There are many online places to join to discuss ATCs and/or to do swaps, whether they are private trades or group swaps. I only have experience with Yahoo Groups! If you go to www.yahoogroups.com and use the search box with the keywords "artist trading card" or "ATC" you will see many groups come up.
I have seen websites with online bulletin board style chat in which people can sign up for swaps. I find reading those formats difficult so I am not a member of any of those type of groups.
If you join a Yahoo Group! there is a photo album area at which you can view other people's ATCs. This is a good way to see all the different styles and unique artwork that people make. If you join the list you can create your own photo album and add scans of your ATCs. If you upload scans of your own ATCs that are available for trading you can arrange private trades with other group members. Usually you view scans of the other person's ATCs and you make private arrangements for which ATCs of theirs that you want.
There are themed swaps that a person can join. You must read the terms of the swap to get the details. One person is the host and you mail your ATCs to the host. After all the swaps are received, the host divides up the ATCs and will mail you ATCs that other people made. I call this a 'blind swap' because you don't know what you will get. You have to follow the rules for the swap with regard to the number that you must mail in and the number that you get back. There are rules about what kind of envelope to use and sending postage for the return ATCs. There are special rules if a person lives overseas, since the swapper can't provide postage from the host's country.
Here is a quick primer on trades. A 1/1 trade means you send one and you get one. Some swaps are 4/4 which means you send 4 and you get 4 back. Sometimes the swap is 5/4 which means you send 5 and get 4 back--the host keeps one of yours for herself.
Some people send the hostess one extra ATC as a gift. Some people send the hostess a little goodie bag for a thank you. Examples of goodies are some unmounted rubber stamps, some scraps of paper, scrapbook paper, pages from books, stickers, little embellishments, fibers, and anything else you can think of that you may already own and have too much of.
I have hosted two swaps in the past and currently am hosting two. I can tell you that it takes many hours to be a hostess. I have to answer lots of emails from people over the course of the swap. It also takes organization and good record-keeping, to keep track of who signed up, whose ATCs were received, etc. When it comes time to swap them out it can take one or mour hours to ensure that no one gets their own ATCs back and then the time to spend to package them up properly, seal the envelopes, affix postage, etc. I weigh each envelope as sometimes people don't give enough postage. In that case the money comes out of my pocket, to make up the difference. I also must pay for overseas postage out of my pocket. What I personally do for overseas participants is ask for 1 ounce of ephemera in exchange for it. Since the ephemera I ask for costs no money I don't feel this is asking too much. Before I asked specifically for 1 ounce I got very little such as two small cut out's from a magazine, another person sent a small sheet of stickers with about 15 tiny stickers on it. What I like to get is anything printed in non-English language if the country is not primarily English speaking, cancelled postage stamps, maps, and even food labels.
There is a special list for trading ATCs that other people made that we don't care to keep. That list is on Yahoo Groups! and is called "2ndGenATC". It is that group which I wrote about the 'art boxes'. Of course any person on any list may work to see if the list owner would allow 'art boxes' to be made, either second generation or else one's own ATCs.
I hope this is enough information to get you started!
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, ATC swaps, ATC trades.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Only in America: Stupid Sock Creatures
Editor's Note: On 5/30/06 I am issuing a clarification and correction about the price of the Stupid Sock Creatures made by John Murphy. The body of my blog entry now contains more specific and correct fees and more information to underscore that I am happy that John Murphy's business is a success.
I was re-reading the art zine "Art and Life", edited by Teesha Moore.
In the article I read that John Murphy began a business--get this! Only in America can a person have such a wild idea and actually make money on it! In the beginning, a person would send him a sock, at their expense, and a $15 deposit, and he’d transform it into a stuffed ‘stupid sock creature’ and (after an additional fee was paid) he'd mail it back to them. What an idea!
I thought it sounded amazing and jumped online to see if I could find any images of these creatures. (These are basically a funky twist on sock monkeys.)
Fast forward to 2006, it costs $65 for a custom sock creature to be created now! Wow! The success of the business was not mentioned in the article. I am glad that John Murphy is making a business with his Stupid Sock Creatures. There are also some already-created creatures available for sale on his website that range in price from $49 to $59.
John Murphy has been so busy he has hired an assistant to help craft the creatures, named Ian Cameron Dennis. A book has been published to help anyone who wants to make these at home.
I admire this artist who is obviously also an entrepreneur. I bet if he had ever made a business plan and pitched this as a business, I bet no white-collared business people would ever have thought this would catch on and he would have failed to get a loan or whatever he may have asked for from ‘the business community’.
I am very happy that a profit is being turned in this business venture. John Murphy has contacted me by email to discuss his pricing and my blog entry. So I am updating it to be more clear about the prices.
I am a capitalist and I feel that prices should be what the market can bear. If enough people have the money to afford Stupid Sock Creatures then good for them. (I hope to have the money again someday to spend on fun and whimsical things like this.)
After looking at the crazy sock colors used to make some of the creatures (see the gallery) I was reminded of the wall of socks available at the dollar store and think they would make affordable materials for sock creatures.
John Murphy has published a book which tells all that we need to know to make these stupid sock creatures ourselves. There is a book called "Stupid Sock Creatures". I would like to buy this book and teach myself to make Stupid Sock Creatures.
There is also a kit with supplied and the book available to buy.
If this ever catches on to the mainstream, I can see it now, outsourcing to China and sock creatures being sold for $7 or less (compatible with Beanie Baby prices). The crazy thing is that I can imagine it now, now the businessmen would like to see the company’s history of sales and the marketability of these creatures and the notion of selling them for $65 each would make little cash registers go off in their heads (ka-ching!) and they’d give that loan out and start mass producing these in China. I can just see it now.
You have to check out the gallery! The gallery shows stupid sock creatures that are in stock and ready to be sold and shipped as well as containing photos of creatures who have already been adopted. Make sure to scroll down to see the thumbnail photos. Click on any photo and a larger image will pop up—it is better to see the detail, I think. I noticed that if the thumbnail was blank but a name was there, that if I clicked on it the large image pops up.
If I had the money I’d be a customer…that is the crazy thing. My husband would think I was nuts if I ever bought one of these. (He doesn’t get any kind of outsider art or alternative art anyway, oh well.)
I showed these stupid sock creatures to my children and they thought they were hilarious. I bet children would love to make these at home. Perhaps they would make a good sewing project for a beginning sewer (child or adult!). Hey, the book or book and kit would make a great birthday gift!
Technorati Tags: John Murphy, Stupid Sock Creatures, sewing, crafts, Art and Life, Teesha Moore.
I was re-reading the art zine "Art and Life", edited by Teesha Moore.
In the article I read that John Murphy began a business--get this! Only in America can a person have such a wild idea and actually make money on it! In the beginning, a person would send him a sock, at their expense, and a $15 deposit, and he’d transform it into a stuffed ‘stupid sock creature’ and (after an additional fee was paid) he'd mail it back to them. What an idea!
I thought it sounded amazing and jumped online to see if I could find any images of these creatures. (These are basically a funky twist on sock monkeys.)
Fast forward to 2006, it costs $65 for a custom sock creature to be created now! Wow! The success of the business was not mentioned in the article. I am glad that John Murphy is making a business with his Stupid Sock Creatures. There are also some already-created creatures available for sale on his website that range in price from $49 to $59.
John Murphy has been so busy he has hired an assistant to help craft the creatures, named Ian Cameron Dennis. A book has been published to help anyone who wants to make these at home.
I admire this artist who is obviously also an entrepreneur. I bet if he had ever made a business plan and pitched this as a business, I bet no white-collared business people would ever have thought this would catch on and he would have failed to get a loan or whatever he may have asked for from ‘the business community’.
I am very happy that a profit is being turned in this business venture. John Murphy has contacted me by email to discuss his pricing and my blog entry. So I am updating it to be more clear about the prices.
I am a capitalist and I feel that prices should be what the market can bear. If enough people have the money to afford Stupid Sock Creatures then good for them. (I hope to have the money again someday to spend on fun and whimsical things like this.)
After looking at the crazy sock colors used to make some of the creatures (see the gallery) I was reminded of the wall of socks available at the dollar store and think they would make affordable materials for sock creatures.
John Murphy has published a book which tells all that we need to know to make these stupid sock creatures ourselves. There is a book called "Stupid Sock Creatures". I would like to buy this book and teach myself to make Stupid Sock Creatures.
There is also a kit with supplied and the book available to buy.
If this ever catches on to the mainstream, I can see it now, outsourcing to China and sock creatures being sold for $7 or less (compatible with Beanie Baby prices). The crazy thing is that I can imagine it now, now the businessmen would like to see the company’s history of sales and the marketability of these creatures and the notion of selling them for $65 each would make little cash registers go off in their heads (ka-ching!) and they’d give that loan out and start mass producing these in China. I can just see it now.
You have to check out the gallery! The gallery shows stupid sock creatures that are in stock and ready to be sold and shipped as well as containing photos of creatures who have already been adopted. Make sure to scroll down to see the thumbnail photos. Click on any photo and a larger image will pop up—it is better to see the detail, I think. I noticed that if the thumbnail was blank but a name was there, that if I clicked on it the large image pops up.
If I had the money I’d be a customer…that is the crazy thing. My husband would think I was nuts if I ever bought one of these. (He doesn’t get any kind of outsider art or alternative art anyway, oh well.)
I showed these stupid sock creatures to my children and they thought they were hilarious. I bet children would love to make these at home. Perhaps they would make a good sewing project for a beginning sewer (child or adult!). Hey, the book or book and kit would make a great birthday gift!
Technorati Tags: John Murphy, Stupid Sock Creatures, sewing, crafts, Art and Life, Teesha Moore.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
About Masking Fluid
I had read of using masking fluid when making altered books. I finally figured out more about what it is and how it is used, by stumbling across it in the craft shop's fine art aisle and reading the label.
Masking fluid is a liquid (as thin as water). It comes in a little glass bottle. You paint onto something that you want to protect. It is a latex rubber product and acts as a barrier to protect the surface that you covered with it. You then can paint or rubber stamp or do whatever you want on top of the surface. When you are finished, you use an eraser to remove the masking fluid and what is underneath is just as it was in the beginning.
I first saw this used in the book "Altered Books Workshop" by Bev Brazelton (this book has many ideas and techniques that can also be when making artist trading cards or doing any other kind of project; the techniques easily cross-over to other projects. Brazelton would protect words on a book's page then paint over the rest of the surface. In the end the only words that were visable and readable were the ones she protected with masking fluid. I can imagine many uses for this other than with altered books. I plan to try it with ATCs and mixed-media collages.
This is something that I could have fun playing around with. I plan to buy it with one of those 40% or 50% off coupons that the craft stores have nearly every week.
The brand I saw on the shelves was Windsor Newton, and it was located in the fine art aisle where the full line of Windsor Newton supplies for painting is kept. Look for the row of little glass bottles.
It is available in clear or in yellow-tinted. I liked the idea of the yellow-tinted because you can see where you have applied it more clearly. The yellow isn't supposed to stain anything.
While writing this entry I quickly jumped online and saw this online article which discusses other uses for masking fluid. Here is another long article. One thing I just learned was that poor quality brushes shoudl be used with masking fluid as it ruins the brush.
Technorati Tags: masking fluid, art supplies.
Masking fluid is a liquid (as thin as water). It comes in a little glass bottle. You paint onto something that you want to protect. It is a latex rubber product and acts as a barrier to protect the surface that you covered with it. You then can paint or rubber stamp or do whatever you want on top of the surface. When you are finished, you use an eraser to remove the masking fluid and what is underneath is just as it was in the beginning.
I first saw this used in the book "Altered Books Workshop" by Bev Brazelton (this book has many ideas and techniques that can also be when making artist trading cards or doing any other kind of project; the techniques easily cross-over to other projects. Brazelton would protect words on a book's page then paint over the rest of the surface. In the end the only words that were visable and readable were the ones she protected with masking fluid. I can imagine many uses for this other than with altered books. I plan to try it with ATCs and mixed-media collages.
