Mixed Media ATCs with Collage Layers & Stencils

Hello lovelies,

My youtube channel turns two years old this month and I'm quite pleased with the way it's going, although this year I've only been able to manage one video tutorial a month. Apart from the daily errands, I've been busy with preparing for an art exhibition in June (more on that in a future post), as well as re-branding my channel to align with my blog. 

I did manage to squeeze in this fun and easy tutorial. Creating Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) is very satisfying. The surface is small enough to complete several cards quickly, and just like standard trading cards you can exchange them with fellow artists. Who doesn't love to receive happy mail?! 

To fill the background easily I used stencils with a variety of patterns. Create eyecatching effects by using three harmonizing paint colors together. 

In this video tutorial I use tiny paper scraps from my leftovers basket. I tend to keep those scraps that are the negative image that have been punched out with a punching tool or a shape that I cut out by hand. By layering other bits underneath you can create interesting collage art. 

Watch the short art tutorial from start to finish here:

Chunky acrylic paint pens are a playful way to add mark making. I have several colors, some with a round tip and some with a chisel tip. Tiny bits of washi tapes add texture.

This is a beginner-friendly project and very forgiving should you ever glue down a paper scrap in the wrong place (as I did 😉) due to the many layers! 

Thanks for visiting my blog and reading along. Have a great day!

Artist Trading Cards with Watercolor Background

Hello lovely readers and followers,

Perhaps my subconscious was longing for spring, because I found myself creating these artist trading cards in decidedly spring-like colors!

This project gave me the opportunity to pull out my watercolors, a supply I have been endeavoring to use more frequently. 

Watercolors are great for covering large areas quickly, such as this master board. A master board is usually a large sheet of heavy weight paper with a simple background design. It serves as a base for artist trading cards (ATC), bookmarks, tags, greeting cards etc. and saves time, since you don't need to start from scratch.

I divided my sheet in half, so as to have one side in warm and the other in cool colors.

I kept the background simple, as I would be adding more layers to my ATCs later on. I stencilled one side, and stamped the other (not shown).

You can watch me create this watercolor masterboard in the video below:

I cut two ATCs from the masterboard - one from the cool and one from the warm side.

Below you can see how I built up the layers.

For my focal point I stamped a flower image onto leftover gelli prints, fussy cut them out and adhered them to the cards along with a sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Please pin / share this easy project:

 

Mixed Media ATC's Tutorial

Hello lovely creatives!

What are ATCs? The abbreviation stands for Artist Trading Cards. These are small artworks that measure 2.5 x 3 inches (64 mm x 89 mm) which are typically traded between artists, either online or exchanged at trading sessions. Each ATC is a unique piece of art signed by the artist usually on the back of the card. Artists can use multiple techniques to create them. Here I used blank white cards as my base and covered them in handmade collage. I worked with black gesso to get a grungy look and added more layers, such as stamping and mark making on top. Final touches include a piece of thread for texture, a stamped motif and a title. 

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures  of the process again. I need to remind myself to grab my camera and place it on the work table right in front of me :)

If you are short on time, you can watch the quick version below or scroll down further and watch the full-length tutorial:

I hope you enjoyed watching the video. And if so, a "thumbs up" would be very much appreciated! You can also use the above picture to pin to your pinterest board for future reference and share with other ATC artists out there. Have a great week!