The Masque of the Red Death

It’s time for the unveiling of Simply Betty Stamps Steampunk Collection 5 along with a blog hop. This is also my first post as one of Betty’s new designers for her Steampunk Collections. I am thrilled to be a part of this creative team. Steampunk is one of my favorite eras…so much to see!

 

For my project I chose “The Masque of the Red Death.” This is a short story written by one of the all-time greats Edgar Allan Poe in 1842. To put you in the proper mood, here is an excerpt from Poe’s story…“THE "Red Death” had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal --the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.

But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the “Red Death.”

I created a collage using Betty’s “The Masque of the Red Death.” Collage work is one of my favorite art forms, and Betty’s Steampunk images are perfect for mixed-media work.

The supplies I used were all from my stash: canvas board, tissue paper, craft paint, designer paper, and a key. The weatherd clock die cut is from Tim Holtz’s collection. The image, “The Masque of the Red Death,” was colored with Copics. I scrunched tissue paper around it and adhered that with Mod Podge. After that was dry, I did a little dry brushing with black and green craft paint. What looks like the "Red Death" is Flower Soft. The sentiment is computer generated and reads, "Now Your Turn."

SSC Blog Hop order:

SSC

http://simplysteampunkchallenges.blogspot.com/

Betty

http://scrappybetty.blogspot.com/

Corinne

http://wishuponascrap.blogspot.com

Trudie

http://trudiescakesandcards.blogspot.co.uk/

Aeryn

http://www.aerynkelly.com/

Aletha (You are here!)

http://ajsalternativecreativeendeavors.blogspot.com/

Lisa

http://distinctivelmnts.blogspot.com/

The SCC DT ladies are helping out showing these amazing new images..

Celina

http://scrapvamp.blogspot.com/

Irene

http://irenescardcreations.blogspot.com/

Trish

http://scrappintillthecowscomehome.blogspot.com

Rachel

http://rachelspaperwishes.blogspot.com/

I am also entering "The Masque of the Red Death" in the beautiful challenge "Quoth the Raven." Thank you Ike for pointing me in the right direction.

Thanks for stopping by. Please stop by Simply Betty Stamps and check out the other Steampunk images in Collection 5. There's more eye candy for you form the other talented Simply Steampunk Design Team at Simply Steampunk Challenges. Mark you calendars for our first Steampunk challenge on Feb. 1.
Aletha Jane