This is something that I could have fun playing around with. I plan to buy it with one of those 40% or 50% off coupons that the craft stores have nearly every week.
The brand I saw on the shelves was Windsor Newton, and it was located in the fine art aisle where the full line of Windsor Newton supplies for painting is kept. Look for the row of little glass bottles.
It is available in clear or in yellow-tinted. I liked the idea of the yellow-tinted because you can see where you have applied it more clearly. The yellow isn't supposed to stain anything.
While writing this entry I quickly jumped online and saw this online article which discusses other uses for masking fluid. Here is another long article. One thing I just learned was that poor quality brushes shoudl be used with masking fluid as it ruins the brush.
Technorati Tags: masking fluid, art supplies.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
180 ATCs to Look At!
In yesterday's mail I got a surprise. I received two 'art boxes' in the mail which are part of a ‘thing’ we do on a certain ATC chat list. The primary purpose of that chat list is to exchange ATCs that we received from other people (mostly in blind swaps) that we don’t care to keep. However we also end up exchanging many of our own cards with each other.
One thing that the group does is something the creator calls an ‘art box’. We sign up on a list. One generous person puts up 90 ATCs and packages them into 5 of those plastic sleeves that hold 9 trading cards (two per slot so that each side has the front of an ATC on it). The ‘art box’ is sent to the next person on the list.
We are allowed to swap out as many second generation ATCs as we want. We can swap in up to 18 of our own ATCs (they have to look different from each other, though). It is very simple, there are 90 ATCs when it arrives to us, and there has to be 90 ATCs when it leaves us. Then we mail it off to the next person on the list.
So it happened by some odd coincidence that I received two on the same day. So last night I had the pleasure of looking through 180 different ATCs made by people from all over the world. What joy!
What I did was first go over it quickly when the mail arrived, and I took out the ATCs that I thought I wanted. Later, right before going to sleep, I took the contents of one box out of the sleeves and I gently dumped them onto my bed. I looked at all the backs to see where people were from and to see if I recognized any of the artists (I did see some familiar names). I also found one of my own ATCs in each box (more on that topic later).
As I did with the other boxes that came in, I had fun rearranging the ATCs to be color coordinated. A page of red, a page of orange, a page of pastels, a page of tan/sepia, a page of black, etc. It is odd that usually they come out to the perfect number, or nearly so. I am such a visual person that it is soothing for me to look at these in a more coordinated way. It is okay if you think I am crazy for doing it. It is fun for me to do. While looking through these I took out a few more that I wanted to keep. Sometimes I keep some just because they are from far away places, like Japan or Romania. I kept one as there was a little story on the back about a teacher and her students and the story touched me more so than what was on the face of the ATC.
Now I will look through all of my ATCs that I own that other people made and see if I am ready to let some go. Sometimes I have enjoyed an ATC for months but don’t feel the need to keep it forever. I let go of the older one to make room for the newer one.
Lastly I will take the surplus of my own ATCs and add them in to the box to take the place of what I took out. If I have to, I will make up new ATCs to make up the difference. I try to make ATCs ahead of time so that I have some on hand for when these come in.
The Debate about Second Generation Trading
There is a big debate over trading these and I just don’t get it. These are TRADING CARDS. No one ever said that once a person gets on they must keep it FOREVER. It is to TRADE. I once said on a chat list, that just like baseball cards that are meant to trade, these are meant to trade. One person retorted that factory produced baseball cards cannot be compared to original works of art, and the fact that a person took the time to create this piece of art is justification enough that we should keep every single one that we are given or swap for.
When participating in a swap we have no clue what we will get and the reality is that some day we will come across one or more that we just don’t like for one reason or another. I refuse to believe anyone who has a large number of ATCs who says they love every single one of them. Sorry. I don’t feel that we all should keep things that we don’t enjoy. I am trying to wean myself off of being a packrat and trying to lead a decluttered life. It is a constant challenge for me. I don’t see the need to hoard ATCs that I don’t even love. I just don’t get it.
Seeing One’s Own Card in a Second Generation Trade Offer
Sometimes a person will say that they would never join a second generation list because they fear ever seeing one of their ATCs as unwanted by someone. If that is your feeling, then you have a right to it, fine. I have a different view and that is that after all my hard work on an ATC I would like a person to enjoy it rather than seeing it in their collection and thinking “well that is poor quality” or “I don’t get why she did that” or “that is ugly”. I would rather have the person trade out my ATC so that someone who actually likes it will own it. So far when I come across one of my own ATCs in these boxes I take it out as I sometimes hate to part with my ATCs after working hard on them. In this way I get to keep my own ATC that I liked. I may also choose to keep it for a while and later I may release it back out in a trade.
Last night since the children were not at home I sat down and worked on ATCs for about 90 minutes. Frankly, it was nice to have peace and to be left alone. I put on a lecture tape from a homeschooling conference and really enjoyed listening to what the speaker had to say. What I chose to do last night was two things:
1. I decided to try out water soluble oil pastel crayons (Portfolio brand 24 crayons for $9.65 at Staples). I went to my box of used old books and found a play written in French from the 1950s which I bought at a used book shop for 25 cents (and which is falling apart and on cheap paper which is foxing) and I ripped a page out. Using the cover as a guide, I imitated the way that artist drew French ladies wearing fancy ballroom gowns. I sketched the images out with pencil then I drew over the lines with the pastel crayon. I then used a tiny bit of water on a paintbrush to blend the colors. I made three ATCs, each had a lady on it with a different type of ball gown. After those dried I adhered the old, fragile paper to a piece of thin cardboard with Golden Soft Gel Medium, matte and I let them dry overnight. Note that I am not good at drawing. I was simply using observation and copying or imitating very closely what the artist had done. I think these came out pretty darn nice. I think that when I have time I will make a bunch of these using the three different styles of gowns. I hope someone likes them. When these are finished I will scan them and share them with you.
2. I opened my little recipe card box that holds my partially completed ATCs which I had creative block on and worked on some of those some more using the oil pastels.
I didn’t have time to work on ATCs today due to running around and being busy. I also am pretty sick with either some kind of head cold or sinus infection or else have a brand new seasonal allergy (my husband’s suspicion which I refuse to believe). So I feel foggy headed and that is not the time to make ATCs.
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, water soluble oil pastel crayons.
One thing that the group does is something the creator calls an ‘art box’. We sign up on a list. One generous person puts up 90 ATCs and packages them into 5 of those plastic sleeves that hold 9 trading cards (two per slot so that each side has the front of an ATC on it). The ‘art box’ is sent to the next person on the list.
We are allowed to swap out as many second generation ATCs as we want. We can swap in up to 18 of our own ATCs (they have to look different from each other, though). It is very simple, there are 90 ATCs when it arrives to us, and there has to be 90 ATCs when it leaves us. Then we mail it off to the next person on the list.
So it happened by some odd coincidence that I received two on the same day. So last night I had the pleasure of looking through 180 different ATCs made by people from all over the world. What joy!
What I did was first go over it quickly when the mail arrived, and I took out the ATCs that I thought I wanted. Later, right before going to sleep, I took the contents of one box out of the sleeves and I gently dumped them onto my bed. I looked at all the backs to see where people were from and to see if I recognized any of the artists (I did see some familiar names). I also found one of my own ATCs in each box (more on that topic later).
As I did with the other boxes that came in, I had fun rearranging the ATCs to be color coordinated. A page of red, a page of orange, a page of pastels, a page of tan/sepia, a page of black, etc. It is odd that usually they come out to the perfect number, or nearly so. I am such a visual person that it is soothing for me to look at these in a more coordinated way. It is okay if you think I am crazy for doing it. It is fun for me to do. While looking through these I took out a few more that I wanted to keep. Sometimes I keep some just because they are from far away places, like Japan or Romania. I kept one as there was a little story on the back about a teacher and her students and the story touched me more so than what was on the face of the ATC.
Now I will look through all of my ATCs that I own that other people made and see if I am ready to let some go. Sometimes I have enjoyed an ATC for months but don’t feel the need to keep it forever. I let go of the older one to make room for the newer one.
Lastly I will take the surplus of my own ATCs and add them in to the box to take the place of what I took out. If I have to, I will make up new ATCs to make up the difference. I try to make ATCs ahead of time so that I have some on hand for when these come in.
The Debate about Second Generation Trading
There is a big debate over trading these and I just don’t get it. These are TRADING CARDS. No one ever said that once a person gets on they must keep it FOREVER. It is to TRADE. I once said on a chat list, that just like baseball cards that are meant to trade, these are meant to trade. One person retorted that factory produced baseball cards cannot be compared to original works of art, and the fact that a person took the time to create this piece of art is justification enough that we should keep every single one that we are given or swap for.
When participating in a swap we have no clue what we will get and the reality is that some day we will come across one or more that we just don’t like for one reason or another. I refuse to believe anyone who has a large number of ATCs who says they love every single one of them. Sorry. I don’t feel that we all should keep things that we don’t enjoy. I am trying to wean myself off of being a packrat and trying to lead a decluttered life. It is a constant challenge for me. I don’t see the need to hoard ATCs that I don’t even love. I just don’t get it.
Seeing One’s Own Card in a Second Generation Trade Offer
Sometimes a person will say that they would never join a second generation list because they fear ever seeing one of their ATCs as unwanted by someone. If that is your feeling, then you have a right to it, fine. I have a different view and that is that after all my hard work on an ATC I would like a person to enjoy it rather than seeing it in their collection and thinking “well that is poor quality” or “I don’t get why she did that” or “that is ugly”. I would rather have the person trade out my ATC so that someone who actually likes it will own it. So far when I come across one of my own ATCs in these boxes I take it out as I sometimes hate to part with my ATCs after working hard on them. In this way I get to keep my own ATC that I liked. I may also choose to keep it for a while and later I may release it back out in a trade.
Last night since the children were not at home I sat down and worked on ATCs for about 90 minutes. Frankly, it was nice to have peace and to be left alone. I put on a lecture tape from a homeschooling conference and really enjoyed listening to what the speaker had to say. What I chose to do last night was two things:
1. I decided to try out water soluble oil pastel crayons (Portfolio brand 24 crayons for $9.65 at Staples). I went to my box of used old books and found a play written in French from the 1950s which I bought at a used book shop for 25 cents (and which is falling apart and on cheap paper which is foxing) and I ripped a page out. Using the cover as a guide, I imitated the way that artist drew French ladies wearing fancy ballroom gowns. I sketched the images out with pencil then I drew over the lines with the pastel crayon. I then used a tiny bit of water on a paintbrush to blend the colors. I made three ATCs, each had a lady on it with a different type of ball gown. After those dried I adhered the old, fragile paper to a piece of thin cardboard with Golden Soft Gel Medium, matte and I let them dry overnight. Note that I am not good at drawing. I was simply using observation and copying or imitating very closely what the artist had done. I think these came out pretty darn nice. I think that when I have time I will make a bunch of these using the three different styles of gowns. I hope someone likes them. When these are finished I will scan them and share them with you.
2. I opened my little recipe card box that holds my partially completed ATCs which I had creative block on and worked on some of those some more using the oil pastels.
I didn’t have time to work on ATCs today due to running around and being busy. I also am pretty sick with either some kind of head cold or sinus infection or else have a brand new seasonal allergy (my husband’s suspicion which I refuse to believe). So I feel foggy headed and that is not the time to make ATCs.
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, water soluble oil pastel crayons.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Spanish ATC Scans--- These Are Not Finished
I scanned my unfinished Spanish text swaps to share with you. I have creative block on these.
These ATCs are for a swap that must use Spanish writing in the swap. The hostess sent each participant 12 pages from books that were written in Spanish. We had to use the Spanish text/writing in some way/any way on the ATCs.
