Altered Art

One of the more popular items to work with are old photographs or reproductions of famous works of art. These are a collection of photos, paintings, creative papers and some really fun techniques. The first card is one of my favorites and will stay in my collection. I printed the photo on cream color card stock. When I cut it out, I bent it, rubbed brown chalk into the creases and went over the edges with sandpaper. Using this technique (it is also known as distressing) you can make a photo look like you just found it in an old chest. I used the same distressing on the next card. The 3rd card is a copy of an old cigar box lid. the simplicity of this card makes it attractive. The blue color of the card stock is picked up in the painting and I added a decorative punch to the corners. The others speak for them selves and show that there is no limit to this hobby. I have used ribbon, lace, embossed felt, feathers, bamboo, seashells, rhinestones and very fine glass beads.

Creating Editions

There are times that you create a card that you just do not want to trade but you have several people ask about it. There is a way to solve the problem. You make copies of the card and number them. Usually 5 is the number most used. If you are going to a card show you might want to make as many as 12. In the picture you can see that the back of a card. I had made 12 of them to trade with my friends. The card numbered 1/12 would be considered the original and so you might want to keep that one. So an Edition is the same picture but there are numbered copies. When you create copies of a card they are actual reproductions not a photocopy.
This card had a theme, "Cooking up a Storm". Everyone has a different picture flash is their head of what it would be. Mine just happened to be the Witches from Macbeth. The picture is mounted on dark blue card stock that was tinted with pastel chalks. The music is actual sheet music that I scanned. I changed the words using Paint Shop Pro and added a sepia finish. The pot has a couple of feathers and a piece of hemp rope that I frayed to look like hair. The lightening bolts are a silver gel pen.

Series III

"The Sisters" is the name of this Series. I have no information on this artist. I think they are probably contemporary because of the use of color. This set of pictures was obliviously meant to be a set. The names were what I worked on the longest. The reason I went with names this time was because as soon as I saw Eva I knew that was her name. The rest of the ladies just fell into place. I thought that there was a lot or color in each picture and I decided to make all of the borders the same. I also thought that this would make it very different from the other sets. I used dark green and burgundy card stock and the gold is a piece of a Christmas card that my Mom received a few years ago. The best part about this hobby is that nothing goes to waste.

Series II

The next Series that I created is called, "Victorian Ladies". All of the pictures are by the same artist but I have no information on him or her because I cannot make out the name. If I ever find out who it is I will post the information at another time. This set was a lot of fun to make because there were no restrictions (other than size). It took a long time deciding what color to use for each back round. Once I had established this the rest of the project went much smoother. I used lace ( 2 of them are antique), feathers and painted on the jewelry with acrylic paint. I love color and this gave me a lot of options because each woman is wearing a different color. Once again each card is numbered 1/1 because they are originals.

Creating a Series of ATC's

A Series is a set of cards that have the same theme but are very different. I have named the first Series that I will discuss "Ladies of the World". The pictures are by the artist Giovanni Nanni he lived from 1888-1969. He was an Italian Artist and was known for his postcard designs. His cards dated 1915 were the most popular because the women wore unusual hats and clothing. They are painted in the Art Deco style that was early for his time. I used copies of his art work and applied my own Art Deco designs. Each piece colored of paper is bordered with black card stock. This creates a feeling of depth and texture. I tried to use colors the were repeated in the individual pictures and frame them with complimentary lines. The most difficult part of the project was to decide what country each woman was from. It actually took me longer to do this than it did to finish a few of the cards. So this set of cards would be considered a Series because each one is different. The cards are numbered on the back 1 of 1 because each is an original and there are no copies.

"Metal Works for Me"

This was a theme that was handed to me. I always think recycle first so what a great use for soda cans. You can get 2 cards from one can. I cut them 3 x 4 inches so that I could turn a 1/4 in. border. I used sand paper on the corners for safety. My recycle card was a mistake I scored the wrong side of the Metal but I still put it to good use. The other cards consist of silver embossing on silver vellum, black card stock and silver brads.

I love ATC's

I was watching a segment on "Carol Duvall" last April and was mesmerized by these little Works of Art. I was talking to a friend that attends weekend Scraps. She was very surprised that I had not heard about them. She told me that they had been around for some time. I hit the Internet and started ready everything I could. It's great there is total freedom. This is what I have been looking for, for a long time. Being limited to 3.5 x 2.5 inches is wonderful. It surely beats 8.5 x 11 or 12 x 12.
I have started this blog to share my love of this "ART FORM". I will post a scan of a few cards every week and some of my ideas. All of the Cards will be mine. I have no intentions of trading at this time. I may want to some time in the future. Please feel free to comment on my collection.