ArtTrader_Issue1.pdf

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ArtTRADERm a g a z i nPutting the art in trI s s u e 1 - J a n u a r y 2

All about trading!ATCs, Altered Art, Art Journals, ChunkyBooks & Creative Inspiration

In this issue...

FEATURE: An interview with mixed

media artist, Marla Tomlinson

Developing a creative space

How to set up live trading groups

ATC gallery: Beauty of India

Fun mixed media faces

Paintover and collage techniques

Plus much more!

ATC by Marla Tomlinson

Artist Quotes

Every successful painter has worked hard. Hecannot rest after having gained a certain degreeof facility in drawing, and expect to retain it. Hemust advance or fall behind. Without practice hewill forget; his eye will fail him; and his hand willdeny its master. --Walter J. Phillips




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ArtTRADERa g a z i n e

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Table of Contents January 20

3

5

6

7

9

10

14

17

19

21

28

29

31

Art Trader Contributors

Letter from the Editor

Setting up Live ATC Swaps

ATC Gallery: Beauty of India

Artist Trading Cards: The Basics

Feature Interview: MarlaTomlinson, Mixed Media Artist

Artistic Journeys: Developing aCreative Space

Fun Mixed Media Faces

Shading with Colored Pencils

Masterclass: Mixed MediaCollage with Paintover Cutout

Petite Artiste: Sophia Zamora

Art Gallery: Chunky Book Pages

Call for Articles & Art

ArtTRADER

CHIEF EDITOR

COPY EDITORS

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

ART DIRECTORASSOCIATE DESIGNERS

PUBLISHED BY

Dana Driscoll

Annie Melion

Meran ni Cuill

Marjee Zeier

Sal Scheibe

Annie Melion

Shelli Heinemann

Anne el-Habre

Abi Aldrich

Leah Budin

Sal ScheibeBrittany Noethen

Annie Melion

IllustratedATCs.c

ArtTRADERwww.arttradermag.com

Editor: [email protected]

Advertising: ads@arttradermag,com

Submissions: [email protected]

Call for Entries: www.arttradermag.com

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Annie Melion is currently a full time student, planning on eventually earning aMasters in Library Science. She loves all types of art, but is fond of the surrealand symbolist movements. Her favorite artists are Michael Parkes, DanieMerriam, Aubrey Beardsley and her buddies at IllustratedATCs.com where she isa moderator. She mainly works in watercolor, colored pencil, acrylics, markers andgel pens, though not all at once. She lives in New York (cow country, not the cityand has difculty writing biographies in the third person.

artpfunkcentral.blogspot.comwww.ickr.com/photos/littleboots

Sal Scheibe works as a graphic designer and freelance illustrator. Her designs

and artwork have appeared in books, CDs and DVDs, brochures, newsletters andposters. Sal is currently working on a number of large canvas paintings for arshows. She also enjoys trading ATCs and is an administrator at IllustratedATCscom. Sals favourite artists and illustrators include Joe Sorren, J.C. LeyendeckerWilliam Bougereau and John Singer Sargent. Her favoured mediums are acrylicpaint, coloured pencils and markers.

www.slscheibe.comwww.slsart.etsy.comwww.ickr.com/photos/amerasu

Shelli Heinemann is an award-winning soft scupture artist and moderator/

co-developer of the internet forum, Teddy Talk. Her soft sculpture pieces haveappeared in webzines and in domestic and international magazines, including

Art Doll Quarterly. She also dabbles in graphic design. Shels favorite artists areCassandra Barney, Scott Radke, and Tamara de Lempicka. While she favors amixed media approach in her work, her favorite pure mediums are oils and acrylicsIn a former life, she lived in Zurich, Switzerland, and she carries an M.Ed in heback pocket -- just in case. Shel blogs and maintains a website; nd her at www.

potbellyarts.com.

Dana Driscoll is an experimental artist working in a variety of media includingwatercolors, mixed media, oils, clay, book arts, hand papermaking, and altered artDanas work has appeared in Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine, the InternationaQuilt Festival, and is featured in the upcoming 1000 Jewelry Designs book. She iscurrently working on several artistic projects, including painting her way through a78-card tree tarot deck and combining her love of pottery and bookmaking. Whennot avoiding the perils of pursuing her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, she canbe found frolicking in nearby forests or hanging out with her nerdy gamer friendsDanas work can be found at her blog: artisticjourneys.blogspot.com and she canbe reached at [email protected].

www.artisticjourneys.etsy.com

Contributors


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Brittany Noethen is an artist living in a tech managers body. She would ratherbe decapitated than give up making art, trading ATCs, or stop thinking that thephrase Mufns or Bust is hilarious. She currently lives in Iowa with her partner

Cat, her 12 year old pit bull, Maggie, and shelves full of art supplies.www.bnoethen.etsy.comarty-iowa-girl.vox.comwww.ickr.com/photos/arty-ia-girl

Anne el-Habre has been making art for nearly 40 years, on any blank, at surface

that happens to come within view. Doors, walls, desks, lockers, trash cans,napkins, as well as the usual artists variety of paper, canvas, and wood nosurface is safe. Since discovering ATCs (artists trading cards), she has found thatit opens up a whole other realm of possibilities and has been experimenting withcollage, powdered pigments, ink, and pushing the boundaries of her creativity.

Anne owns and operates her own gallery in Savannah, Georgia with fellow IATCmember, Judith Metzger, and is an avid gamer and pirate enthusiast. Anneswork can be seen at:

www.alvidaart.comwww.annee.etsy.com

www.ickr.com/photos/anonevyl

Leah Budinis a 23-year-old graphic designer who lives in the cow patch bestknown as central Pennsylvania. She likes to draw, play, read, make a fair amountof noise, overuse emoticons, and spend the occasional spare moment withher spunky little dog and her tolerant boyfriend. She crashes in and out of theillustratedATCs.com site with sporadic gusto, and hopes to help bring ATCs tothe masses.

artleah.livejournal.comwww.leahbudin.com

Contributors


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I nd the dark, cold winter months

to be one of the best times to create art. Thereis nothing like staying warm and cozy inside your art

studio, living room, or wherever you create art while the snowcomes down outside. Art created during this time has an almost magicalquality, being inspired by the otherworldly feel of those winter nights. The

winter months are also a perfect time to share art with friends and family. Ofcourse, who can forget about those art supply gifts from friends and family who know

you well!

Letter from the EditorDANA DRISCOLL

ATC by Dana Driscoll

Along with this time of wintry creativity comes thebeginning of a new yearwith hopes, dreams, and all ofthe fun that accompanies this change. One change in thelives of many artists, writers, editors, and graphic designersis the creation of a new magazine dedicated to trading artworldwide Art Trader Magazine.

On behalf of everyone who has been working for the last fewmonths to create what you are about to read, It is with greatpleasure that we welcome you toArt Trader Magazine.ArtTrader Magazine is about all things related to mail art- artist

trading cards (ATCs), art journals, post cards, inchies, alteredarts, and more. We plan on lling the pages of this great

magazine with information on art techniques, art galleries,interviews, product reviews, and much, much more. Wewelcome letters and comments from our readers, as wellas article submissions from anyone who has a greatidea!

Thank you once again for taking a look atArt TraderMagazine. Be inspired to create great things!


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So, youve been trading ArtistTrading Cards (ATCs) online for awhile and want to spread the wordlocally to get a group of artiststogether and do some informaltrading. Seems pretty simple andstraightforward, right?

But where should you start? Howdoes one go about getting peoplehooked on trading little pieces ofart with one another? What doesit take to get people together inthe rst place? Whether you live in

a large city or a small town, thereis a potential to get a good mix ofindividuals interested in socializing

around the concept of art.