I had trouble matching up the literal content of the pages to a themed ATC. I decided to use the writing from the book as a background sheet.
So far these have at least three layers of acrylic paints or acrylic glazes on them. They are also rubber stamped with pigment dye ink. I worked on these on three different days. One of the challenges of working with paint is waiting in between coats for it to dry.
Now I am stuck.
My inspiration for these was a piece of art published in the current issue of Somerset Studio magazine. I usually don’t do it, but this time I used one piece of art as the inspiration and I tried to copy it, but not an exact copy. What the artist for that piece did that I am not going to do is add a word spelled out in those typewriter keys that you can buy at the craft store in the scrapbook aisle. I also did not have the exact colors of the project but used similar colors.
I need to figure out what to do with these next. I have three weeks until the deadline. For now I have shelved these and am working on other projects. Help. Any feedback is welcome.
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, ATC swaps.
These ATCs are for a swap that must use Spanish writing in the swap. The hostess sent each participant 12 pages from books that were written in Spanish. We had to use the Spanish text/writing in some way/any way on the ATCs.
I had trouble matching up the literal content of the pages to a themed ATC. I decided to use the writing from the book as a background sheet.
So far these have at least three layers of acrylic paints or acrylic glazes on them. They are also rubber stamped with pigment dye ink. I worked on these on three different days. One of the challenges of working with paint is waiting in between coats for it to dry.
Now I am stuck.
My inspiration for these was a piece of art published in the current issue of Somerset Studio magazine. I usually don’t do it, but this time I used one piece of art as the inspiration and I tried to copy it, but not an exact copy. What the artist for that piece did that I am not going to do is add a word spelled out in those typewriter keys that you can buy at the craft store in the scrapbook aisle. I also did not have the exact colors of the project but used similar colors.
I need to figure out what to do with these next. I have three weeks until the deadline. For now I have shelved these and am working on other projects. Help. Any feedback is welcome.
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, ATC swaps.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Technique ATC Swaps Rather Than Themes
I am really happy that on one of my ATC chat lists (the main one I swap with and stay current on emails with) the swaps lately are more general and technique based. When I first joined the list last summer nearly all were themes such as “railroad/trains” etc. I prefer a more open ended swap such as this because it allows me to have more room for my personal style or even the possibility to use what I have rather than having to find images that I don’t already own.
Here are some that are open now which are technique based:
Cloisonne Swap (rubber stamping technique which Michael Strong created)
Doodle Swap
Fabric (must use fabric)
Favorite Swap (anything that is your favorite, a color, a theme, a method)
Fiber (use any fiber, in any way)
Leftovers (use stuff you already own)
Mixed Media Block Collage
Newspaper (use only newspapers to make ATCs)
Recycle Swap (use what you already have at home)
Rubber Stamp Fun (use a rubber stamp on it)
Spanish Text (must have Spanish text on it)
Right now I am hosting two swaps (one deadline is May 1 and the other is May 31). I signed up to participate in two other swaps. If I have time I will do some of the swaps listed above.
What I do if possible is make my ATCs first then sign up and send the ATCs in at that point. I find that in that way if I have creative block or not enough time to meet the deadline that I don’t have to back out of a swap nor am I forced to send in ATCs which I feel are low quality (due to my creative block or time constraints).
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, ATC swaps.
Here are some that are open now which are technique based:
Cloisonne Swap (rubber stamping technique which Michael Strong created)
Doodle Swap
Fabric (must use fabric)
Favorite Swap (anything that is your favorite, a color, a theme, a method)
Fiber (use any fiber, in any way)
Leftovers (use stuff you already own)
Mixed Media Block Collage
Newspaper (use only newspapers to make ATCs)
Recycle Swap (use what you already have at home)
Rubber Stamp Fun (use a rubber stamp on it)
Spanish Text (must have Spanish text on it)
Right now I am hosting two swaps (one deadline is May 1 and the other is May 31). I signed up to participate in two other swaps. If I have time I will do some of the swaps listed above.
What I do if possible is make my ATCs first then sign up and send the ATCs in at that point. I find that in that way if I have creative block or not enough time to meet the deadline that I don’t have to back out of a swap nor am I forced to send in ATCs which I feel are low quality (due to my creative block or time constraints).
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, ATC swaps.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
What to Do Today?
Well the Cub Scout Earth Day project we were supposed to do today was postponed. It is 42 degrees and raining hard. It is a raw, raw day.
The rest of my day is free. Here are my options. A.C. Moore is having a special event today, a craft festival. I can attend, take free classes, see free demo’s and do “make and take’s”. They also let customers use one 50% off coupon during this event. The store is a 20 minute drive (without traffic).
A rubber stamp store and a scrapbook store which I have never been to, is having a big event where people bring their used rubber stamps and sell them for cheap prices to other crafters. The two stores have big sales, I am told. This is a once per year, annual event. That is a 50 minute drive (without traffic).
I could stay home and make art with what I have on hand. I need to finish some ATCs for some swaps that I am participating in.
Due to the rain, the traffic is sure to be bad today. Around here, people go shopping for fun, on rainy days. The highways get more clogged than usual due to slower driving due to the rainy conditions.
We don’t have any errands that need doing. So far today we are relaxing with the kids. I have been writing and blogging. My husband had played Parcheesi with the boys.
In an attempt to not put the heat back on, we have lit fires in two fireplaces. It is not working so well as my bedroom is 59 degrees!
I think that after writing all of this I will just stay home, use what I have, not spend any more money, and have fun making art.
I am going to go find something good to listen to while making art, either a recorded lecture about homeschooling or education or an audio book. I am going to ask my husband to download an audio book from a nearby library onto my MP3 player, perhaps “Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain. I am going to see if there is some way to rig it so that the whole family can hear it rather than just one person using the MP3 player. That sounds like more fun than driving in the rain and dealing with traffic, and spending money that I don’t have. Sitting here and writing this has helped me think through the options.
Thanks for listening!
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs.
The rest of my day is free. Here are my options. A.C. Moore is having a special event today, a craft festival. I can attend, take free classes, see free demo’s and do “make and take’s”. They also let customers use one 50% off coupon during this event. The store is a 20 minute drive (without traffic).
A rubber stamp store and a scrapbook store which I have never been to, is having a big event where people bring their used rubber stamps and sell them for cheap prices to other crafters. The two stores have big sales, I am told. This is a once per year, annual event. That is a 50 minute drive (without traffic).
I could stay home and make art with what I have on hand. I need to finish some ATCs for some swaps that I am participating in.
Due to the rain, the traffic is sure to be bad today. Around here, people go shopping for fun, on rainy days. The highways get more clogged than usual due to slower driving due to the rainy conditions.
We don’t have any errands that need doing. So far today we are relaxing with the kids. I have been writing and blogging. My husband had played Parcheesi with the boys.
In an attempt to not put the heat back on, we have lit fires in two fireplaces. It is not working so well as my bedroom is 59 degrees!
I think that after writing all of this I will just stay home, use what I have, not spend any more money, and have fun making art.
I am going to go find something good to listen to while making art, either a recorded lecture about homeschooling or education or an audio book. I am going to ask my husband to download an audio book from a nearby library onto my MP3 player, perhaps “Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain. I am going to see if there is some way to rig it so that the whole family can hear it rather than just one person using the MP3 player. That sounds like more fun than driving in the rain and dealing with traffic, and spending money that I don’t have. Sitting here and writing this has helped me think through the options.
Thanks for listening!
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
ATC Making Last Night
I took about an hour to work on making some ATCs last night. None were completed but about 18 or 20 are in process.
Spanish Text Swap: I added multiple layers of paint to the ATCs. I used acrylic paints at full strength. On some ATCs, I applied the paint with a credit card. Some of the paint was too thick so I grabbed a napkin to wipe it off. I then began using the napkin to actually apply the paint in thin layers. I had to be careful because at one point I was rubbing too vigorously on the wet paper and the background/base paper with the Spanish text on it began to rub away/get ruined. After applying up to three layers on each ATC I put them aside to dry.
I want to share to not be afraid to try new things. The ATCs that I was making began with a bronze color to them. This was too bright so I then added a dark brown. That looked too dark so I added a golden yellow to brighten it up but it was too garish. I then added brown back in to take some of the horridness of it away. Then everything looked too flat so I added bronze metallic paint back in. I am not worried that I will ‘ruin’ these. It is best to just forge ahead and try things. You can always paint over everything and start all over again. What you can’t predict is some of the great things that happen from just experimenting.
I looked through my pile of ephemera and found an old guide book to Disney World, from the last trip we took there. This book is loaded with maps and lots of color images of Disney characters. There is a Disney ATC Swap going on, on one of my ATC chat lists. I was not going to participate in it, but I decided, “Why not spend a little time on it, try it, and use some of these images which I already have on hand?” I put Disney characters in the ‘cutesy’ category and I usually don’t make ‘cutesy’ art but what the heck, let’s see what I can do with it, it will be a challenge for me.
I did a test and confirmed that the images do work well as packing tape transfers. I got the idea to put the transfers on top of colorful painted backgrounds rather than using something flat like plain old colored card stock.
I had read in one of Teesha Moore’s publications that she said to try not to pour left over acrylic paint down the drain as it contains ingredients that are not great for the environment. She advised to paint the left over paint onto paper bags. (I have actually been pondering what is better, to paint on paper then to perhaps throw that away which will get burned up to make electricity and release pollution into the air or is it better to put it down my drain which does not go to a sewage treatment plant but it goes into my septic system and into my leaching field, directly into my ground and perhaps into my ground water which is what we drink as we have well water here. Phew. These type of environmental questions are things that the layperson has no clue about but I am truly curious about it. I also have no idea what is wrong with acrylic paint that is labeled non-toxic, could it be that it is unhealthy for creatures or critters or also if it gets into my own drinking water? I don’t have those answers.)
So I have begun to do this. When I have left over paint, I grab a brown paper grocery bag and cut apart the bag and paint onto the inside (blank) surface and I leave it to dry. I use a combination of regular paintbrushes and a stipple brush. Blending two colors together sometimes makes interesting compositions of color. The edge where the stipple brush touches the brown paper also looks nice.
I took some of those left over paint/paper bag backgrounds and adhered thin cardboard pieces that I had previously cut into the proper size for ATCs. Those cardboard pieces are left over product containers (i.e. Kleenex boxes). I used Golden Acrylic Soft Gel Matte as the adhesive. I left these to dry overnight.
I did about eight packing tape transfers and left them to dry overnight by laying them out on paper towels with the sticky side up.
I stopped because it was time to get the kids ready for bed and to do our regular nighttime routine.
It was nice to get a little ‘me time’ in.
The other thing I’ll share is that I have been taking in a lot of inspiration and I felt a real need to get it out by making some art. I had spent the afternoon yesterday with my children and another homeschooling family visiting the former home of Mark Twain, in Hartford, Connecticut. It was inspirational for me to be in a famous person’s home, a writer, no less. I was thrilled to see the room in which his children were homeschooled (hooray, they were homeschooled) and also to see the desk at which he sat and wrote the most famous stories: Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (to name but three). The architecture of the home was stunning and many of the walls were hand-stenciled and designed by Tiffany! We also had the pleasure of viewing some Tiffany stained glass.
I can only take in so much inspiration before I need to release it, to get it out. It is a very similar feeling to what I remember when I was a child, when I was recovering from getting my tonsils removed and was forced to stay indoors and watch outside the window as my brother and neighbor-friends played and ran and had fun. I was near bursting with the desire to go outdoors and play and when my mother finally gave me the approval to do so I ran from the house bursting with energy and it felt wonderful and freeing. This is also a similar feeling that I have when I have something on my mind and the only way I can release it fully is to write it out. Sometiems talking it over with a friend helps but nothing is as releasing for me as writing it. Sometimes talking alone just stirs the pot even more and makes me more annoyed or excited or whatever.
