I'm in Love!

I just did my first Artist Trading Cards (ATC's)! There are three in the series and they were made for a trade at Swap-bot. Read more about what ATC's are and then join in the fun! I like them because they they are small, like my "studio" in the corner of my bedroom. If you mess it up no big deal, you've wasted a few pennies, just start over. (Well... of course if you've invested in a lot of pre-printed collage images and do-dads this may not be the case...) These were done over old playing cards. I got an old dictionary from Goodwill then tea and coffee stained a few pages. I glued those on the cards and pressed them dry for awhile. Then I flipped them over and cut away the excess paper. I dragged the edges and a bit of the front of the cards across a black permanent ink stamp pad. Then I measured pencil lines for the calligraphy. I left them for that old drafting look. I did the calligraphy with waterproof ink, making sure I cleaned my dip pen afterwards! I think the owl stamp will be sort of my little signature mark. (Not that anyone will go out of their way to collect my "art".) The only thing I was a bit disappointed in was the drawing. I bought a pack of fine pointed colored Sharpies but they are really too wide. I should have waited and bought the ultra fine somewhere else. Not really a waste, the colors will match and I can use the broader ones for color fill. So far I have signed up for swaps two weeks apart at two different sites. Inbetween swaps I will make cards for one-on-one swaps. I think that is good spread. Some people sign up for way too many, get stressed out and it shows in the quality of their work. Click image for a larger view.

Tags: ATC's, Artist Trading Cards, Swapbot, Swap-bot, Goodwill, tea staining, Sharpie, Sharpies, mischievousmary, Mischievous Mary