The thing to keep in mind is thatwith a wide variety of participants,you have a wide variety of art. Thishas its pros and cons: some art willbe great, some not so great - muchlike online trading. So if you areone of those people who sets highstandards for the art they receive,live trading might not be for you. If,however, you are open to all kindsof art and just want to enjoy being

around a bunch of people who likebeing creative, then live trading isdenitely a wonderful thing!

To establish if there is going to be any

Look forward to our next issue when

I discuss Talking Up ATCs!

interest, the rst order of business

might be to have an Introductionto ATCs meeting a workshop ordemonstration perhaps. Find avenue willing to host it for free atown hall, grange, public library,campus facility. As this can fall

under a community-based event,most venues are willing to hostthese types of functions free ofcharge. Once you have establisheda location, promote your workshopusing community forums, bulletinboards, press releases andwhatever free promotions areavailable to get the word out and ll

seats. Post yers at coffee houses,

cafes, bookstores, college librariesor anywhere else creative peoplehang out. Also, dont be afraid toapproach professional/serious

artists. I will address that in depth inthe next article Talking Up ATCs.

For the demo, bring blank cards,supplies, samples of your work,and a good selection of other workfrom your collection so people canparticipate rst hand and have the

opportunity to do a little trading. Try

and make your workshop as broadreaching as possible. Any kind ofmedia can be addressed. If you

are a professional artist, dont beso high-brow as to scare potentiaparticipants away. Likewise, if youare a collage artist, dont leave outhe traditional media. Make sureyou have a wide variety of cards inyour displays and samples.

Create some literature to hand ouat your demonstration includingsomething that people can takehome with a little info abou

ATCs: the size, acceptable mediawebsites to check out, as well youcontact information and all abouthe live trading sessions you wilbe hosting, such as time and placeThis does not have to be a fourcolor, full bleed, printed on coated90lb stock brochure keep it simpleand cheap. Just be creative. Besure to have a sign-in sheet fopeople to ll out so you can ge

the names and email addressesof interested attendees for future

communications.

LIVE SWAPS 101how to get started

by Anne el-Habre


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Beauty of India An ATC GalleryThese cards were made for a swap at www.illustratedATCs.com

Kristi Zoebelein - Indian Woman

Marjee Zeier - Goddess Kali & S

Abi Aldrich - Thirsty

Brittany Noethen - Lakshmi

This was a great swap theme. It

gave me a chance to play with

traditional Indian motifs (like henna

patterns) and use them in the

borders. My work is highly focused

on the fgure and I love drawing

goddesses and female heroines. So,

I jumped at the opportunity to drawthe Hindu goddess, Lakshmi. This

card was created with Prismacolor

markers and black ink. I have a

clean, illustrated style of drawing

and I think these materials both

complement and enhance my own

natural aesthetic.

--- Brittany Noethen

When I considered all the

beautiful things that India had to

offer, the symbolic nature of cows

in the Hindu religion stood out to

me. I decided to spotlight a unique

aspect of a fascinating culture.

For me, Thirsty represents a

human side of the divine.

--Abi Aldrich

Harriet Wittman


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Sal Scheibe - Parvati

Beauty of India An ATC GalleryThese cards were made for a swap at www.illustratedATCs.com

Annie Melion - Dance Shelli Heinemann - Henna Flirt

Kathleen PequignotLivia Hajovsky Joy Saethre


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Artist cards have been with us for hundreds of years in many different

ormats. In 1997, the art card in its original format was revived by Swissrtist, Vni Stirnemann. He proposed that artists should create originalards in any medium and then trade them with fellow artists at live tradingessions. The new idea took off and soon people were trading cards on the

nternet as well.

ATC Rules

Cards must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches.Cards must be traded and not sold.Cards can be original or a print (should be stated in advance of trade).

Card Thickness and Paper

ATCs are not limited by medium and, depending on materials used, cane quite thick. Ideally, you want your ATC to t in a penny sleeve whether

s made of fabric or metal or paper. Some wont and thats ok but try toim for a penny sleeve t, especially if you are working in a at medium.