One last thing I will mention….I am so happy that I am instilling a love of creating art in my children. Last night after I put the kids to bed I heard some odd sounds in the house and went to investigate. It was my 8 year old son going downstairs for a glass of water. I went down also and was looking through my small pile of art zines and art instruction books for something to read before bed. My son walked over and spied my art journal, which I have not touched for over a month. He said very excitedly, “Oh, Mama your art journal, you have not worked in this for a while. You should take the new embossing powder and do some stamping into the journal and then emboss it.” I agreed that I could do that. He then took it and ran to the kitchen table (in the dark) and put it down on the table. I asked what he was doing and he said, “I am putting it on the table so you will see it there in the morning and we can work on it together then, I put it there so you’d not forget.” He is so cute. He was truly excited at this idea.
(The only bad thing was that in the morning we discovered he placed it on top of all the packing tape transfers that were drying, with their sticky sides up. The transfers were stuck to the papers on the cover of the journal and had to be peeled off. It occurred to me that you may wonder what my reaction was. I was not angry and I did not chastise him It was an accident as he placed it down in the dark, and he had no way of knowing I had laid out those packing tape transfers there to dry. So he did not get into trouble and I wasn’t even upset. We set to immediately re-soaking the transfers in warm water, and got the new paper off them. I would like to work on those today just to get them stuck down onto the ATCs before something else happens to them, but doubt I will have time. The kids have a class to attend today, and I have to do house cleaning and a little decluttering to prepare for a homeschool support group meeting that I am running and hosting at my home tonight. I also want to cull more books from my shelves to offer up for resale to the homeschool moms coming to my house tonight.)
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, packing tape transfer, acrylic paint, Mark Twain.
Spanish Text Swap: I added multiple layers of paint to the ATCs. I used acrylic paints at full strength. On some ATCs, I applied the paint with a credit card. Some of the paint was too thick so I grabbed a napkin to wipe it off. I then began using the napkin to actually apply the paint in thin layers. I had to be careful because at one point I was rubbing too vigorously on the wet paper and the background/base paper with the Spanish text on it began to rub away/get ruined. After applying up to three layers on each ATC I put them aside to dry.
I want to share to not be afraid to try new things. The ATCs that I was making began with a bronze color to them. This was too bright so I then added a dark brown. That looked too dark so I added a golden yellow to brighten it up but it was too garish. I then added brown back in to take some of the horridness of it away. Then everything looked too flat so I added bronze metallic paint back in. I am not worried that I will ‘ruin’ these. It is best to just forge ahead and try things. You can always paint over everything and start all over again. What you can’t predict is some of the great things that happen from just experimenting.
I looked through my pile of ephemera and found an old guide book to Disney World, from the last trip we took there. This book is loaded with maps and lots of color images of Disney characters. There is a Disney ATC Swap going on, on one of my ATC chat lists. I was not going to participate in it, but I decided, “Why not spend a little time on it, try it, and use some of these images which I already have on hand?” I put Disney characters in the ‘cutesy’ category and I usually don’t make ‘cutesy’ art but what the heck, let’s see what I can do with it, it will be a challenge for me.
I did a test and confirmed that the images do work well as packing tape transfers. I got the idea to put the transfers on top of colorful painted backgrounds rather than using something flat like plain old colored card stock.
I had read in one of Teesha Moore’s publications that she said to try not to pour left over acrylic paint down the drain as it contains ingredients that are not great for the environment. She advised to paint the left over paint onto paper bags. (I have actually been pondering what is better, to paint on paper then to perhaps throw that away which will get burned up to make electricity and release pollution into the air or is it better to put it down my drain which does not go to a sewage treatment plant but it goes into my septic system and into my leaching field, directly into my ground and perhaps into my ground water which is what we drink as we have well water here. Phew. These type of environmental questions are things that the layperson has no clue about but I am truly curious about it. I also have no idea what is wrong with acrylic paint that is labeled non-toxic, could it be that it is unhealthy for creatures or critters or also if it gets into my own drinking water? I don’t have those answers.)
So I have begun to do this. When I have left over paint, I grab a brown paper grocery bag and cut apart the bag and paint onto the inside (blank) surface and I leave it to dry. I use a combination of regular paintbrushes and a stipple brush. Blending two colors together sometimes makes interesting compositions of color. The edge where the stipple brush touches the brown paper also looks nice.
I took some of those left over paint/paper bag backgrounds and adhered thin cardboard pieces that I had previously cut into the proper size for ATCs. Those cardboard pieces are left over product containers (i.e. Kleenex boxes). I used Golden Acrylic Soft Gel Matte as the adhesive. I left these to dry overnight.
I did about eight packing tape transfers and left them to dry overnight by laying them out on paper towels with the sticky side up.
I stopped because it was time to get the kids ready for bed and to do our regular nighttime routine.
It was nice to get a little ‘me time’ in.
The other thing I’ll share is that I have been taking in a lot of inspiration and I felt a real need to get it out by making some art. I had spent the afternoon yesterday with my children and another homeschooling family visiting the former home of Mark Twain, in Hartford, Connecticut. It was inspirational for me to be in a famous person’s home, a writer, no less. I was thrilled to see the room in which his children were homeschooled (hooray, they were homeschooled) and also to see the desk at which he sat and wrote the most famous stories: Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (to name but three). The architecture of the home was stunning and many of the walls were hand-stenciled and designed by Tiffany! We also had the pleasure of viewing some Tiffany stained glass.
I can only take in so much inspiration before I need to release it, to get it out. It is a very similar feeling to what I remember when I was a child, when I was recovering from getting my tonsils removed and was forced to stay indoors and watch outside the window as my brother and neighbor-friends played and ran and had fun. I was near bursting with the desire to go outdoors and play and when my mother finally gave me the approval to do so I ran from the house bursting with energy and it felt wonderful and freeing. This is also a similar feeling that I have when I have something on my mind and the only way I can release it fully is to write it out. Sometiems talking it over with a friend helps but nothing is as releasing for me as writing it. Sometimes talking alone just stirs the pot even more and makes me more annoyed or excited or whatever.
One last thing I will mention….I am so happy that I am instilling a love of creating art in my children. Last night after I put the kids to bed I heard some odd sounds in the house and went to investigate. It was my 8 year old son going downstairs for a glass of water. I went down also and was looking through my small pile of art zines and art instruction books for something to read before bed. My son walked over and spied my art journal, which I have not touched for over a month. He said very excitedly, “Oh, Mama your art journal, you have not worked in this for a while. You should take the new embossing powder and do some stamping into the journal and then emboss it.” I agreed that I could do that. He then took it and ran to the kitchen table (in the dark) and put it down on the table. I asked what he was doing and he said, “I am putting it on the table so you will see it there in the morning and we can work on it together then, I put it there so you’d not forget.” He is so cute. He was truly excited at this idea.
(The only bad thing was that in the morning we discovered he placed it on top of all the packing tape transfers that were drying, with their sticky sides up. The transfers were stuck to the papers on the cover of the journal and had to be peeled off. It occurred to me that you may wonder what my reaction was. I was not angry and I did not chastise him It was an accident as he placed it down in the dark, and he had no way of knowing I had laid out those packing tape transfers there to dry. So he did not get into trouble and I wasn’t even upset. We set to immediately re-soaking the transfers in warm water, and got the new paper off them. I would like to work on those today just to get them stuck down onto the ATCs before something else happens to them, but doubt I will have time. The kids have a class to attend today, and I have to do house cleaning and a little decluttering to prepare for a homeschool support group meeting that I am running and hosting at my home tonight. I also want to cull more books from my shelves to offer up for resale to the homeschool moms coming to my house tonight.)
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, packing tape transfer, acrylic paint, Mark Twain.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Nature Appreciation: Magnolias in Bloom
I have learned to observe nature each moment of the day while doing other activities. Ever since I first heard of nature appreciation and nature study as something important in people’s lives, by reading the writings about homeschooling, written by Charlotte Mason, I am surprised at all that goes on around us, most of which is not noticed by people. I notice things while driving or when looking out a window.
The other day I was going out to pick up some pizza. It was raining and had been raining all day, the kids were sick and we were cooped up inside all day long. As I was backing out of the garage I noticed how beautiful the magnolia tree in front of our house looked. It was raining, and I knew that some of the blossoms would be ruined that night. I parked the car (even though the pizza was ready to be picked up), grabbed the camera out of my pocketbook, jumped out of the car, and snapped some photos right then and there. I knew that if I had waited until after I got back it would be darker and too late to take photos. I seized the moment!
(Captions apply to the photo underneath it.)
This is the first blossom I looked at. I was trying to catch the raindrops on the blossom. This is one of the early blossoms; it is already bleached out from the sunlight. Note there are not many blossoms on the ground yet, those just fell that day, while it was raining.
I was trying to capture the coloring of the blossom, how it is deeper pink/purple at the base then gradually changes to white at the tips of the petals.
Look at this mass of blossoms, all at a low level, so when I stood there I was surrounded by this beauty.
I love how this one branch extends outward.
Look at this 'wall' of flowers!
I cannot find words to express this beauty!
I am glad that spring has arrived!
Technorati Tags: magnolia tree, spring, digital photography, nature appreciation, homeschooling.
The other day I was going out to pick up some pizza. It was raining and had been raining all day, the kids were sick and we were cooped up inside all day long. As I was backing out of the garage I noticed how beautiful the magnolia tree in front of our house looked. It was raining, and I knew that some of the blossoms would be ruined that night. I parked the car (even though the pizza was ready to be picked up), grabbed the camera out of my pocketbook, jumped out of the car, and snapped some photos right then and there. I knew that if I had waited until after I got back it would be darker and too late to take photos. I seized the moment!
(Captions apply to the photo underneath it.)
This is the first blossom I looked at. I was trying to catch the raindrops on the blossom. This is one of the early blossoms; it is already bleached out from the sunlight. Note there are not many blossoms on the ground yet, those just fell that day, while it was raining.
I was trying to capture the coloring of the blossom, how it is deeper pink/purple at the base then gradually changes to white at the tips of the petals.
Look at this mass of blossoms, all at a low level, so when I stood there I was surrounded by this beauty.
I love how this one branch extends outward.
Look at this 'wall' of flowers!
I cannot find words to express this beauty!
I am glad that spring has arrived!
Technorati Tags: magnolia tree, spring, digital photography, nature appreciation, homeschooling.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
What I've Been Doing
Easter was a no-art day due to celebrating the holiday with family.
Monday was busy with a science class for homeschoolers at an Audubon Center, a dentist appointment and a few errands. One errand was to pick up some embossing powder from Michael's craft store.
Monday night my older son and I tried the cloisonné method of rubber stamping such as Michael Strong does. I used two rubber stamps that a Freecycler gave me which are not Michael Strong's stamps, but they are similar. I took a few pages from mail order catalogs which I had saved prior, to use as backgrounds. So I did embossing for the first time ever last night. My son was simply amazed at the embossing and the way the gold color changes to metallic.
Tuesday morning both sons spent time doing rubber stamping on dark colored card stock with some space themed stamps, stars, planets, and moons, then embossed them with the gold embossing powder. They were in seventh heaven. I didn't get a chance to do any as I was busy helping them.
Then the phone rang, it was my sons best friend asking to spend the day here for a playdate. Our public schools are on vacation this week so I decided it would be a play day for my kids. I rushed upstairs to shower. I guess rubber stamp play time was over.
The doorbell then rang and it was the visting grandson of a neighbor who wanted to play. So the day was spent with me loosely supervising the two guests and my children. They had fun together and other than some inability to negotiate and compromise on who wanted to play what, the day went fine. A highlight was a hide and seek game in which even I could not find one boy. We all suspected he was sneaking outside to hide then popping back in when we weren't looking. We were wrong. I finally did find him, laying out flat on the dining room chairs, concealed by the tablecloth, pretty funny. Then they could not find me when I hit behind an easy chair in the corner of a room. It was nice playing like a kid for the hide and seek. (I did not play with them all day!)
