The first two pages are what I consider to be my title pages where I used a T.S. Eliot quote for as my inspiration. I have tried to portray the circle of life idea where death may look bleak and black but in death are the beginnings of life. So the background is quite gloomy but I have highlighted small areas with fluorescent crayons and stickles.

I painted the pages with white Gesso then sprayed with Slate chroma jewels and sprinkled with salt while the slate was still wet to create the background. Using a couple of Tim Holtz masks I created a border down the left side and across the corner of the right side with Distress ink fired brick. I moved the mask a couple of mm down the left side and went over it again with dark red ink to give a highlighted effect. The top right corner is sprayed with Adirondack colour wash Denim.
The stamped images are all in black document ink and they were highlighted with crayons. I added a few dots of distress stickles for the butterfly and tiny flowers.
I had put stickles on the ravens wings but didn’t like it so I removed it when still wet and it took some of the blue colour away which left an interesting effect.
The quote was printed onto white paper – ripped then coloured with distressing inks antique linen, frayed burlap and stippled lightly with black soot. This was then sprayed with fluorescent paint. The cross was stamped using black Stazon onto acetate which was coloured using stickles on the back side.

Inks: Distress inks; antique linen, frayed burlap, fired brick, black soot, Black document ink, red ink, black Stazon
Card: the inside cover and first page, white paper, acetate
Stamps: non sequitur Grave tidings, Stampers anonymous Urban tapestry and Faiytale frenzy, Celtic cross (unknown)
Other: Tim Holtz border masks, Distress stickles worn lipstick and antique linen, stickles lime green and fruit punch, spray paints; chroma jewels slate, Adirondack colour wash denim, fluorescent pink and yellow, torn black mesh