PDA atc challenge, theme = valentine

Well it is February, and February in the crafting community (largely female) February seems to mean Valetines day. So taking this as the theme for this months ATC challenge, here I go:-

Two very similar but very different ATC's. Simple collage using one main image on a complementary background with a few well-chosen words to add meaning to the theme.

I am still not able to do more than paper-crafting because my geat/stash is all packed away due to the upheavals of last year. I will however be starting to sort out a more artistic approach (do I mean that?) during the next few months and hope to be creating far more adventurous items.

PDA ATC challenge, theme = obsession

I don't know wether this theme was too "hard" for the usual participants, it certainly caused me a few false starts. Of course it may just have been that it was run over the christmas and imediate post-christmas period.

I decided to play it in a humerous way, after at least a couple of those false starts. I had looked up the technical terms for various manias, which my dictionary suggested I look up when I flipped thru the listing to find "obsession". Bibliomania was one of the first I tried but in the end I decided that that way forward just wasn't for me.

A search through my "stash" of photos/images led me to come up with the following ATC's:-

The first was titled, "She was an angel .... but she took so long deciding which shoes to wear." 

The second card was titled, "She was determined to kick the habit"

Both are simple collages, as I am still having a few issues accessing my craft supplies. Most still boxed up and packed away. I am missing some of my stuff which enabled the extra touches to my ATC's. Just hoping to sort out things as soon as possible. Still in the meantime, collage without the mixed media aspect will have to suffice.

Collaged Row Houses and 365 journaling prompts

Do you remember my attempts at Little row houses?

Well these are a few of them. But I have written a Squidoo lens about using this idea as a project for kids during rainy days and holidays. A bit of card and a magazine or two, and simply answering the question who lives here. A wonderful art project to get them thinking and using their creativity. Or maybe you want to check it out for yourselves, be my guest.

Collage Project For Kids, Little Row Houses

SECONDLY FOR TODAY:- Do you have problems with new ideas to keep up a flow of craft ideas for your projects. Then you need this free e-book,

to be found at Cynthia's Blog, but be warned it is 15.6 MB so you will need broadband. It is well worth the effort and I know I shall be using this often.

Collaged art on I-phone 5 cases

Mmmm, I was going to post a couple of things from my new Red Bubble account. I have added two designs from collaged atc's to products. In fact i-phone 5 cases (also available on others). I have posted these on here before a little while ago but I think it is worth illustrating the designs again as there are subtle differences, especially in the second. I have digitally copied and pasted the text several times to make it more relevant to the product.

I haven't yet got the hang of the finer points of Red bubble but this is what they look like on the products.

See them on the Red Bubble site they are £20.60 if you are interested. I find the combination of new technology and an old and low tech art form quite interesting. I am going to rifle my old images of ATC's and ACEO's to create a whole slew of these things. Of course, it involves a little work but all in the hunt for a passive income when I retire; ha-ha, what a laugh. I spend more time on the PC than I used to spend when I worked full time. At least I had the evenings free.

I woiuld love to know what you think about the combination of rough 'n' ready and high tech.

A quick interim post - mixed media work

Christmas has been a very busy period and I have found little time for art work of any kind but I have been reviewiing some of my older work and hoping for inspiration.

I have also been posting mixed media work on Redgage, a great site which pays for your content by number of views, There is a great social side to this site and one can earn a little extra by sharing photos of anything, blogs and links to the web. Why not take a look, it is not a get-rich-quick scheme but can add up. I have seen members with $4.5K total after 4 years. Not bad for an internet, passive income stream.

Back To "Real" ATC's

What do I mean by "REAL", well I started on the 2.5 x 3.5 inch format with painting, but it was done with a view to selling them on Ebay - at which I was quite successful - so I knew them as ACEO's.

Reading about ACEO's I accidentally came across the term ATC and it was in connection with collage and mixed media, so to me real ATC's are mixed media/collage. Silly, I know, especially as I have written a Squidoo lens titled, Making Artist Trading Cards - 1001 Techniques</a> but we all have our little foibles. Now, now, no silly comments please!
 I am still making collaged ATC's several years later, which I consider my "style". I have toyed with other techniques but always return to the collaging.

Here are my latest pair, created for a challenge on PDA with a theme of "misfortune". I keep setting some corkers and end up having a hard time trying to make something to meet my own themes. 

The first is titled, She had the misfortune to be drawn both ways

The second is titled, Miss Fortune, a very lucky lady.

 

ATC Sized acrylic paintings

If I am not posting much in the way of crafted art work at the moment it is because I am enjoying creating miniature acrylic paintings on ATC sized stretched canvasses.

I came across a box of these canvasses in a local book shop and though to myself, "I can use these". Well I did then bought some more, and then some more. It looks as if it might just have been a one-off as they no longer have any. I have tried to find a source on the internet but no joy so far; someone must do them. I have seen art on these miniatures in art/craft shops so I am not the only one who finds them worthwhile. The issue now is whether I can sell them on Etsy or Ebay.

Here are a couple of photos showing some of these paintings.

-and just to prove the size here is a photo of two of them on my laptop.

I think they would make a great present, each with its own tiny easel.