Happy Halloween Week...

I just want to pet his fuzzy little head!

Cover for Halloween Album...

I'm taking a little break from Atc's to show this album I started working on. The concept of Atc's can be carried over into bigger projects. I found a back ground I loved, creepy but not goofy or gory. Then cropped to fit my project and found a subject to add and some German trim of black.
This is the back. I love this background paper from Prima. I added a big moon here and a small moon on the front. I have some cool ribbon of black, dark purple and light green to adorn later.
I will now seal the whole thing with a satin finish after spraying with a preservative to check against fading. I also use this same method with some of my Atc's. It gives them a nice finished look and makes the colors pop out.

Ahhh, The Men...

I called this one "Midway Bouncers", A circus theme led to these trapeze artists- a photo from a book, to be placed in front of this circus tent painting. I added the ticket stub to camouflage the little people sitting at their feet. A Rube is a non circus person. When some one calls " Hey Rube" it is a call to all circus folk to come brake up a fight or throw a drunk visitor out on his ear!

This was a western theme. I really enjoy doing the guys for a change as most of my cards are women, children, and animals. I love making up phrases to add on.

Here are some sexy guys. Cary Grant, Peter Frampton, and Cristobal Balenciaga (fashion designer).

I think the themes for these were 1. Celestial 2. Western and 3. A is for apple.

Last but not least those seventies guys I found accidentally on some deck of cards from a thrift shop. I think these cards, every one different are my most famous. I used the actual card parts and had to add the little pumpkins and put them on retro paper reflecting the era. By the way these two were the most handsome to me. Others with Afro's and balding guys got the most laughs. Sorry guys the seventies had a charm of it's own and when naked how can a girl not laugh.

Raining in Dogs N Cats...

I love dogs and cats as subjects for my cards. I want to talk about the middle card. Occasionally you will see cards a little taller than the usual 3 1/2 in. As long as the card can fit in a baseball card size folder it is okay. The top just sticks up a bit. Don't make them fatter, for they will not slide in a sleeve.
Dogs at the beach.

Equal opportunity, here's some cats!

ATC A Simple Beginning...

These first two cards I made in the beginning. I still like them today. You don't have to make each card with tons of stuff on them. Some times I don't have words and then I'll make some that do. Ruby's eyes didn't show up well so I put a drop of diamond glaze over orange to make them pop. The candy corn too.
The name DIVA was made with a labeler. I just cut out a shape for the hat and it really needed the black lace to create some texture.

Later I started filling the entire card with more. This is a bird from a card set and the flowers are cut straight from an old calender with tons of flowers. I can't remember where I got the little hat, but probably from another picture.



This one I made for a trade from an old cabinet card showing the baby sitting on the creepy but interesting bench. I cut that to fit from a copy and still had room to add some friends and polka dot paper to keep it whimsical. It should say "who opened the closet door?"

Artist Trading Card Themes, Pick a Subject, Match a Back Ground...

If you are in a trade, there is usually a theme for every month. Examples: "Vintage Halloween", "Thanksgiving", "Beach Fun", even "Artist Choice" etc. You will then make at least 6 cards to hand in to the trade. At Mystic Paper's trade the store keeps one and you will get 5 different cards back. I always make 9 cards the same. One for myself, 6 for the trade, one for my bff Debbie, and an extra for my mom. When I make copies of the subject for cutting out, my printer will put 9 on one sheet of paper.
I made these three cards at Thanksgiving a couple of years ago. Since they go together they are considered a set, or a series. If you are in a private trade you will likely only make the exact number of cards as there are people. You can make every card a little different or exactly the same. Remember each one has to be made by hand, not just copied from printer of the first hand made card. The cards also can be made vertical as the first example or sideways like these next two. Most people keep their cards in baseball card holders. I have mine in albums. And I have a portfolio album of just my cards.

The theme for these cards was Thanksgiving. My first thought was turkeys but I decided on subjects portraying a woodsy feel and family and giving. When I got the other peoples cards back every one of them had a turkey on it! I was grateful I chose something not so typical.

Subject Picking

Some times it is as easy as finding a picture in a book.(dog) Then I had some stickers with the bird with his berry. The dog had a lady next to him so I cut her out of the picture. Made copies of the dog head and stuck the bird on paper and made copies, I don't like actual stickers on the cards so by making paper copies the image doesn't have that shiny sticker quality.

The next cards I am going to make is under the theme "Babes in the Woods." I have some ideas of what babes I may be picking but in this case the woods will be what I look for first. I will find my woods in some books or postcards first and match the babes after. Examples coming in a later post. Remember these cards are for fun and trading. As long as we aren't selling them the pictures for our subjects can be borrowed any where and altered and collage together to make a new piece of art. If you want you can paint or color your own subject. I often find black and white pictures that I love so I color them. The card on the last post "Age of Aquarius" was colored in by me. I love picking what colors to use therefore matching the back ground I picked.

I hope I am covering the basics. Later I will show actual process of cutting out and picking faces to put on your cards. #1 tip: Always have a face! Animal, person, big or small. You want to tell a story, you will need a subject. I have some cards with flowers on them that are beautiful but usually a face is more interesting than just a number. I will have more examples later.

History (ATC's), and getting started...

In 1996 M. Vanci Stirnemann created 1000 individual little cards and displayed them in his Zurich book store. He then encouraged others to make their own to trade at the end of the exhibit. His goal to create "A Collaborative Cultural Performance" may have led to this craze and wonderful art event.

Let's jump in:
The first step is to cut the stiff card base. 2 1/2 by 3 1/2. Then I usually use the stiffest card stock, Bristol or any paper that is heavy. I picked up Manila folders in large quantity at a local thrift. They are then cut the size you need. There is nothing more disappointing than receiving a flimsy card made with one piece of thin paper! This is going to be your art work, make it sturdy.
I make these some times in big batches so I have them ready to design on a whim. This card was made with rounded corners and you can cut them square. Don't be afraid to experiment.

The card is then prepared for adding a back ground. Some times just another piece of paper with design glued to the front. I also add a back piece at the end, I often use scrap that is light colored enough to add your name and info that may be required at your trade. After gluing three ply of paper and the glue adds stiffness, you have a great base for your art. I will some times wait to round the corners at the end and finish the edge with ink pad to dye the edge so it isn't bright white. A chisel Sharpie also works to make edge seem more finished.
I usually pick my subject first and then decide what background works best. More on subjects and back grounds next post.

Welcome to "Sandy's October ATC Workshop"!

What is an Atc? Atc stands for Artist Trading cards. They measure 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches. They are made by doing collage, art work, painting, embellishing, and coloring your little card. Almost anything can be applied. If you do Atc's you can probably call yourself a mixed media artist. They are then traded in many ways. My girlfriend Debbie and I always trade each other every card we make. I also participate in a trade at Mystic Paper in Mesa Az. I have traded to people on line and I had a nice Easter trade open to my bloggers last year.
I am hoping at the end of this month you will want to start making these fun and creative cards or you will get some great ideas to make yours highly desirable and of course, more idea sharing.

These are some publications I purchased when I started and I may use examples from these books along with my own examples. Every post will be dedicated to this little card making trend in October.

A lot of the books are great for ideas and I was gaga in the beginning so I bought them. You don't need books and other magazines can work for ideas.

This is a regular card making book and because it is concentrated on Vintage it is also a great example. I love the vintage look and it can be applied to all era's. A sixties trade is fun.

This book involves rubber stamping and all though these are wonderful in this book I only use rubber stamps in back grounds and as an extra touch. I like a subject not stamped. Many people like using them and have stamps that can be applied for different looks. Tomorrow a little history about this craze that actually has been going on for over 12 years!
Stay tuned for more and I hope you will enjoy. It would also be nice to have a little trade at the end, feel free to comment and add your own ideas in the comments!