I wanted to make some ATCs but couldn't concentrate with the kids running in and out of the house, making normal kid noises, etc.
I spent the day reading a book for people with food allergies called "The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook" by Cybele Pascale. I did this in my role as a book reviewer for La Leche League International. I then wrote up the book evaluation. I also caught up on emails and wrote a blog entry for my other blog.
The only thing I've done so far today with ATCs is to put a coating of Golden Acrylic Soft Gel Medium on the backs of a lot of my ATCs. This will seal them so that oxygen cannot penetrate them, to stop any oxidation that may occur due to papers with acid having been used in them.
I am going to see if I can squeeze in some time before bed to work on the ATCs for the Spanish text swap.
Also I want to work to upload ATCs for trading to some of the ATC lists that I am on to see if anyone wants to do some private trading.
Right now my husband is downloading some photos from my digital camera. Perhaps there will be some that I can share with you. I can't wait to see how the photos of the magnolia blossoms came out.
Today I had some interesting chat with some other homeschooling parents who are trying to fit in their artistic pursuits and their desire to write books in along with homeschooling their kids. I understand what was being said such as it is hard to concentrate on serious writing and to get into the flow when the kids are underfoot (and young and needing attention). At times we feel that we are doing very important work by homeschooling our children yet we also feel that our time is being 'robbed' from pursuing other creative endeavors which also, by the way, could earn us income. Sometimes it feels that our children are in the way of us fulfilling our dreams (writing that book!), etc. It doesn't help when we feel pressure from working mothers that we should be doing something more 'worthwhile' with our time, meaning, to put the kids in school so our time can be free to work and earn money. I am feeling frustrated lately that some people feel that there is more value to doing work that pays money than to do volunteer work or to do something like raising children or homeschooling them. I am tired of being put down by others for my choices.
Today I also read a long thread of emails about what is collage and some talk putting down what one person called "mish mosh" collages. Well that is exactly what I have been doing lately, I guess! Oh well! I had to laugh when this very nice person (who I've chatted with for months online) asked "Where does one see 'mish mosh' collages?", implying that because they aren't in current craft magazines that they are not 'good enough'. I had to post to say how about the "Museum of Modern Art" and I mentioned the name Kurt Schwitters and the Dada movement, and Picasso and also one can read some books on the history of collage and see lots of 'mish mosh' collages.
One person on the list had shared an image which was a painted background of sky and other landscape features then he added paper elements to make up a wonderful landscape, as one other person called it, a bit like Eric Carle (I agree with that). Someone on the list said "that is not a collage" and that anything that makes up the shape of something is not a collage. Well, technically it is a mixed media collage, and no, colalge CAN and DOES sometimes make a shape. I replied that Picasso's guitar collages make up a shape of an object. There are many collage artists who use pure paper collage or mixed media collage to make a landscape or a face or other 'things'. For that matter, look at any book by Eric Carle, or even look at the less famous children's book illustrator Chiara Carrer, such as in the book she illustrated "A Boot Fell From Heaven".
I am reminded and just so grateful for Art and Life zine by Teesha Moore. I am going to email her in a few minutes to thank her again. I really appreciate how the writers all focus on creativity in general and how the big message is 'do what you love' and don't worry about trends or what others say about your work, just do what you like. This is where I am at now. I am having fun making mixed media collages and I frankly really don't fear what others think, if someone thinks my collages are 'mish mosh' then that is fine. I see things other than 'mish mosh' when I look at them. I have made some ATCs and offered them up for trade and so far only two people have expressed an interest and only one has actually gone through with the trade. I could be offended by this but I am not. I am doing what I like for my own reasons and that is what it is all about. I don't want to be in a little club of people all copying this current fad or that. I mean it is one thing to have fun making some Claudine Hellmuth's Poppet style people and things like that, but it is another to really do something that one wants to do that is not guided by a book's step by step directions to copy exactly what someone else has conceived. It feels very different to me when I have an idea all of my own and I try it and it feels good and makes me feel happy doing it. Hooray! THAT to me is fun! It is different when a person does what comes naturally to them even if it is not in fashion or what a bunch of others are doing in a group. I can use all the fun and stress relief that I can get right now so I am going to keep doing what I love to do even if someone thinks it is 'mish mosh'.
So that is what is on my mind tonight.
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, collage, Art and Life, Teesha Moore.
Monday was busy with a science class for homeschoolers at an Audubon Center, a dentist appointment and a few errands. One errand was to pick up some embossing powder from Michael's craft store.
Monday night my older son and I tried the cloisonné method of rubber stamping such as Michael Strong does. I used two rubber stamps that a Freecycler gave me which are not Michael Strong's stamps, but they are similar. I took a few pages from mail order catalogs which I had saved prior, to use as backgrounds. So I did embossing for the first time ever last night. My son was simply amazed at the embossing and the way the gold color changes to metallic.
Tuesday morning both sons spent time doing rubber stamping on dark colored card stock with some space themed stamps, stars, planets, and moons, then embossed them with the gold embossing powder. They were in seventh heaven. I didn't get a chance to do any as I was busy helping them.
Then the phone rang, it was my sons best friend asking to spend the day here for a playdate. Our public schools are on vacation this week so I decided it would be a play day for my kids. I rushed upstairs to shower. I guess rubber stamp play time was over.
The doorbell then rang and it was the visting grandson of a neighbor who wanted to play. So the day was spent with me loosely supervising the two guests and my children. They had fun together and other than some inability to negotiate and compromise on who wanted to play what, the day went fine. A highlight was a hide and seek game in which even I could not find one boy. We all suspected he was sneaking outside to hide then popping back in when we weren't looking. We were wrong. I finally did find him, laying out flat on the dining room chairs, concealed by the tablecloth, pretty funny. Then they could not find me when I hit behind an easy chair in the corner of a room. It was nice playing like a kid for the hide and seek. (I did not play with them all day!)
I wanted to make some ATCs but couldn't concentrate with the kids running in and out of the house, making normal kid noises, etc.
I spent the day reading a book for people with food allergies called "The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook" by Cybele Pascale. I did this in my role as a book reviewer for La Leche League International. I then wrote up the book evaluation. I also caught up on emails and wrote a blog entry for my other blog.
The only thing I've done so far today with ATCs is to put a coating of Golden Acrylic Soft Gel Medium on the backs of a lot of my ATCs. This will seal them so that oxygen cannot penetrate them, to stop any oxidation that may occur due to papers with acid having been used in them.
I am going to see if I can squeeze in some time before bed to work on the ATCs for the Spanish text swap.
Also I want to work to upload ATCs for trading to some of the ATC lists that I am on to see if anyone wants to do some private trading.
Right now my husband is downloading some photos from my digital camera. Perhaps there will be some that I can share with you. I can't wait to see how the photos of the magnolia blossoms came out.
Today I had some interesting chat with some other homeschooling parents who are trying to fit in their artistic pursuits and their desire to write books in along with homeschooling their kids. I understand what was being said such as it is hard to concentrate on serious writing and to get into the flow when the kids are underfoot (and young and needing attention). At times we feel that we are doing very important work by homeschooling our children yet we also feel that our time is being 'robbed' from pursuing other creative endeavors which also, by the way, could earn us income. Sometimes it feels that our children are in the way of us fulfilling our dreams (writing that book!), etc. It doesn't help when we feel pressure from working mothers that we should be doing something more 'worthwhile' with our time, meaning, to put the kids in school so our time can be free to work and earn money. I am feeling frustrated lately that some people feel that there is more value to doing work that pays money than to do volunteer work or to do something like raising children or homeschooling them. I am tired of being put down by others for my choices.
Today I also read a long thread of emails about what is collage and some talk putting down what one person called "mish mosh" collages. Well that is exactly what I have been doing lately, I guess! Oh well! I had to laugh when this very nice person (who I've chatted with for months online) asked "Where does one see 'mish mosh' collages?", implying that because they aren't in current craft magazines that they are not 'good enough'. I had to post to say how about the "Museum of Modern Art" and I mentioned the name Kurt Schwitters and the Dada movement, and Picasso and also one can read some books on the history of collage and see lots of 'mish mosh' collages.
One person on the list had shared an image which was a painted background of sky and other landscape features then he added paper elements to make up a wonderful landscape, as one other person called it, a bit like Eric Carle (I agree with that). Someone on the list said "that is not a collage" and that anything that makes up the shape of something is not a collage. Well, technically it is a mixed media collage, and no, colalge CAN and DOES sometimes make a shape. I replied that Picasso's guitar collages make up a shape of an object. There are many collage artists who use pure paper collage or mixed media collage to make a landscape or a face or other 'things'. For that matter, look at any book by Eric Carle, or even look at the less famous children's book illustrator Chiara Carrer, such as in the book she illustrated "A Boot Fell From Heaven".
I am reminded and just so grateful for Art and Life zine by Teesha Moore. I am going to email her in a few minutes to thank her again. I really appreciate how the writers all focus on creativity in general and how the big message is 'do what you love' and don't worry about trends or what others say about your work, just do what you like. This is where I am at now. I am having fun making mixed media collages and I frankly really don't fear what others think, if someone thinks my collages are 'mish mosh' then that is fine. I see things other than 'mish mosh' when I look at them. I have made some ATCs and offered them up for trade and so far only two people have expressed an interest and only one has actually gone through with the trade. I could be offended by this but I am not. I am doing what I like for my own reasons and that is what it is all about. I don't want to be in a little club of people all copying this current fad or that. I mean it is one thing to have fun making some Claudine Hellmuth's Poppet style people and things like that, but it is another to really do something that one wants to do that is not guided by a book's step by step directions to copy exactly what someone else has conceived. It feels very different to me when I have an idea all of my own and I try it and it feels good and makes me feel happy doing it. Hooray! THAT to me is fun! It is different when a person does what comes naturally to them even if it is not in fashion or what a bunch of others are doing in a group. I can use all the fun and stress relief that I can get right now so I am going to keep doing what I love to do even if someone thinks it is 'mish mosh'.
So that is what is on my mind tonight.
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATCs, collage, Art and Life, Teesha Moore.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Creative Block Today--Darn
Today my husband took our children to his parent’s house for a visit. Actually to be more honest he was there doing prep work for the Easter meal which my husband is cooking for the entire family. (My husband LOVES to cook from scratch and to try gourmet recipes.) I cook also but he loves to do it and he thinks it is real fun, so I let him do it. We are eating at his parents house as per the family tradition although for the first time ever we won't be dining in the formal dining room, because that has been converted into a temporary bedroom since my father-in-law has Cancer and has been very ill. Since there is no dining room there, we would have been happy to host the dinner at our home but since my father-in-law is not feeling well he will do best to stay at his home. So anyway, I had 'me time' today. I wanted to spend the day making ATCs. If you don't already know it I will share that part of my sanity has been saved through our very stressful times by me experimenting with art and playing at making art and ATCs.
So I was spoiled today with all this free time, but I had creative block.
First I left the art materials to check email, thinking that would be a nice break. Not too many emails are coming through on any of my chat lists or from my friends. Gee, I guess others are prepping for Easter! Imagine that!
Then, I tried working on a swap which is a "Spanish" swap, we have to use Spanish text in the ATCs in some way, shape, or manner. The hostess sent each participant pages from books written in Spanish. I just felt immobilized and could not do anything with it. One problem I had is that I love the full color images from old books and I want to use them but they are too large to fit on an ATC and in order to keep the text with the image I'd have to cut the text out and adhere it to somewhere else on the ATC. Also the way the images are, to use just a tiny piece of them is not quite possible if the original intent of the image is to be used. For example one image is of a broken arm bone, another of CPR being given to another person. To use a tiny part of those on an ATC would not show the thing in its original context, which I guess could be alright, but it would be kind of just a 'color' image not an image that someone could decipher even what the thing is. It is hard to explain!
