Explorers layout by LOUISE CROSBIE

This is probably my last autumnal project of the year. I’m moving on to winter and Yule. 

This layout is based around a photo of me (at the back), my husband and our friends Rory and Ambika (father and Daughter). 

The photo was taken at a Comic-Con  but I didn’t want to do a Comic-Con layout.  I wanted the layout to reflect our imaginations a bit more. For many steampunks, choosing our outfit often involves imagining who that character would be. What their steampunk life would be about. It’s pure escapism but that’s why I love it. 

In this instance, my husband and I imagined ourselves as explorer botanists with an airship full of journals and log books relating our findings. So I’ve done the layout based on that. Imagining a pile of field notes and photos left lying next to our tent back in our camp. 

49 and market papers, ephemera, diecuts etc made it so easy to do a layout based on autumnal exploring. And although my little phrases “let’s get lost” and “Dream of far away places and daring adventures” suit the characters our outfits portrayed (in our imaginations), they are also very suitable phrases to express what cosplay/dressing up is all about. Getting lost in a world of imagination for the day. 

The bonus is, I got to use toadstools in my layout. Toadstools are such appealing images for me. And very autumnal in my part of the world. The photos I’ve added of fungus and toadstools were taken on a walk in the local nature reserve area so my layout carries two memories in it instead of just one.

It’s best to start with a coat of clear gesso on your background paper when adding mixed media techniques that involve anything wet like paint and water. This is mostly a layer and stick sort of project but once it was all in place, I did colour washes in earthy tones to add to the outdoor woodland feel. I finished up with some paint splatters.