I Read Banned Books

I just did an ATC in honor of banned books week which was last week. My friend Susan has a button that says "I read banned books" which was my inspiration for it. The idea for this particular swap was 7 different people indicated what the ATC had to include: 

1. 3 circles
2. something torn, ripped or shredded
3. something that moves, opens, spins or dangles
4. something metal or metallic
5. an element - earth, water, fire or air
6. something tactile

7. graffiti writing or marks

Here is what I came up with - it's not a great scan since the book lifted it from the scanner bed. The 3 circles are the metal eyelets up top, I used torn text for the background, the miniature book opens and closes, there is a piece of copper that tops the "firepit", I painted some fire, used "brick" fabric for the tactile part and "I read banned books" is my graffiti. 
I'm always amazed at the number of classics that have been challenged and or banned all together - I've read many and don't think I've turned out too bad! Pretty sad really, some of these works are pure genius. By the way - Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl was banned for passages that were considered "sexually offensive," as well as for the tragic nature of the book, which some readers felt was a "real downer." Well, I for one will not bury my head in the sand and try to pretend such an awful time in this world's history never happened. As George Santayana once said "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Stepping off my soapbox now....

I just purchased some new pencils, I got the Derwent Graphitints and the Inktense sets (24 in each set). I've been working on breaking away from my trusty acrylics and thought they'd help in my quest...plus I was in a swap where you had to just use colored pencils so of course I had to buy some, I mean after all, my huge set of Prismacolors just wouldn't do now would they?!? It's a simple design but kinda pretty, yes? It was done with the Graphitints, I love the subtle colors you get when you brush water over them.  

An Anne Frank video tribute, music by the Goo Goo Dolls

  

It's a shivering cold fall day...........at the Shores