Cards should also be sturdy. You should never construct your cards onegular 20lb paper because it is too thin. Try for at least a thick card stock.lustration or matte board works very nicely for illustrated or painted ATCs.

ample Card Backs

rinted, stamped and hand made are all acceptable.

Artist Trading CardsT h e B a s i c s

Sal Scheibe

Types of ATCs

Original:A unique, single card omedium. It is edition 1 of 1.

Print: A print is a reproductioan original piece of art. The prnormally made at a professional pri(ie Giclee) but it can also be madhome on a high quality ink or laseprinter. Prints are often releaselimited editions: which means only release a set amount of card25). If your prints are limited edityou should please note it on the of each card.

Series: A card series can be aof unique cards created in the stheme and style. Or, a card seriesbe a set of cards that are someoriginal. This could mean that have drawn your lineart and pror copied it onto a numer of cardeach card is colored by hand.

Card Backing - How To

There are a few basic things that sgo on the back of each card.

Your real name & user name (iftrading at an online forum)Your email address or websiteCard TitleSwap Information

Additional info you can include:

Print and/or card number

Medium usedWho you made the card forWhere you traded the card or whthe swap was hosted (website olocation)

Trade ATCs at www.illustratedATCs.com


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Artists are special because they see the world ina different way, and Marla Tomlinson is just such aperson. Her passion is fantasy, color, design, andthe quirky. From two-headed mermaids, to crazy artdolls, her style is very distinct. Her media rangesfrom watercolors to collage, and her versatilityeaves the viewer asking for more. Tomlinson wasnvited to be our premiere issues featured artist, andwhile this columns goal is to feature the art of non-members of IllustratedATCs.com, Marla has sinceoined the site! Join me now as we take a peek into

the life and art of a talented artist and enthusiasticmember of the Mailart world.

EraserQueen (EQ): How did you get started inart?

Marla Tomlinson (MT): I have always loveddrawing and painting since I was old enough to holda paintbrush or pencil. I took art classes in middleschool and high school and went to communitycollege to study visual arts. My family on the whole

s totally not artistic! My mom can come up with allthese awesome, creative ideas, but has no artisticability. My dad is a self-taught photographer though,and did some technical drawing when he wasyounger. Fortunately for me, my mom has a realappreciation and love for art, and I grew up goingto art shows. Shes got loads of art in her house,though totally not my style, with beach scenes,boats, etc.)

EQ: Where do you live?

MT: I live in northwest Florida in a little town calledNavarre. My husband Don and I have been marriedfor four years and have been together for a totalof eight years. We dont have any kids yet, buthopefully we will soon!!! We have three crazy cats,Toby, Lucy and Max, and a pit bull/mastiff mix dog,

Bodie.

Artist Featurenterview by Annie Melion

Marla

TomlinsonI dont take myselftoo seriously...


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I love

fairies andmermaidsand Zetti

style

Q: What artists and themes inspire you?

MT: I get inspiration from all kinds of things, movies, books, other artists, pretty much life in general. Most of the timehings I paint are just oating around in my head, banging around to get let out!! LOL!!! I love fairies and mermaids

etti style, so thats prevalent in lots of my atcs. Some of my favorite artists are Gustav Klimt, pinup artist Olivia, Micarkes, and Gavyn Sky (a totally awesome local abstract artist!) Favorite themes would be gothic, fairies and mermove the octopus as well!!! Purples and teals are usually my favorite colors. As far as music, Marilyn Manson and M

Crue are my favorites and the most inspirational! Which kind of makes for a weird 80s gothic style I think!!

Q: Is there a story behind your Keeper of the Hearts series?

MT: The Keeper of the Hearts series was 100% inspired by Altermyworlds ATC collection on Flickr. She had swesome hand drawn atcs and I offered a trade with her. She wanted me to do a keeper of the hearts series, but iwn style, so I used my mermaids and girlies and made sure they had their own little heart to protect. They were f fun, and the two of us have had fun fueling each others creativity! I plan on making more of these girls in the fus well!

