SCRAPWARE TEXTURED ARTIST TRADING CARDS

These are some of the Artist Trading cards I have made recently
I have been enjoying exploring textures using SCRAPWARES ATC, bases and frames.

For anyone unsure of what an Artist Trading Card (ATCs)
here is a quick overview...

They are little artworks 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches in size or 64mm x 89 mm for we folk who live in metric land. ATCs have a wonderful, rich history and have been being created and exchanged as far back as the 16th century. In more recent history scrapbooker's and papercrafters have taken an interest in making these cards.

They are usually made in sets of three or five and given away or swapped with other artists for their cards.Technically they cannot be sold but similar works of the same specifications can be made to be sold they are called ACEOs ( Art Cards, Editions and Originals)

Some people take part in organised swaps over the Internet, making their cards and posting them to a designated organiser who then in turn posts them to participants'. Cards can also be exchanged in person at swap meetings often hosted by ATC hobby groups. I have know of people who created, swapped and or collected thousands of Artist trading cards from all over the world. They can be displayed and there specialised display trays or collected in albums.

If you are interested in seeing or finding out a little bit more. about ATCs.
CLICK HERE or HERE

SCRAPWARE Artist Trading Card products come in a number of forms. All are to specifications, everything from the the plain rectangular bases to fine elaborate filigree frames.

Alot of the gorgeous Arty/Miniatures SCRAPWARE products are perfect for ATC as are many of the other smaller chipboard pieces. That said there is no reason to restrict yourself to only creating ATCs with the ATC range They can also be used for mountings, as card topper's, for journalling or "Blocking" on scrapbook pages and as the base for creating the lovely clay tile mosaics that have been popping up on all sorts of creative blogs of late. see one of my favourite artists Laurie Mika

If you think having a go at an ATC would be something you'd like to
try I will help as much as I can and you can contact me through my email or FB.

Don't forget on the back of your card to include The title or theme of your ATCs,

your Name, contact details, materials used and number made. and yep I fill out the back

of my ATCs like I write blog posts... details for when I am a famous collectible!!! PMSL

My best suggestion is to dive in, experiment, get yourself some SCRAPWARE bases and create a few pretty collages card toppers that's a good way to get a feel for the challenge of working is such a small space. Or illustrate a quote or poem that is my favourite method to make ATC.

For this set of ATCs I wanted to create some depth, layers and textures and see if I could do that using my gorgeous much loved CUTTLEBUG, gifted to me by a dear friend Natalie Wolfe, who you all know from the DT ***waving*** The CUTTLEBUG for those of you who don't know is a very easy to use cutting/embossing machine. Its one of many on the market and has a number of different patterned embossing folders you can purchase to use with it. Brilliant for using with the less finer larger SCRAPWARE pieces, especially with birds, flowers, crowns and most especially the stylish
Audrey and Lucie SCRAPWARE dress makers Torso's.

The ATC SCRAPWARE base card were rolled through the cuttlebug and then layered and decorated with metal shim, LUMIERE PAINTs (my fav in all the world) different glues glass seed beads and Golden glass bead gel medium some places were heated and paint or medium heated til it
boiled and blistered with a heat gun to create texture.

I've got just three words for you  ...if your going to try this at home people ...ventilation ventilation,VENTILATION! LOL Although its a bit of a "pongee" technique it gives some wonderful interesting results, I think. Hence this set of cards have been titled "THE ART IS LIFE" experimental set. The face is created out of paper clay which is light and especially easy to use on ATCs.

A CUTTLEBUGed SCRAPWARE ATC BASE AND FLOWERS
The flowers are raw and the same SWIRL embossing folder I used for the "hypnotic" ATC the SCRAPWARE base is cog pattern simply rubbed with an ink pad!

Despite there not being alot of SCRAPWARE to see on these I really wanted show just how awesome the ATC products are The bases benefits are many as i said before they are versatile, they are a heavy chipboard to minimise bowing and curling that comes with using mix media on thinner ATC card, precision in size beautiful frames I could cut anddddd..... the convenience of not having to cut tiny bases to size. If you find yourself in a number of swaps, that can be anything up to ten cards each that's a large amount of time saved!!! (Hence ANGE can NEVER stop manufacturing them now I am addicted to them! LOL).

I also liked how using the plain SCRAPWARE frame drew you eye in and added a little protection to the texture areas. ( I was not so lucky on the Hypnotic card. I pushed air into the glaze on the card to make air bubbles and then like a clumsy oaf lent on it as I got up popping them! sheshhh!)

If you're still reading this ridiculously long blog post.... thank you
and I hope you've been inspired to go and create something,
anything but hopefully... an Artist Trading Card! LOL

I have more beautiful SCRAPWARE to go play with now
and some more creations in the works I hope to "post" to you really soon!

:)