I used the time to put top coats on all my uncoated/unsealed ATCs which I am either keeping or have not swapped out yet. I just discovered that Golden acrylic soft gel medium in gloss makes a great top coating.
Later I made computer print-out’s of my personal information, then added my labels to the backs of the ATCs which had not been labeled in the past. Tomorrow I will sign them and then put a coating on the back and let that dry.
I also packaged up an ATC swap to mail out to the swap hostess. That was a 'rubber stamp' swap which just had to have a rubber stamped image someplace on the ATC.
Just as I was starting to use stamp ink with a stipple brush on some of the Spanish pages, and was getting excited about what was happening, my family came home. Since it was dinner time I quickly cleaned everything up to clear the kitchen table (my work space) so we could eat dinner on the table.
Then we decided we were not really hungry and we didn't eat a dinner meal. Sigh.
Later, we started watching a documentary about Blackbeard the Pirate called “Blackbeard Terror at Sea” but I was too restless to sit and watch TV, so I glanced at the current issue of Somerset Studio magazine and saw some artwork (mixed media collage) which I could use as inspiration for these ATCs. It would be a big departure from what I had planned to do. The other challenge is that the ATC size is so small that to try to do what was done in the much larger pieces in the magazine will be difficult.
After playing two games of “Secret Door” by Family Pastimes,
I stole a few minutes to adhere the entire front surface of about 10 ATCs with the Spanish book pages (with no illustrations) with Golden acrylic soft gel medium, matte. That will dry overnight.
I will share what else happens later in the week as I have time to work on it more.
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATC, mixed media collage.
So I was spoiled today with all this free time, but I had creative block.
First I left the art materials to check email, thinking that would be a nice break. Not too many emails are coming through on any of my chat lists or from my friends. Gee, I guess others are prepping for Easter! Imagine that!
Then, I tried working on a swap which is a "Spanish" swap, we have to use Spanish text in the ATCs in some way, shape, or manner. The hostess sent each participant pages from books written in Spanish. I just felt immobilized and could not do anything with it. One problem I had is that I love the full color images from old books and I want to use them but they are too large to fit on an ATC and in order to keep the text with the image I'd have to cut the text out and adhere it to somewhere else on the ATC. Also the way the images are, to use just a tiny piece of them is not quite possible if the original intent of the image is to be used. For example one image is of a broken arm bone, another of CPR being given to another person. To use a tiny part of those on an ATC would not show the thing in its original context, which I guess could be alright, but it would be kind of just a 'color' image not an image that someone could decipher even what the thing is. It is hard to explain!
I used the time to put top coats on all my uncoated/unsealed ATCs which I am either keeping or have not swapped out yet. I just discovered that Golden acrylic soft gel medium in gloss makes a great top coating.
Later I made computer print-out’s of my personal information, then added my labels to the backs of the ATCs which had not been labeled in the past. Tomorrow I will sign them and then put a coating on the back and let that dry.
I also packaged up an ATC swap to mail out to the swap hostess. That was a 'rubber stamp' swap which just had to have a rubber stamped image someplace on the ATC.
Just as I was starting to use stamp ink with a stipple brush on some of the Spanish pages, and was getting excited about what was happening, my family came home. Since it was dinner time I quickly cleaned everything up to clear the kitchen table (my work space) so we could eat dinner on the table.
Then we decided we were not really hungry and we didn't eat a dinner meal. Sigh.
Later, we started watching a documentary about Blackbeard the Pirate called “Blackbeard Terror at Sea” but I was too restless to sit and watch TV, so I glanced at the current issue of Somerset Studio magazine and saw some artwork (mixed media collage) which I could use as inspiration for these ATCs. It would be a big departure from what I had planned to do. The other challenge is that the ATC size is so small that to try to do what was done in the much larger pieces in the magazine will be difficult.
After playing two games of “Secret Door” by Family Pastimes,
I stole a few minutes to adhere the entire front surface of about 10 ATCs with the Spanish book pages (with no illustrations) with Golden acrylic soft gel medium, matte. That will dry overnight.
I will share what else happens later in the week as I have time to work on it more.
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATC, mixed media collage.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
My ATC: Montlouis
ATC Title: Montlouis
Swap Name: Map in Your ATC
I participated in a 4/3/ swap on an internet ATC chat list called "Map in Your ATC". I made this series in February.
About My Process for This ATC
When selecting a map to use as the background, I looked for specific colors and other interesting map features that would be appealing to the eye. Since the ATC is so small I want it to look good so I choose elements with certain content and certain colors and which are certain sizes. I looked at the large maps with a template the size of an ATC like a little window to find what small section of the map would look nice on this very small canvas. I really enjoyed the pastel colors of this map. I also carefully selected which part of the map would appear on the ATC.
I decided to add a wine label from that region whose label would look nice on this ATC. It was convenient that this book has tiny labels from the winemakers in each region, perfectly sized for ATC making. I carefully chose where to put it on the ATC so as to not cover up something very appealing to the eye.
This looked bright and 'new' and 'unfinished', so I decided to try an acrylic wash. I took acrylic paint and added water to it. I felt it washed out a lot of the color and I didn’t like it. I used an acrylic glazed paint which I custom blended myself with colored acrylic craft paint (Folk Art brand which I had on hand and costs under $1 per bottle. I am trying to use what I have on hand rather than restock my entire art supply inventory with top of the line art materials which, by the way, I can’t afford!) It was hard selecting a glaze color because I didn’t want the color to wash out the color on the map (which happened with a different ATC that I was making that I ‘ruined’).
I experimented with using full strength paint and then wiping it off but it was not working well. I left some paint in the upper corner.
The ATC still looked unfinished to me. Next I added a rubber stamped image of two wine bottles, using acrylic paint as the medium. It still didn’t look right, so I added another stamped image of a some grape leaves. I didn’t like the way the rubber stamped image of the grapes looked so I wiped it off and hand painted in grapes by dabbing the end of a paintbrush into acrylic paint and dabbing the grapes on. These rubber stamps are from a large wood mounted stamp called “Wine Collage” #90210, by Stamps Happen, Inc
The last step was to put the edging on which is acrylic paint in a purple color, which I selected because the map had purple in it as did the stamped images that I added.
Working with mixed-media collage is not a fast process. I had to let each layer dry in between. This ATC took several days and not including the selection of images took over an hour to complete.
I like all of my wine map atlas ATCs and had a hard time parting with them. I hope the person who ends up owning this ATC enjoys it as much as I did!
General Background on this Series
At a library book sale I had found a wonderfully illustrated book from the early 1970s which was a 'wine atlas'. (Note: I have since seen other wine atlases and the newer they are the less charming they are because of the difference in the maps. Funky shading with bright colors in the newer books is not the same effect as the old style maps, to me, at least!) I never knew that wine atlases existed. They are maps of wine growing regions that show certain things about the climate and the terrain. The atlas goes through every part of the world and discusses the special wines that grow in that area. The science of wine growing is explained and the wine making process itself is also explained in detail. When I saw the book I was drawn immediately to the maps. However, the book reeked of mildew. I bought it for 50 cents with the intention of cutting it up to use in collage artwork. Since the book smelled like mildew I had no problem cutting it up. I also knew that by sealing in the papers, the mildew would not be a problem for the ATC as a final product, such as to incite an allergy attack in a person as they held my ATC.
Criticisms of Collage as an Art Form
There have been some negative comments on some chat lists lately about collage being basically an inferior art form. Comments are made such as "taking a cutting from a magazine and slapping it onto cardstock and calling it an ATC". That is not what I do. I had to spend time looking through the wine atlas to find a nice map that would look good as part of the ATC. I am not like Beth Cote, who I saw on the Carol Duvall show this week (episode CDS-1613) making a pop-up altered book, demonstrated that she takes random rippings of papers and slaps them down onto a composition. She said it straight out, just rip it, glue it, and put it down. I don't do that. I take the time to think about how it will look on the ATC
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATC, mixed media collage, rubber stamp, ATC swap.
My ATC: Chinon
ATC Title: Chinon
Swap Name: Map in Your ATC
I participated in a 4/3/ swap on an internet ATC chat list called "Map in Your ATC". I made this series in February.
About My Process for This ATC
When selecting a map to use as the background, I looked for specific colors and other interesting map features that would be appealing to the eye. Since the ATC is so small I want it to look good so I choose elements with certain content and certain colors and which are certain sizes. I looked at the large maps with a template the size of an ATC like a little window to find what small section of the map would look nice on this very small canvas. I really enjoyed the pastel colors of this map. I also carefully selected which part of the map would appear on the ATC.
I decided to add a wine label from that region whose label would look nice on this ATC. It was convenient that this book has tiny labels from the winemakers in each region, perfectly sized for ATC making. I carefully chose where to put it on the ATC so as to not cover up something very appealing to the eye.
This looked bright and 'new' and 'unfinished', so I added some acrylic glazed paint which I custom blended myself with a ‘bronze’ colored acrylic craft paint (Folk Art brand which I had on hand and costs under $1 per bottle. I am trying to use what I have on hand rather than restock my entire art supply inventory with top of the line art materials which, by the way, I can’t afford!)
The ATC still looked unfinished to me. Next I added a rubber stamped image of a wine bottle, using acrylic paint as the medium. It still didn’t look right, so I added another stamped image of a wine glass. I then hand painted the inside of the bottle and the wine glass in (the rubber stamp impression leaves the interior empty). The wine bottle is just one image from a large wood mounted stamp called “Wine Collage” #90210, by Stamps Happen, Inc.
The last step was to put the edging on which is acrylic paint in black, which I selected because the I thought it would frame the image well especially since I had selected black as the outline color for the wine glass.
Working with mixed-media collage is not a fast process. I had to let each layer dry in between. This ATC took several days and not including the selection of images took over an hour to complete.
I like all of my wine map atlas ATCs and had a hard time parting with them. I hope the person who ends up owning this ATC enjoys it as much as I did!
General Background on this Series
At a library book sale I had found a wonderfully illustrated book from the early 1970s which was a 'wine atlas'. (Note: I have since seen other wine atlases and the newer they are the less charming they are because of the difference in the maps. Funky shading with bright colors in the newer books is not the same effect as the old style maps, to me, at least!) I never knew that wine atlases existed. They are maps of wine growing regions that show certain things about the climate and the terrain. The atlas goes through every part of the world and discusses the special wines that grow in that area. The science of wine growing is explained and the wine making process itself is also explained in detail. When I saw the book I was drawn immediately to the maps. However, the book reeked of mildew. I bought it for 50 cents with the intention of cutting it up to use in collage artwork. Since the book smelled like mildew I had no problem cutting it up. I also knew that by sealing in the papers, the mildew would not be a problem for the ATC as a final product, such as to incite an allergy attack in a person as they held my ATC.
Criticisms of Collage as an Art Form
There have been some negative comments on some chat lists lately about collage being basically an inferior art form. Comments are made such as "taking a cutting from a magazine and slapping it onto cardstock and calling it an ATC". That is not what I do. I had to spend time looking through the wine atlas to find a nice map that would look good as part of the ATC. I am not like Beth Cote, who I saw on the Carol Duvall show this week (episode CDS-1613) making a pop-up altered book, demonstrated that she takes random rippings of papers and slaps them down onto a composition. She said it straight out, just rip it, glue it, and put it down. I don't do that. I take the time to think about how it will look on the ATC
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATC, mixed media collage, rubber stamp, ATC swap.
My ATC: Stellenbosch
ATC Title: Stellenbosch
Swap Name: Map in Your ATC
I participated in a 4/3/ swap on an internet ATC chat list called "Map in Your ATC". I made this series in February.
About My Process for This ATC
When selecting a map to use as the background, I looked for specific colors and other interesting map features that would be appealing to the eye. Since the ATC is so small I want it to look good so I choose elements with certain content and certain colors and which are certain sizes. I looked at the large maps with a template the size of an ATC like a little window to find what small section of the map would look nice on this very small canvas. I really enjoyed the pastel colors of this map. I also carefully selected which part of the map would appear on the ATC. I thought that putting the center of the town just off center with the roads leading away made a pleasing composition.
I decided to add a wine label from that region whose label would look nice on this ATC. It was convenient that this book has tiny labels from the winemakers in each region, perfectly sized for ATC making. I first chose the Stellenryck label but felt the ATC still was missing something, so I selected a second label. I carefully chose where to put it on the ATC so as to not cover up something very appealing to the eye. When I started this series I had no intention of using rubber stamps so this ATC was completed without the use of rubber stamped images (unlike some others in this series.)
This looked bright and 'new' and 'unfinished', so I added some acrylic glazed paint which I custom blended myself with a ‘sweetheart pink’ colored acrylic craft paint (Folk Art brand which I had on hand and costs under $1 per bottle. I am trying to use what I have on hand rather than restock my entire art supply inventory with top of the line art materials which, by the way, I can’t afford!) It was hard selecting a glaze color because I didn’t want the color to wash out the color on the map (which happened with a different ATC that I was making that I ‘ruined’).
The last step was to put the edging on which is acrylic paint in a bronze metallic color, which I selected because the Stellenryck label had a similar color.
Working with mixed-media collage is not a fast process. I had to let each layer dry in between. This ATC took several days and not including the selection of images took over an hour to complete.
I like all of my wine map atlas ATCs and had a hard time parting with them. I hope the person who ends up owning this ATC enjoys it as much as I did!
General Background on this Series
At a library book sale I had found a wonderfully illustrated book from the early 1970s which was a 'wine atlas'. (Note: I have since seen other wine atlases and the newer they are the less charming they are because of the difference in the maps. Funky shading with bright colors in the newer books is not the same effect as the old style maps, to me, at least!) I never knew that wine atlases existed. They are maps of wine growing regions that show certain things about the climate and the terrain. The atlas goes through every part of the world and discusses the special wines that grow in that area. The science of wine growing is explained and the wine making process itself is also explained in detail. When I saw the book I was drawn immediately to the maps. However, the book reeked of mildew. I bought it for 50 cents with the intention of cutting it up to use in collage artwork. Since the book smelled like mildew I had no problem cutting it up. I also knew that by sealing in the papers, the mildew would not be a problem for the ATC as a final product, such as to incite an allergy attack in a person as they held my ATC.
Criticisms of Collage as an Art Form
There have been some negative comments on some chat lists lately about collage being basically an inferior art form. Comments are made such as "taking a cutting from a magazine and slapping it onto cardstock and calling it an ATC". That is not what I do. I had to spend time looking through the wine atlas to find a nice map that would look good as part of the ATC. I am not like Beth Cote, who I saw on the Carol Duvall show this week (episode CDS-1613) making a pop-up altered book, demonstrated that she takes random rippings of papers and slaps them down onto a composition. She said it straight out, just rip it, glue it, and put it down. I don't do that. I take the time to think about how it will look on the ATC
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATC, mixed media collage, rubber stamp, ATC swap.
My ATC: Bourgueil
ATC Title: Bourgueil
Swap Name: Map in Your ATC
I participated in a 4/3/ swap on an internet ATC chat list called "Map in Your ATC". I made this series in February.
At a library book sale I had found a wonderfully illustrated book from the early 1970s which was a 'wine atlas'. (Note: I have since seen other wine atlases and the newer they are the less charming they are because of the difference in the maps. Funky shading with bright colors in the newer books is not the same effect as the old style maps, to me, at least!) I never knew that wine atlases existed. They are maps of wine growing regions that show certain things about the climate and the terrain. The atlas goes through every part of the world and discusses the special wines that grow in that area. The science of wine growing is explained and the wine making process itself is also explained in detail. When I saw the book I was drawn immediately to the maps. However, the book reeked of mildew. I bought it for 50 cents with the intention of cutting it up to use in collage artwork. Since the book smelled like mildew I had no problem cutting it up. I also knew that by sealing in the papers, the mildew would not be a problem for the ATC as a final product, such as to incite an allergy attack in a person as they held my ATC.
There have been some negative comments on some chat lists lately about collage being basically an inferior art form. Comments are made such as "taking a cutting from a magazine and slapping it onto cardstock and calling it an ATC". That is not what I do. I had to spend time looking through the wine atlas to find a nice map that would look good as part of the ATC. I am not like Beth Cote, who I saw on the Carol Duvall show this week (episode CDS-1613) making a pop-up altered book, demonstrated that she takes random rippings of papers and slaps them down onto a composition. She said it straight out, just rip it, glue it, and put it down. I don't do that. I take the time to think about how it will look on the ATC. I chose specific colors and other interesting map features that would be appealing to the eye. Since the ATC is so small I want it to look good so I choose elements with certain content and certain colors and which are certain sizes. I looked at the large maps with a template the size of an ATC like a little window to find what small section of the map would look nice on this very small canvas.
I decided to add a wine label from that region whose label would look nice on this ATC. It was convenient that this book has tiny labels from the winemakers in each region, perfectly sized for ATC making. I carefully chose where to put it on the ATC so as to not cover up something very appealing to the eye.
This looked bright and 'new' and 'unfinished', so I added some acrylic glazed paint which I custom blended myself with a bronze colored metallic paint.
Next I added a rubber stamped image of a wine bottle, using acrylic paint as the medium. I then hand painted the inside of the bottle in (the rubber stamp impression leaves the interior empty). The wine bottle is just one image from a large wood mounted stamp called “Wine Collage” #90210, by Stamps Happen, Inc.
The last step was to put the edging on which is acrylic paint in a bronze metallic color. It still didn't look right so later I added a very thin layer of black to the edge.
I really enjoyed the color scheme of cream/bronze/black/browns.
Working with mixed-media collage is not a fast process. I had to let each layer dry in between. This ATC took several days and not including the selection of images toook over an hour to complete.
It was hard to send off this ATC, I wanted to keep it. I hope the person who ends up owning this ATC enjoys it as much as I did!
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATC, mixed media collage, rubber stamp, ATC swap.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Kenmore Stamp Company (Postage Stamps)
A few weeks ago my parents gave me their Sunday newspaper coupon flyer. In that amongst the grocery store coupons was an offer from Kenmore Stamp Company to buy 500 postage stamps from around the world for $2.00 with free shipping and handling.
I was ecstatic as I knew I could use them when making ATCs or other artwork such as collages.
At $2.00 even I could afford it!
I sent off the check and waited. The stamps arrived today and I am thrilled.
They also sent along a bunch of little packets of stamps with their prices and an envelope to return them if I don't want them. I get to pick if I want any of them or all of them. I have to pay the postage to get the unwanted stamps back to them. I looked over the stamps and some are very interesting. Some are 20 cents each on average while others are more expensive or less expensive. I am not sure how this price compares to buying something such as a sticker at a craft store for use on a piece of art. Some of the packets sell for under $1 and some are $1.50 and up to $3.50.
I am going to sit down with my kids now and look these over. I may grab the world atlas so we can find some of the countries as we look through them.
I saw this same offer on their website but for some reason I could not get it to populate without an additional shipping and handling fee.
If you are interested in this offer I would advise you to check their website then to possibily try and call them to ask about not charging extra shipping (as they do with the offer the published in the Sunday newspaper).
This offer is #FH-010 "500 worldwide stamps", is listed at $2.00 and limited to a one time offer per customer.
Technorati Tags: postage stamps, postage stamps, collage, artist trading cards.
I was ecstatic as I knew I could use them when making ATCs or other artwork such as collages.
At $2.00 even I could afford it!
I sent off the check and waited. The stamps arrived today and I am thrilled.
They also sent along a bunch of little packets of stamps with their prices and an envelope to return them if I don't want them. I get to pick if I want any of them or all of them. I have to pay the postage to get the unwanted stamps back to them. I looked over the stamps and some are very interesting. Some are 20 cents each on average while others are more expensive or less expensive. I am not sure how this price compares to buying something such as a sticker at a craft store for use on a piece of art. Some of the packets sell for under $1 and some are $1.50 and up to $3.50.
I am going to sit down with my kids now and look these over. I may grab the world atlas so we can find some of the countries as we look through them.
I saw this same offer on their website but for some reason I could not get it to populate without an additional shipping and handling fee.
If you are interested in this offer I would advise you to check their website then to possibily try and call them to ask about not charging extra shipping (as they do with the offer the published in the Sunday newspaper).
This offer is #FH-010 "500 worldwide stamps", is listed at $2.00 and limited to a one time offer per customer.
Technorati Tags: postage stamps, postage stamps, collage, artist trading cards.
Monday, April 10, 2006
My ATC: Read This
ATC Title: Read This
The last in the set of 8 ATCs which I made from a 'block collage'.
This contains these elements:
butter box cut-out's (flower image and phrase 'carton has been opened')
McDonald's Happy Meal box handle
used stamps from junk mail
clippings from 1956 and/or 1963 Mechanix Illustrated magazine
fancy paper given to me by an ATC swapper
background paper is a map of a craft fair
My ATC: There's Only One
ATC Title: There's Only One
This is another ATC from the set of 8 that I made from a block collage last week.
Some of the items used were:
purple and white candy cigarette (!) wrapper
car image from Dover books mail order catalog
paint chip sample from home improvement store (gold sandpaper type textured paint)
stamp that came on junk mail
junk mail clippings
clippings from 1963 Mechanix Illustrated magazine
French dictionary page
background shows through: craft show map and guide to vendors
clipping of phrase "There's only one" from junk mail letter
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
My ATC: The Dream I Believe
ATC Title: The Dream I Believe
Yet another of the ATC set of 8 that I did from a block collage.
Some of the items used in this collage are:
McDonald's Happy Meal box handle
cancelled Christmas card stamp from Christmas card received in 2005
butter box cut-out's
gold foil paper from a chocolate candy wrapper, Christmas gift I received
help wanted ad from 1956 Mechanix Illustrated magazine
junk mail clippings such as the "no postage necessary" return envelope piece
tissue paper with stock quotes which came in a box of new men's shoes as a packing material
die cut from a magazine page (done by one of my son's)
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
My ATC: Some Things Can't Wait
ATC Title: Some Things Can't Wait
Another collage ATC from a 'block collage' which yielded 8 ATCs.
Some items on this ATC are:
colorful clippings from magazine pages
cancelled stamps from an ATC swap
butter box cut-out's
magazine clippings from Mechanix Illustrated from 1963
colorful papers, a gift from an ATC swapper
die cut star sent to me by an ATC swapper
rubber stamped word "time"
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
My ATC: Send No Money
ATC Title: Send No Money
This is another in the set of 8 ATCs cut from a 'block collage'.
Some of the items used in this ATC are:
cancelled stamps from Christmas cards received in 2005
stamps from junk mail
address from an envelope from an ATC swap
French dictionary page
clippings from Mechanix Illustrated magazine, 1956 & 1963
magazine clippings
fancy paper given to my by an ATC swapper
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
Publishing a Book in CD-ROM Format: A Great Idea from Lisa Vollrath!
Now here is a great idea from a creative entrepreneur. Lisa Vollrath is an artist. She has been publishing an e-newsletter called The Monthly Muse. (You can download one free trial issue, here.)
That idea in and of itself to publish an e-newsletter is brilliant as she can write her articles and receive payment for them but does not have to deal with the hassles of printing and distribution of paper newsletters. I think of the e-newsletter as kind of a blog or a website in another format, which people pay to read.
Now Lisa Vollrath is publishing a CD-ROM which contains PDF documents and clip art. This is not an e-Book as the content is not transmitted from a website onto the customer’s computer hard drive which is what an e-Book is. You buy the CD-ROM then view and read the contents on your computer. I am guessing that you can print these off on your home printer if you want to read it on hard copy.
You can also use the clip art digitally or can print it out onto paper to use. Note the Angel Policy about use of the clip art.
