Ink Stains: Steampunk Halloween Skull

As the month is winding down I find my self in a hurry to fit in all of my Halloween creations before the big day arrives. I always seem to have far more Halloween ideas and plans than I do time. BUT I was able to check this off my list. My Steampunk Halloween Skull....

What do you think? I am tickled with how he turned out which of course isn't anything like what I had planned! I had originally thought to make him more of a character by giving him a mustache and a blinged out Steampunk hat but as things progressed I decided he needed Mr. Octopus instead. I'm glad I made the switch...I like this much better.

All of the gears were colored using Craft T Metallic Rub-On Paints which that have been in my stash for years and years. They were one of the first things I bought over 20 years ago and they are still great! Amazingly enough these things work better than many of the current far more expensive metallic waxes and rubs on the market today. Just do a search for the above name and you'll see what I mean.

All of the chipboard pieces as well as the wood skull are from Creative Embellishments. I love their selection and imaginative offerings. I added a couple little sequins and crystals (from Sparkle Blends LE Sequins Mixes) for the skulls eye as well as the octopus eye (shown in the photo before this one).

A few brads for the hinges and DecoArts acrylic paint for the spider web caught in his eye socket and the skull it's self. I wanted to give it a worn distressed look so I used a bit of burnt umber applied with my fingers (messy on purpose) which I then went over with a bit more white to blend it all together. I love how it aged the stark white to something long ago forgotten.

I drew on some cracks in the skull and smudged a bit with more white paint just to give a more aged look. The gears and parts are to help him hold it all together. I feel like I need them sometimes.