EQ: Anything in particular youd like to tell us about your artwork?

MT: I enjoy art and generally like to let it do its own talking. Everyone sees something different and gets different ind inspirations from it, so I usually leave it at that! I dont take myself too seriously, so I have a quirky, slightly waew of things anyway, and I guess its reected in my art. I painted this fence one day from a watercolor book that ta

echniques and had little exercises; I loved this little painting and ended up putting it up for sale at an art show. Thisame in the tent and was mesmerized by it; he stood there looking at it for a good 10 minutes. When I asked him e liked about it, he went into this elaborate story about how it represented the American Dream with the white pience, but behind it there was blurry darkness with nothing to it, like it was a lie or something. I was like, Whoa, its

fence dude! But it was totally spectacular that he actually thought about it and drew that much from something

mple; art is awesome like that!

Q: Do you enjoy reading, and do books ever inspire you?

MT: I love to read! Occasionally a character will inspire me and Ill draw and paint them. I love the Harry Potter boragon and Eldest, The Hobbit, and Vampire chronicles. Really, Im a reading loser, I enjoy these so much that

eread them like a million times!

An interview with Marla Tomlin


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An interview with Marla Tomlins

EQ: Do you ever get artists block?

MT: Oh sure, everyone does! Last year I actually went about six months withproducing much of anything. It turned out I was just really depressed I didnt reenjoy anything, so, I took Lexapro for a few months, I felt better and here we This year though I discovered the wonders of yahoo groups and Flickr and made lots of art friends and had creativity overload! I try to do a little art everyno matter what, even if its just a little sketch or an ATC.

EQ: What draws you to collage as a medium? And do you paint mainlwatercolor? Are there any other mediums that you enjoy working with?

MT: I love the versatility and hands on-ness of collage. I love adding elemof other things, like paper, magazine pictures, vintage images, whatever. You

do so much more with all the layers and options. Watercolors are my favoand what I do for a living. Though Ive pretty much tried everything. Ask me ayears from now and it may be different! I like to work fast, so the watercolorsideal for me. Acrylics are fun too, but I seem to always come back to watercLiquid acrylics are awesome to use with your watercolors for that extra vibcolor punch! Oils are great; I love the look of them and the depth they can achiWhen I was in college my painting teacher used only oils, spending weeks on painting was killing me! Short attention span + ADD = Marla pulling her hair So I really thinned out my paints with paint thinner and did lots of layers, anmade for a faster drying painting, but watercolors for sure are my favorite paintuse. My other favorite thing to do, other than watercolor and mixed media, wbe making cloth dolls. Though I dont get to do that as much, as they take a

longer to make.

EQ: Do you have any favorite techniques?

MT: My absolute favorite thing to use with watercolors is salt; I cant paint withoJust throw it on and it does its own thing. You could never do with a brush whatdoes to the paint. And Im a sucker for outlining stuff (Ive driven every art teaccrazy.)

EQ: Do you have any advice for other artists?

MT: I dont know any great words of wisdom per se. Just do what you love anhell with everyone else! Though, I would say if you are looking into your art real job, it will become that, a job. I never would have thought I would ever drpainting, but it has happened. On the other hand, dreading painting isnt that of a problem! Again, this is where the concept of ATCs helps. When Im suppoto be doing commissions or paintings for my work, I can always take an houso for some goof off time and make an ATC for fun, then its not so bad! Asas technique and such, try to incorporate odd numbers of elements, and a asymmetry never killed anyone. Also, never feel bad when someone doesntyour work or doesnt get it. Its art not rocket science, if you like it, great!


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EQ: Why does Mailart appeal to you?