The offering at present is a CD-ROM “How To Collection” about Paper Art Dolls. You can read about it here. The cost is $9.99 plus shipping.
What a great idea to publish a book on CD-ROM. The publisher is cut out; the copies of the CD-ROM can be made right on a home computer. This is a unique form of self-publication with little up-front costs and no worry about where to inventory and store the product!
It seems to me that the hardest thing is the layout of the documents, making the documents look appealing to the eye. Also one would have to purchase the Adobe program to convert the computer files to PDF format.
Hmmm, perhaps I should use this model to publish some sort of CD-book or whatever this type of ‘book’ is called!
Technorati Tags: self publishing, book publishing, Lisa Vollrath, paper arts, CD-ROM format book.
That idea in and of itself to publish an e-newsletter is brilliant as she can write her articles and receive payment for them but does not have to deal with the hassles of printing and distribution of paper newsletters. I think of the e-newsletter as kind of a blog or a website in another format, which people pay to read.
Now Lisa Vollrath is publishing a CD-ROM which contains PDF documents and clip art. This is not an e-Book as the content is not transmitted from a website onto the customer’s computer hard drive which is what an e-Book is. You buy the CD-ROM then view and read the contents on your computer. I am guessing that you can print these off on your home printer if you want to read it on hard copy.
You can also use the clip art digitally or can print it out onto paper to use. Note the Angel Policy about use of the clip art.
The offering at present is a CD-ROM “How To Collection” about Paper Art Dolls. You can read about it here. The cost is $9.99 plus shipping.
What a great idea to publish a book on CD-ROM. The publisher is cut out; the copies of the CD-ROM can be made right on a home computer. This is a unique form of self-publication with little up-front costs and no worry about where to inventory and store the product!
It seems to me that the hardest thing is the layout of the documents, making the documents look appealing to the eye. Also one would have to purchase the Adobe program to convert the computer files to PDF format.
Hmmm, perhaps I should use this model to publish some sort of CD-book or whatever this type of ‘book’ is called!
Technorati Tags: self publishing, book publishing, Lisa Vollrath, paper arts, CD-ROM format book.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
My ATC: No Postage Necessary
ATC Title: No Postage Necessary
One in my 'block collage' ATC set of 8.
Some items on this ATC are:
Butter box cut-out images (flowers)
Gold foil from a chocolate wrapper (a Christmas gift I received)
cancelled Christmas stamps from Christmas cards sent to our family
cancelled stamps from ATC swaps
junk mail snippets
snippings from scraps of Mechanix Illustrated magazine from 1956
fancy paper sent to me by a fellow ATC swapper
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
ATC Title: Do You Want
ATC Title: Do You Want
One in my 'block collage' ATC set of 8.
Some items on this ATC are:
butter box cut-out's
cancelled stamps from someone who sent me ATCs (from Canada)
images from Dover mail order catalog (Queen, King)
junk mail pieces (orange piece and lots of the white and black pieces)
phrases from junk mail
snippings from scraps of Mechanix Illustrated magazine from 1963 and 1956
tissue paper that came in shoe box with new men's shoes (has stock quotes on it)
snippets from newspaper including colored images
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
My ATC: As You Can See
ATC Title: As You Can See
One in my 'block collage' ATC set of 8.
Some items on this ATC are:
used stamps from junk mail
cancelled stamp from an ATC swap
McDonald's Happy Meal Box handle
junk mail pieces
phrases from junk mail
snippings from scraps of Mechanix Illustrated magazine from 1963 and 1956
paper from a 'collage paper' pack from the craft store
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Second Set of ATCs of Block Collage Method With Ephemera Made
Ephemera Collage Artist Trading Cards
Here is my second set of ATCs which I made in the method of a block collage. I made these a few days ago. I made this while procrastinating about finishing two presentations I will be giving at a conference this weekend!
Unfortunately I cut the collage into ATCs before I scanned it. I really wish I had scanned it first.
This was my process.
I started with a thin cardboard piece which was 7.25 x 10.25 inches in size, so that eight ATCs would be made out of it, with a little room for cropping in case I make a cutting error.
I selected a 8.5 x 11 inch paper which was a map of a craft fair for the background. I did not attend the craft fair, it was actually an insert in the local newspaper acting as an advertisement for the craft show. I liked it because it showed a map of the building and all the little booths then had a lot of numers and tiny font with the names of the crafters on it. Most of this ended up being covered up but I liked the way it looked. It was black ink on white paper.
I took the junk mail and catalogs received in the mail that day. I skimmed the letters asking for charitable donations and cut out some phrases. I cut out some images from the letters and paperwork received. One had a full color envelope with photos on it. I cut out some of the things that say "postage paid" on the return envelopes.
I used some cancelled stamps that I had on hand (I stopped throwing away stamps when I began making ATCs).
I went through some saved papers from past magazine skimming and cutting. I keep those in a accordian type paper organizer thing that I found at the dollar store.
I went through some papers that people have sent me when I hosted the swap. This is interesting to do because they give me stuff that is different than what catches my own eye to save or stuff they bought that I don't buy.
I grabbed a Dover catalog ...
(you should consider get on their mailing lists, they have great small images in black and white and some in color)...you can fill out an online form to say which catalogs you want. You may be surprised to know that the children's catalog is full of non-fiction stuff, such as showing famous people in history or even period costumes and other interesting old images. I cut out some small images from the Dover catalogs. I am actually a customer of Dover and own a large number of their books, so I don't just get the catalog to raid for images to use in artwork!
I glanced around the kitchen and took some food labels such as butter box pieces. I had a McDonald's Happy Meal Box on hand and used part of that--the "M" shaped handle of the box.
I also had decided the 2nd set would concentrate on golden yellow and purple, so I looked for things with those colors. I decided that color scheme just because some items I had with those colors caught my fancy at the time.
I had a newspaper given to me for free and I glanced through it and found some words and also some maps.
I then looked at tiny scraps from past collage work from some 1956 and 1963 magazines--I love the color of the aged paper (from the oxidation of the acid in the paper). I put the tiny scraps in a very small Rubbermaid container. It is fun to dump this out and root around to see what is there.
I also had some old books that I bought for as low at 50 cents intentionally for ATCs, a French dictionary was one, and cut some stuff out of that.
I used some images from mail order catalogs also such as sizing grids, lists of tiny font letters which listed out retail store locations, (I also love the sizing charts).
Some of the layers are 6 deep in this collage. I made a concerted effort to use tiny items so that this time each ATC would have a lot more tiny elements on it, to be busier.
By the time I felt I was done I didn't feel like adding paint or rubber stamped images to it, so I inserted one word "time" in rubber stamps and otherwise left it otherwise as a plain collage.
I used Golden soft gel medium as the adhesive. I really enjoy using this product. I apply it either with a foam brush or with my fingertips.
Also I should say that sometimes I pick up a piece that I like, put the gel medium on the back and then and only then, do I find a place to put it. Rushing like that to get it on before it dries helps me make impulsive decisions and to not worry about what I am covering up. I used to have this problem with ruining or covering up the good thing that was already on there which I wanted to keep in one piece. I am getting over this.
I was impatient to see how the individual ATCs came out so cut it while the gel medium was still damp.
I really have fun doing this method and think I will continue it as I have time. I am trying not to think about others who may think this looks like a mish-mosh. There really is a thought process and an attempt to select colors that look well together or placements that are pleasing to the eye. Sometimes I have themes going. It may not seem that way but that does go on in my mind. I would estimate that I spent nearly two hours on this collage which then ended up being eight ATCs, so this is not as time consuming as when I set out to do a similar looking collage in the size of one ATC--that takes me about one hour per ATC.
I enjoy the surprise of seeing how each ATC comes out in the end. The ATCs look different than if I had tried to make each one individually. I still do have that concern like "Oh, I can't cut this stamp into four tiny pieces and use just the corner" but if I make a big collage then chop it up and end up with 1/4 of a stamp on it, it is 'acceptable' to me.
I am really curious about people think about the look of these. Please consider leaving a comment here on Blogger or by emailing me (click on the link to my profile and you will see the link to email me).
Hope you like them.
Addendum: One person is encouraging me to offer this type of a 'method' and style as an ATC swap. I am seriously considering it. I do wonder how many would be interested, this is so against the style that is popular now that I don't know how many would actually participate. However I have Teesha Moore's voice inside my head telling me to not worry about what others think, to just do what I enjoy and to have fun with it.
Technorati Tags: artist trading cards, ATC, collage, ephemera.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
PostSecret has a Hilarious Postcard This Week
Love this postcard which appears for this week only on PostSecret.
Hilarious!
You can view PostSecret, here. PostSecret is updated every Sunday. You cannot view archives, so check in weekly if you want to see them.
Note that the content of the postcards vary and some may be offensive to you or may not be appropriate for minors (may contain adult content) or may be emotionally disturbing (victims of abuse), etc. You never know what someone's secret is!
Technorati Tags: PostSecret, handmade greeting cards, paper arts.
"I buy handmade cards on eBay then tell people I made them."
Hilarious!
You can view PostSecret, here. PostSecret is updated every Sunday. You cannot view archives, so check in weekly if you want to see them.
Note that the content of the postcards vary and some may be offensive to you or may not be appropriate for minors (may contain adult content) or may be emotionally disturbing (victims of abuse), etc. You never know what someone's secret is!
Technorati Tags: PostSecret, handmade greeting cards, paper arts.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Online A.C. Moore Coupon Link & Michael's Coupon Info
I just discovered this a few days ago!
It appears that the weekly coupon for A.C. Moore is available online, for free! You can print off numerous copies if you are going to visit the store more than one time in the week.
In my area, there is a Michael's Craft Store one mile away from A.C. Moore. Both Michael's and A.C. Moore accept their competitor's coupons. Therefore now when making a craft shop run I can print off these coupons for free and then hit both stores on the same day, to buy two things instead of just one thing per shop.
These coupons are also in the newspaper but I don't subscribe to the newspaper.
The A.C. Moore coupon comes out on Wednesday. The Michael's coupon comes out on Sunday. (If one comes out.) The coupons have been coming out nearly every week for the last eight months since I've been shopping in those stores again.
According to the Michael's craft store website, they don't release their coupons online.
Technorati Tags: A.C. Moore, Michael’s.
It appears that the weekly coupon for A.C. Moore is available online, for free! You can print off numerous copies if you are going to visit the store more than one time in the week.
In my area, there is a Michael's Craft Store one mile away from A.C. Moore. Both Michael's and A.C. Moore accept their competitor's coupons. Therefore now when making a craft shop run I can print off these coupons for free and then hit both stores on the same day, to buy two things instead of just one thing per shop.
These coupons are also in the newspaper but I don't subscribe to the newspaper.
The A.C. Moore coupon comes out on Wednesday. The Michael's coupon comes out on Sunday. (If one comes out.) The coupons have been coming out nearly every week for the last eight months since I've been shopping in those stores again.
According to the Michael's craft store website, they don't release their coupons online.
Technorati Tags: A.C. Moore, Michael’s.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
My ATC: Durham Fair
ATC Title: Durham Fair
This is another of the six mixed media collages that I made today as part of a block collage. For more information about my process read the blog entry I made earlier today.
(I did the scan before I trimmed the edges for neatness. Sorry!)
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
My ATC: There Is
ATC Title: There Is
This is another of the mixed media collage ATCs that I made earlier today and blogged about earlier today.
(Sorry, the scan was taken before I trimmed the edges for neatness.)
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
My ATC: Plastic
ATC Title: Plastic
This is another ATC made from a mixed media collage that I blogged about earlier today.
(Sorry the scan was taken before I trimmed the edges for neatness.)
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
My ATC: Sweet
ATC Title: Sweet
This is one of the six mixed media collages that I blogged about earlier today.
(Sorry, the scan was done before I cropped the edges for neatness.)
Technorati Tags: artist trading card, ATC, collage.
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