An ATC created using mainly metal components.

So we are all used to making artist trading cards from card and paper with embellishments and charms which can range from metal to plastic, fibre to textile, clay to ... well, you name it! Almost anything and everything can be utilised to serve our artistic whims.

However, in this post I am going to show a card which I have made specifically from mainly metal components. I came across an article in an ezine by Lisa Vollrath, "The Monthly Muse" which showed how to use soft drink cans to obtain metal sheet. Of course I have used a beer can, but the principle is just the same. They are mostly made from aluminium these days but there should be no problem from an older steel type, although it might be slightly harder to cut. Pierce the can and use a normal pair of scissors to cut around the top and bottom of the can and then slit vertically to provide a small sheet of thin metal. It is not particularly dangerous and probably no more likely to cut your fingers than a new sheet of paper. It will however have a coating on both sides so this must be taken into account when assessing what to use it for.

I was making a card for a challenge on Kim Newberg's PDA site  and the theme was to use a word from a newspaper headline. I cheated and used two. It was a story about scrap metal dealers and the phrase, " Metal Men" caught my attention, hence the idea for this card.

I actually wrapped the metal sheet around an atc card former, I thought this would add some stability to the creation. I used a rubber solution, which you apply to both sides to be adhered, and leave to get tacky before positioning and fixing. This gives an instant bond, no need to wait for glue to dry. So my background was easily sorted. I was at first going to colour it with alcohol inks but as I formed a design idea, I decided to leave it as it was. I had of course washed the last remnants of beer from the sheet before starting.

I tore the phrase from the newspaper, and started to search for ideas. I soon decided to use (beer) bottle tops to frame a couple of images. To make these, I cut a card backing for the images and glued the images down to this card. To raise the images further in the tops, I used a double-sided foam adhesive tape.

I had a slightly rusty key which seemed ideal for this project, and some copper-coloured wire. After playing with the positioning, I used the rubber-based glue to bond the main elements to the backing, again letting the glue become tacky before fixing into postion. I wrapped the wire around the card, and through the key to best effect.

To complete the card, I decided to add a little texture with some silver glitter. I used a liquid glue and tipped the glitter on to the glue whilst it was still wet. The outcome was, The Metal Men:-

I like this one, as with all my mixed media collages it seems to be quite a simple design but should I be worried. After all wasn't it Da Vinci who said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication".