Songlines

I’m sharing my July tag for Tim Holtz’s 12 Tags of 2016.

In keeping with my challenge to myself to have my tags themed to the month they are made in this one is based on an Aboriginal theme, as this month sees Australia mark NAIDOC Week, which celebrates Aboriginal history, culture and achievements.

The image I used for the watercolour resist technique is The Circle Tracks  by Olwyn Avery, a free colouring page I found.  The image came up so much better when I added in the white dots with my Molotow paint marker, although my dots are nowhere near as well placed as Aboriginal artists.  Tim’s Distress palette worked really well for the image, the earthy tones mimicking the natural ochres used in traditional Aboriginal paintings.  For the background wash I used Gathered Twigs and then spritzed with Ground Espresso and I think it worked very well to represent the bark or wood on which paintings were done.

I was a bit worried about the layered words technique and if I would have any dies that were appropriate.  In the end I did, using ‘Spirits’ from the Halloween Words: Script set as the songlines are the tracks of the ancestral spirits and ‘Life’ and ‘Journey’ from the Adventure Words: Block set as those tracks represent the journey the spirits took in brining life to the land.  Songlines are the theme for this year’s NAIDOC Week.

I’ve added in some Mirrored Stars tinted with Mushroom Alcohol Ink.  I’ve placed these in a Southern Cross formation, the constellation most associated with Australia.  I thought it a good way to embellish my tag as songlines are sometimes mirrored in the sky to help Aboriginal people to navigate across vast distances over land and sea.  To finish my tag I used some plain string in a natural colour to echo the traditional string made by Aborigines from plant fibres.

Right on cue Edna has thrown out an R is for Resist challenge, maybe she too is just a little bit in crafty love with Tim?!  With my watercolour resist technique I am entering my card at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers.  Craft Rocket are looking for projects with spots and/or stripes and I have both in my image so I am also entering my tag there.

Ingredients:

Dies, SVGs & Templates etc

Tim Holtz Alterations Thinlits ~ Adventure Words: Block (660212) & Halloween Words: Script (660957)

Embellishments

Tim Holtz Idea-ology ~ Mirrored Stars

Inks & Paints etc

Molotow Paint Marker ~ Signal White

Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink ~ Mushroom

Tim Holtz Distress Markers ~ Ground Espresso

Tim Holtz Distress Ink ~ Gathered Twigs & Ground Espresso

Tim Holtz Distress Reinkers ~ Blueprint Sketch, Fired Brick, Gathered Twigs, Rusty Hinge & Wild Honey

Tim Holtz Distress ~ Micro Glaze

Papers

Arches Paper ~ Smooth Watercolor

Bazzill Smoothie Cardstock ~ Huckleberry Pie

Ranger ~ #8 Tag Kraft

Ribbons & Trims etc

Twine from stash

Stamps & Images

Olwyn Avery ~ The Circle Tracks

Challenges

Craft Rocket #20 ~ Spots and/or Stripes

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #64 ~ R is for Resist

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2016 ~ July

 

Thanks for stopping by!