Dance till you drop (dead)
Hi everyone,
Do you have a list of ideas you never seem to get to? This project started from that. Last week I had the opportunity to craft along with Olga Heldwein and Christiana (frau_lina) in a YouTube live - it was a blast! (you can catch the replay here). When we started talking about doing this I intended to find a relatively simple project, something i can finish (or almost finish) in an hour or two. Buuuuut… then my eye fell on these fun skeleton ephemera, I had the idea to make them dance for a long time, and I figured - no time like the present! It was clear that I won’t be able to finish this project during the live, but I did mange to get the mechanism working and was happy with that.
Here’s a (super) quick demonstration of how it works:
My inspiration was medieval ‘danse macabre’ paintings, it just fits perfectly with this quirky skeletons! If you’re not familiar, danse macabre is a painting genre that, like memento mori works, was meant as a reminder that regardless of profession, riches or social class, when we die, we’re all food for the worms. These images frequented churches, especially ones with wealthy members, reminding them that everyone face god equally. Danse macabre appeared in late medieval times, in a plague and war stricken western Europe. Aside from its social/religious message, it was a way to cope with the constant presence of death by making light of it.
Many of the paintings I saw showed the figures crossing a landscape, and there’s often framing that looks like some sort of architecture. I decided to use the arch die (same one I used with vampire Spook) and create a sort of corridor with windows. I love that the paint looks almost like a fresco on the wood of the vignette box. I added rocks and flowers and dry grass on the ground, keeping everything in faded colors to give everything an aged look.
The skeletons all look to the side and, with the movement, it really give the feeling that they’re moving towards something. When I started working on this, I only had a very general idea that there should be something on the left, a sort of target, and I figured that - considering the topic - it should be a grave or something like that. Then I got the idea that since they’re dancing towards death, maybe death should be there.
Mr. Death was made by combining an idea-ology skull with an old Tonic Studios die set with a bone-jangles skeleton. I dyed some idea-ology mummy cloth in black (and oxide black for some interest) and wrapped it around to give the impression of swirly robes. I love that you can still see the skeleton through the fabric. His sickle is a piece of silver mirror cardstock on a curved twig. He hovers over a tombstone, shiny sickle in one hand, and the other inviting the skeletons to come.
The sides and back of the vignette were covered with embossed paper, using the engraved 3D folder, a new favorite for me. Its pattern really works with the medieval vibes :)
On top of the vignette I built a little graveyard, using the leftovers from the arch die cutting for tombstones. Some crackle paste and paint gave them an aged look. They also made a great base to add the danse macabre text on, I wanted it to sort of float unevenly above the scene, and the different angles of the tombstones were perfect for that. The letters themselves were cut in black and embossed randomly with gold.
I had so much fun making this, partly because I can’t stop giggling every time I get those skellies dancing! I hope this put a smile on your face too :)
If you’re interested, there a list of the main materials I used below, and as always I’m happy to answer any questions.
xx
Naama
Main materials used:
Idea-ology: vignette tray (large), ephemera - Halloween, skull, tombstone, mini foundations, bouquet, mummy cloth
Dies: cathedral window (Tim Holtz), handmade (Tim Holtz), spooktacular coffin treat box (Tonic Studios)
Embossing folders: engraved, lattice trim
Other: crackle paste, grit paste, metallic wax (Finnabair)