Thursday 8 August 2019

Making ATCs (Artist Trading Cards)



When I heard of ATCs I thought this was a papercraft that would suit me well, lots of paint/marker/collage on small cards. I liked the painterly quality of them and have watched different crafters make them. This is my first attempt...!



I chose a range of different paper to experiment on - Bristol Board 250gsm, Vellum, Indian paper, watercolour paper 152lbs, glossy photo paper 180gsm and heavy handmade paper. I cut them to ATC size, ..... and raided my crafty pantry for markers, paint, adhesives, foil, inks - anything I thought might made an interesting mixed media result.  


I'd been flicking through past work and liked this piece I'd done for my Februdoodle challenge in 2018 (links below) and decided it would be a good starting point for my ATCs. I liked the marker background.


Chose Winsor & Newton Pigment markers (phthalo blue light, phthalo teal light & phthalo blue deep) as their colours are strong and vibrant, covered photo paper & Bristol Board surfaces and blended. On top I printed stamps I'd carved from plastic erasers with Chafford alcohol markers (G61 & PB63). After the cards had dried I used a Kuretake 2 way glue to draw the same floral shape as the stamps, waited until it dried tacky, and adhered foil (blue oil-on-water effect and holographic dot pattern). To finish I merged 2 different fancy glues, Dovecraft 3d Pearl Effects (pastel green) & Stickles (star dust), added a few tinted word stickers from The Reset Girl and outlined them with Pilot Pintor extra fine in white. A final glaze of Judi Kins Diamond Glaze sealed the surface.


The Bristol Board, good for mixed media, fared better than the photo paper which curled and, even with the adhesive layers, stayed flimsy until I added the glaze. Glueing a second piece of card to the back might help. I'm now itching to try again using heavier card or some gesso and having more fun with the wide range of mixed media techniques out there. And swapping with other ATC makers too! (date and sign the reverse). Creating small trading cards that reflect your style of art and craft is one way of collecting examples of those techniques.




Februdoodle 2018 blogposts:


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