Trading Up

Hidy Ho, crafty peeps!

I'm here today with another fun project for Crafter's Companion. Today I'm offering up a small collection, a scattering if you will, of ATCs. For those of you who haven't a clue what an ATC is...ATC stands for Artist Trading Card. It's a mini, ORIGINAL piece of art that measures 2.5" x 3.5". Basically, it's roughly the size of a business card.

They are the artsy-fartsy version of a baseball trading card. They are meant to be traded between artists--given and received--and collected--and loved. They originated in Switzerland in the mid 1990s, and have skyrocketed in popularity over the last 20 years. They can be made using just about any medium--paint, pencil, pen, ink, mixed media, fabric, metal, wood, plastic, polymer clay--as long as they are flat(ish) and measure 2.5" x 3.5" (64mm x 89mm). They are SUPPOSED to be able to fit in a standard trading card sleeve. Though, some of mine have been a little more dimensional in the past.

Here is my little trio:

I started by embossing a piece of watercolor paper with an embossing folder. I created a Letterpress effect...to do this, just ink up the raised surface of an embossing folder (I brayered on the ink), then emboss the paper as usual. This creates a Letterpress look with a debossed image that is inked. Then I did a watercolor "wash" background over the debossed area with my Spectrum Aqua markers. I scribbled the marker randomly over the paper and used a large flat brush and some water to move the ink around to create a painterly effect.

On a separate piece of watercolor paper, I stamped the images, watercolored them with my Spectrum Aqua markers, then cut them out. I'm having some difficulty doing really fine detail stuff right now, so my cutting was not-so fussy for this project. As most of you know, I am METICULOUS when it comes to cutting stuff out. I leave NO WHITE showing around an image. But today...not so much. It was a lesson in acceptance for me, that's for sure. For the sentiments...I did a color wash on the paper and let it dry BEFORE I stamped the sentiment...this ensured a crisp, clean stamping without running.

I finished them off by using my Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen to add glimmer to various elements of the cards (yeah, I know...it doesn't show up in the photograph...but trust me, there is all sorts of sparkly goodness on there). I added the finishing touches of white dots with a paint pen.

Ingredients:
Crafter's Companion products used:

• Spectrum Aquas: Kingfisher, Aquamarine, Gold, Bud Green, Peach, Spice, Wildflower, Black 
• Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens: Crystal Clear
• Stamps: Porcelain set (Kimono)
• Spectrum Aqua watercolor cardstock 
• Oriental Birdcage embossing folder (Kimono)

Other supplies:

• Memento ink-Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
• White paint pen (Sakura) 

Thanks, as always, for journeying out to visit me here in Left Field!