Intro: This swap on ATCsForAll focused on bizarre holidays from around the world in February. We had to select holidays to illustrate from a list that was provided. It did not have all of the holidays listed and thus we were really limited. And no, the holidays were not all bizarre like the title says. If I remember correctly, there were no bizarre holidays for February at all.
What I created: I made all three cards out of watercolor plus added details using LePen marker and white gel pen. As I am preoccupied with other swaps, 29 Faces challenge, and personal trades I did not get a chance to create more cards. I was originally going to do 5 or 6 but ran out of time. Even though the swap deadline is three weeks away I just have too many swaps that end at the same time as this one. Enjoy!
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Intro: Week one of the 29 Faces Challenge for February was great and very productive. I was able to get the first two faces done in one day... but then this weekend got really tiring and just not healthy. I was not able to create face #06... Looks like this week I'll be playing catch up. I was able to get #06 to #24 all sketched out and ready to go! #06 is still an ATC (for this swap) but the rest are all on 4"x6" postcard canvases. I already went ahead and purchased an simple leather album from Hobby Lobby (only for $3.49) to start collecting postcards in. My first blind postcard from a PIF already came in, plus I'll be getting 2 more from MMHs so it looks like the album should fill up quickly. Especially when I have all of these faces completed.
What I created: I made all of the faces on ATCs sized canvases (2.5"x3.5"). The first two have already been traded for personal trades (so quick!). And the next three are for the Paying Tribute - Celebrities We Lost in 2016 Swap. All were done with watercolor paints plus detailing done using Le Pen markers and white gel pen. Further thoughts: I am not so sure if I'll be able to get the bigger sized canvases done all in one day now.. I found that working with the faces on ATC sized canvas was pretty quick even with details. But the details did get difficult to create even with a really tiny brush. It looks like I might need to purchase markers/pens for detailing seeing as the brushes are not working out. At any rate I am still going to stick to my goal of finishing one face a day even if they are on postcard sized canvases now. No further requests came in for portraits but I was able to get a really lovely collection put together on Paint My Photo plus some images from a Facebook page (with permission). I still have 5 more faces left to think about... I might use the Facebook page for those seeing as I have not used any of their images for reference. For the upcoming week I'll have my first 3 requests completed. I have already sketched a self-portrait so I'll not be shying away from that. I am going to keep the last 5 slots open still just in case I do get a request. Intro: Just catching you guys up on recent art that I have traded already. I specifically made these for personal trades set up on ATCsForAll.
What I created: All of them were made using watercolor, Le Pen marker, and white roll gel pen. The Stained Glass Rose and the Heart inchie both have puffy paint used for outlining. I made three ATCs (2.5"x3.5") and 6 inchies (1"x1"). Further thoughts: I was recently feeling very inspired by Art Nouveau stained glass art and had decided to create a bunch of ATCs and postcards that a similar style. I already knew I was going to be using puffy paint as a replacement liner (gutta) for the stained glass art and Chinese watercolors due to their stained look. So far I was not exactly pleased with what I created due to the tip of the puffy paint bottle not behaving properly. I am going to get a fine tip liner bottle and try again to see if I am able to get better results. Intro: I had previously created 12 twinchies for this series (Valentine 2017 Series) and decided I wanted to create a few ATCs while the season is still around I'll be re-porting these two ATCs when I upload new ATCs in this series. What I created: I just wanted to share these while I could (before I forget). I wanted to try a new technique which I used in the "Board Hearts" ATC. I simply used watercolor to paint the background and then created designs in marker on top once it was dry. On a separate sheet I used watercolor to just lay down a bunch of pinks and reds with no intention to create a pattern. Once that dried up I cut it into strips (0.20"x3.0"). I then laid them down and drew a heart shape onto the strips...which I then cut and glued on the background. I really liked this idea that I used... I am thinking about creating some collage pieces with this technique. The second ATC was a combination of two Valentine themed sugar cookies that I saw on Google. they were depicting Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe but I decided to combine them together to create my own version of a poster that I really like: Further thoughts: I think the trick that I used to create a double layer for the "Board Hearts" could be quite useful in coming up with my own unique "style" so to speak. I am going to continue making ATCs and other sized art for this series so I'll post them upon completion. These two cards are currently available for trade (view their status).
