It's all an act

Hello everyone!

Over at Sandee and amelie's steampunk challenge the challenge this month is -

Raise the curtains

This month we challenge you to create Steampunk projects in which curtains play the main role.  

Your project can be anything that has to do with curtains (maybe being raised or pulled aside, revealing....well, whatever you can think of). I am sure you will once again surprise us all with your marvelous and imaginative projects!

When I saw this challenge my thoughts immediately were about making a theater...a Steampunk theatre of course!!!....

I constructed a theatre out of balsa wood and embossed card - here is how I made it...

I used a die cut as a template to cut out the balsa wood front. This was then covered with some embossed card.

I constructed the roof out of two pieces of balsa wood which were then covered with embossed card

The back was cut to size and all of it was attached to the base which was a much thicker piece of balsa wood to give it support. All of it was painted with Gesso, then covered with Burnt Umber Decoart Fluid Acrylic paint. It already had a bit of a tarnished bronze look already but I wanted to emphasize that, so I then rubbed it over with Iced Espresso Metallic Lustre. I thought this might be a huge mistake at first as the metallic effect was too bright....but another coat or Burnt Umber paint toned down the metallic effect really well and I ended up with the tarnished metal effect I had wanted....Happy accidents!

I stuck some buttons, a metal rose and an ornate corner onto the theatre

The background for the theater started off as a piece of card that had been swirled in Distress paints - I have absolutely no memory of what colours were used, but looking at it I would guess -Weathered Wood, Vintage Photo and Picket Fence Distress Paints. At the time this piece of card was made it had obviously not been 'right' for the project I had in mind and so had been put into the "Not useable at this time" box....I had found it and thought it was perfect for this creation.

I stamped it with Artistic Outpost stamps from French Flight and Industrial Backgrounds

Now onto the curtains...

I used some of my favourite material remnants that I had used for my dolls house - I knew it was perfect for this project. It is a printed velvet with a very subtle pattern. A two toned silky-soft velvet, it varies in shades from a gorgeous mink brown to a beautiful pale grey blue depending on which angle you look at it. Whatever way you view it there is always a hint of gold from the back of the material....absolutely stunning!

I had a very thin piece of brass tube that was cut to fit the width of the theatre and I sewed the curtain tops so that the tube could be inserted. Once they were sewn I attached the curtains and slotted the tube into the theatre

Pieces of rusty wire were twisted into loops with pliers to hold the curtains open

These were inserted into the walls of the theatre

The performance is about to start....

I used the image of the three men from the French Flight Artistic Outpost stamp set. I stamped them with Frayed Burlap DI and painted them with Tattered Rose DI mixed with water. I added detail to hair with marker pens. I stamped the bodies with Black Soot DI and painted parts with water to add a shading effect.

The actors were then stuck onto a piece of balsa wood painted with Decoart Carbon Black Acrylic paint so that they can be moved along the stage...

 

I do hope you like my Steampunk Theatre...Come on over to Sandee and amelie's Steampunk Challenge to see what the rest of the team have made to inspire you for this challenge....we would love it if you joined in!

Happy Crafting!

Love from Laura xxx

I am linking this creation to Artistic Outpost this month