MT: I only discovered mail art this year and I amtotally hooked. Id heard about ATCs a few yearsago and was intrigued, but never did any. With thehelp of some yahoo groups and Flickr, Ive becomean avid maker and collector! Its great for me as anartist (who is broke a lot) and as an art collector (I loveother peoples art too!) to be able to make and tradeawesome mini works of art from everyone, whetherits a super awesome artist, or just someone who isnew to art. Mailart reaches a wider audience as well,with the help of these internet groups and throughthe mail, you can receive art from people all over the

world!

EQ: What formats do you like (ATC, 4x4 etc.) andwhy

MT: My favorite Mailart sizes are ATCs, but Ive donesome 4x4s as well and enjoy those too.

EQ: Do you think more artists should be involved withthe Mailart movement?

MT: I totally think more artists should take it up! Itsbeen a great marketing tool, it gets your name outthere too. Lots of other doors have opened for me inthe last few months because of it. Plus, not everyonecan afford/have room for normal sized art, and Mailart

is the perfect size and great when traded.

An interview with Marla Tomlinson

To view more of Marla Tomlinsons artwork on theinternet, you can visit the following sites:

Art Website

ETSY ShopFlickr

www.marlasfaerytails.com

crazysh.etsy.comickr.com/photos/crazysh_666


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ArtisticJourneys:

Developing aCreative Space

Dana Driscoll

Recently, my signicant other and

decided to rearrange the houseso that I could have a dedicatedoom for art and writing. I quickly

discovered how challenging

developing and creating this spacewould be! I wanted to design aspace that would help my creativeenergies ow, that was organized,

and that was comfortable andelaxing. This article walks youhrough my own creative processn developing my creative spaceand provides pointers on how todevelop yours.

have moved around quite a bit inhe last few years and have oftenived in cramped spaces, so thechance to have a space devotedo my creative endeavors was a

welcome and exciting one. Afteralking to other artists and viewing

some online communities devotedo art and craft studios, I began toealize how important a dedicated

artistic space is to an artist. Itepresents not only a physical

space in which to create art, but apersonal expression of artistic style,creativity, and grounding. Artisticspaces should assist artists in theircraft, inspire them when they needt, and always welcome and uplifthem when they enter.

Step 1: Establishing a Creative SpaceUnless you are a professional artist or have a large house with extra spahaving a room to yourself to be creative might not be possible. Howevcreative spaces arent limited to rooms or studios. A corner of the bedrooa folding table in an ofce, even a closet devoted to art supplies can

become inspiring places. If you are thinking about developing a crea

space, consider the following:Have you established the need for a creative space? Sometimes nd

a space isnt enoughselling the need to those who live with you cobe tricky. Articulate the benets (self-contained mess, increase in y

happiness level, etc.) to help establish this need.Are there any areas that could be re-appropriated for artistic pursuThese could include storage areas, unused corners of bedroobasements and attics. Even the outside patio could work if you live climate with mild weather.

Step 2: Developing the Creative SpaceNow that youve established the need and set aside some room focreative space, the real fun begins. I had several challenges to overcomdeveloping my creative space. First, I was working on a very limited budgwhich impacted both the furnishings and my possibilities for decoratiSecond, the room I had to work with was small, which limited the amounthings I could comfortably t into it. Third, since I live in a rented residen

I was unable to paint or make other major alterations. Finally, the room hto function as both a place to create art and as a place where I could wmy dissertation for my Ph.D.; the multi-purpose setup was a challenge.


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OrganizingYour StuffHere are someints anduggestionsor helping yourganize yourrt supplies:

Put the

supplies

you use

most in the easiest to

When I began to develop my creative space, I started with a list of wordsthat described the space I wanted to create: relaxing, inspiring, utilitarianand unique. I then attached features I wanted to see in the room basedon each of the words:

Relaxing : Comfortable furniture, ambient atmosphere, lava lamps

Inspiring

: Mail art from my friends, pieces of my own art, referencepieces and books readily available

Utilitarian : Organizational units to keep it clean and unclutteredfurniture that can be splattered with paint without worries, labels foreasy access

Unique : Decorations throughout the room, interesting furnishings,mail art on the walls

Next, I sketched out the kinds of things I would like to see in the room forsome possible arrangements. Now that I had a list of what I was lookingfor and some rough sketches, I set about making it happen!