I already have signed up for a few more swaps with themes all across the board: animals, songbirds holidays, and so on. i'll post those ATCs once I complete them. I am also preparing for the #29face challenge that start in February (just around the corner). Intro: I decided to start creating art for two separate series of my own: Skyscapes and Whimsical Landscape. I was recently requested to participate in personal trades that required me to create a nature themed ATC that could include trees or animals or just landscapes.
What I created: I ended up making two ATCs that have trees in them (both inspired by simple Smartphone Emoji) and a third ATC depicting a sunset with birds flying. I liked the idea and decided that I needed to keep these two themes going in the future and thus added all three cards to series. All three were created using the typical watercolor paint with detailing in Le Pen marker and a white gel pen. Be sure to see more art from these two series in the future as I have already gotten requests for more cards to be made in both series. Trade status: All three have been traded upon uploading to ATCsForAll. Intro: I participated in a swap called Animal Play ABC. Currently the first the letters of the alphabet were focused...with plans for the future to continue doing swaps till we have the entire alphabet complete.
What I created: I made three cards as required for the swap plus an extra as a gift to for the host. All of the cards were done in watercolor, with Le Pen marker and a white gel pen used to add the finishing touches. The animal/card details in order:
Intro: The second ATC swap that I have participated in has a bit of historical theme - Moulin Rouge. The Moulin Rouge Swap is open to all media and had no real hard rules... just the typical ones that all swaps have.
What I created: It was a challenge in picking exactly what subjects to choose for the cards... I ended up painting 2 different Can Can Girls and the famous Moulin Rouge Structure which looks like a windmill. Again I used watercolor to paint the basics... then finished off with Prismacolor Colored Pencils and Le Pen marker. Final thoughts: I honestly think I need to invest in a marker that has a really fine tip...this fine tip is not fine enough. Creating the details like the features of the face was difficult as the line was too thick. I am not even sure if I want to spend time editing any of these cards... I feel like just creating more cards with this theme and perhaps trying different markers. Again details on these cards can be viewed at any of my 2 galleries that I post actively in along with better quality images. Intro: I am sure many people have run across these words online already... ACEO (Art Cards, Editions, and Originals), ATC (Artist Trading Cards), Inchies (1"x1" canvas art), Rinchies (1" round canvas art), and Twinchies (2"x2" canvas art).
What is the difference between ATC and ACEO? I am not going to go into details on them except provide a link to a nice place that I discovered... they have a better description of both and in-depth details as well. ATC for All - difference between ACEO and ATC Altered-Art - all about ATC and what you can do with them Also a breakdown of the other three forms of art: What are inchies? ATCs: This is suppose to be more of an in depth discussion on ATCs... but I am not going to bore anyone with details that they already know. I am simply going to post my thoughts about ATCs and the future of this blog when it comes to artist trading cards. I am going to continue using artist trading cards as they provide a good exercising form for all media. I am going participate in a monthly contest on ATCsForAll once in awhile just to test my creative juices but that's about it. I am going to participate in swaps if they seem inspiring enough. I can see myself selling prints of the cards but not in the near future... as they are for exercise purposes only - for practice. I am going to create ATCs as gifts for friends and family but nothing that I'll be posting online to sell. I am going to focus on creating polymer clay (with some air dry clay) trading cards...perhaps creating a different standard size if the traditional 2.5"x3.5" does not work out. I plan on creating a custom display item for the cards as well...perhaps even a way to store them. I can see myself in the future creating multiple ATCs that are to be used as reference (like swatches that artists create for polymer clay colors). If anyone would like to see details (a tutorial perhaps even a video) on how to create something similar do contact me or comment here. Depending on the demand I might create that if I end up making a YouTube channel. Miniature ATC: So there exists a standard size for all ATC created as it must fit a clear plastic sleeve (penny sleeve). Which means that the card can not be too bulky otherwise it is not going to fit in the sleeve. After some research I ran into miniature ATCs... which are only 1.5"x2.5" or 1.75"x2.5". This again reminds me of small artist tiles... or even collectible cabochons (or even inchies). This is something to really look into especially with polymer clay. I can see a collection of miniature ATCs that look like tile samples... or button designs. Inchies, Twinchies, Rinchies: These are smaller forms of ATCs that serve a similar purpose to some extent. Some collectors do go to the next level of creating something bigger by assembling multiple ATCs (like this folded card). Typically inchies (along with rinchies and twinchies) are traded, collected, sold, gifted, etc just like ATCs. Some artist online share their ideas on making fabric inchies used to assemble quilts and other wearable art. The only reason I bring these up is due to the small canvas size, they are quick to make. Inchies are 1"x1" while twinchies are 2"x2" canvas art. Rinchies are round shaped canvas works that are 1" in diameter (the size of bottle caps) and there are B'Twinchies that have varied dimensions. It is great putting them together like a puzzle to create another work of art. These can be used on other artworks, like on ATCs or greeting cards and albums, etc. I think they would serve as good canvas for exercises... even in clay or other 3D media. Final thoughts: I have determined that if I am going to post my ATCs for sale at any point in the future I'll have to organize things once again...which I do not have the time for right now. In the future perhaps I'll think about adding them to a store online or even setting up a store on this blog, but right now I do not plan on selling my ATCs (only trading upon request). This goes for any inchies, twinchies, or rinchies that I create as well. I'll be posting these creations in the future as I make them on here. I have entered organized swaps already to have themes to work with... and plan on entering some more in the future. I'll also be creating these as parts of challenges and perhaps contests...? If anyone is interested in trading ATCs please do contact me I have an account on ATCs for All, my username is ParadoxSketchbook. Intro: my first ATC swap!!! I participated in the BEES Knees Swap on ATCsForAll and created 3 ATCs - as required.
