’s October challenge. Creative wishes Tracey x
Fabulous halloween make! super spooky! Thanks for joining us at Countryview challenges and good luck! Hugs Rachel xx
Fabulous! This is really good. thanks for playing along with us at Country View Crafts hugs Debs
Oooh! Far too scary for me – fabulous colours though and genius use of those letters. Great drawings, although I’m not lingering!!!!!! Hugs, Chrisx
They look so dashing spooky!
Spooky ! Thank you so much for your contribution to my challenge “autumnal colours/Halloween” over at Country View Challenges! Corrie x
Oh Wow! Loving this page- so creative, artistic, and fun!! Great drawing, coloring and design. Inspirational.
Fabulous drawn spooky faces, coloured beautifully too. Love your use of the bag and how you repurposed it, so clever. Makes for an amazing page with lots of little ATC sized pieces left over too. Fantastic work. Thanks for another awesome share @ AJJ.
Happy creative week Tracey x
I remember that episode of Buffy and those creepy guys with the metal teeth. This is a well thought out journal entry and I love the spooky aspect of it. This is a great entry for Tracey’s theme at Art Journal Journey, too, Elle.