What I created: The theme was bees... there has to be at least one bee on the card and the media is unlimited. As long as the card can fit in a penny sleeve it works! I wanted to create something childish so for one of the cards I created a "pop art" type of background with greens and yellows. Then I painted small bees scattered around on the card. I even went in and added pathlines for the bees to give it more of a childish look. For the other two cards I wanted to actually spend some time painting an actual bee...and in a way get comfortable with the shape and form of a bee. All three ATCs were created by first painting in watercolor then adding on details where needed with Prismacolor Colored pencils and Le Pen fine tip marker. I have a link to my ATCsForAll gallery as well as my DeviantArt gallery in the Author section of my blog as buttons. Feel free to browse. Intro: I wanted to dedicate a small post about the back of my ATCs. Some artist create their own templates while others download them (there are free templates available online). I created my own quick template using only two programs: I used cooltext.com for generating a simple title and then using MS PowerPoint I put together a template with two variations. Cooltext.com has many fonts and icons available to use for free... so if you want to create your own template from there you can. I have included the MS PowerPoint template at the bottom of this post along with the image version that you can use as well. These are free to use... no credit required. So here is a breakdown of what is included on the back of my artist trading cards... Title - the name of the card (the art itself) Series/Collection - the series or collection that the card is a part of (if any) Date & No. - the date that the art was declared as "complete! no more adjustments" and the number of the card in the series (if it belongs to a series) Artist - the artist's name who created the card (me) Signature - the official signature of the artist (only available on the left template; I left a blank spot for the signature on the right template as my signature actually does not look good on top of a line) Contact - e-mail and/or website... address if you want or even phone number Notes - this small spot could contain notes on the art or even a message to the receiver of the card (I kept this in mind for giving ATCs out as gifts). This could also be used to mention the media of the art. Final thoughts: the cards are actually too small to add anything else and personally I think adding way too much information on the card itself takes away from the guidebook. Having a guidebook is a great tool to get your thoughts flowing as you are not only thinking about what you have created but now you have to put it down in words... writing practice - another form of art.
Feel free to print a copy of the image that I have posted. The black borderline is 2.5" by 3.5" the typical ATC size. When I put these on my cards I cut the borderline away if I am creating curved corners but I keep the borderline if the cards are cut simply. I have already altered this to have a version for participating in swaps to include location and Swap name... so you can alter it too. Some have altered a similar template by adding something fancier at the top instead of the basic title that I have. You can download the MS PowerPointRaw template or printable MS Word document for any of the two templates from this folder: Public Google Drive Folder |
Author: RejiI used to be a digital artist but switched back to traditional art as I feel more connected with the art I create this way. Currently, I create art whenever I can for art trades and commissions. I have worked with clay (earth clay to modern forms like Polymer, Sculpey, even Air Dry clay) along with watercolors, acrylics, oil paints, pastels, charcoal, pen and pencil drawings, India ink, Chinese Colors, wires, felt fabric, yarn, weaving, basket making, and the list goes on and on. I am currently working on exploring nail art, make-up, dress making, scrapbooking, and small canvas art. Archives
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