Step 3: Organization and Utility are Musts!

Most artists and craftspeople have a plethora of supplies to try tokeep organizedpapers, canvases, brushes, paints, stamps, inksephemera, items for alteringthe list goes on and on. As such, I foundthat organization was very important in developing my creative spaceLarge plastic stackable shelves with clear drawers, small organizationabookcases, and making good use of my vertical and closet space helpedme achieve maximum organizational efciency with a small investment o

time and money. For under $70, the sets of stackable shelves and labelsalso helped me create an area where my materials were easily accessiblefrom where I was sitting down to create.

For $30, I purchased a 6 folding table at a local home improvement store(most department stores like WalMart or Target dont carry the large ones)The plastic table is sturdy enough to do anything I want on, and because itwas cheap, I dont have to worry about paint ruining the surface.

Have different kinds of

storage available. I foundthat purchasing different sizesof stackable bins and shelvesworked best for the myriad ofart supplies. For example,brushes work best in old cupsor jars; large paints went onshelves along with shippingsupplies.

Labels and organization.Im a very messy person, so

labeling my bins and workinghard to stay organized hasreally help make this room asuccess. The labels I madewere with packaging tape,cardstock, and a sharpie.These can be moved from binto bin if necessary.

access places. For me, thatmeant putting my watercolors,brushes, pens, scissors, andother frequently used suppliesin the bins closest to my tableand working area. Then I couldreach over and get somethingwithout having to stand up ormove around. After I used thespace for several months, Ireorganized everything basedon my experiences.


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Step 4: Decoration for Inspirationow that Ive got the space organized, the real fun canegin. It is time to turn a plain room into something that

nspires me to create every time I walk in the door. My

eywords of relaxing inspiring and unique all comento play here.

isplaying my Artist Trading Card (ATC) collection andther mail art was very important to me, since it is onef my primary forms of artistic expression. I put smallails in the walls at regular intervals around the top ofach of the walls and hung ATCs on them with paintedothespins and yarn This decoration, less than $5 forupplies, was just the thing to set off the room!

ext, I decided I wanted to display my ATC tree collection,

ookmarks, and other ATCs. I purchased several longoster frames at Hobby Lobby (on sale for $7 each) andled them with art.

added some drapes and displayed my altered bottleollection along the windowsill.

n each of these cases, I was working with what Ilready hadart from my friends around the world thathad collected over the years. Ive also added somef my own larger work and other things to the room as

me passed.

ere are some tips to get you started on your ownecorating scheme:

Work with what you have. If you are like me,there will be little need to purchase decorationsuse mail art, your own works (including works inprogress), and other materials you have collectedto decorate.

Innovate. Think of out-of-the-box ways for

displaying your art. How about inchies or artiststamps lining the top of the doorframe? A glasscase with altered objects?

Surround yourself with things that inspire your

creativity. This could be something as simple asa board where you can tack up pictures or quotesthat inspire you to create.

Step 5:Enjoy!

While I would hardly call my art room completed, it inow far enough along that I can enter it, feel inspiredrelaxed, and ready to create. I hope that you too cadevelop creative spaces that are fun and functional!


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or todays introductory lesson, were just going to use the very most basic of supplies. They include scrap paper, Sharansparency paper (the kind intended for you to draw on), and a glue stick. You can acquire all of these materials at cal Staples/Wal-Mart/Target store:

nce you have your gear, you are ready to begin. First, on the transparency paper, start drawing your person. Seople like to sketch out a box so they know they wont be exceeding the 2.5 x 3.5 ATC-sized space, but I just do

en crop later. Its up to you.

he next step is to start adding in your layers of paper. The trick to this is to lay the paper down underneath ansparency. You apply glue with your gluestick to the top of the paper and put the transparency on top of that, sticem together. This way, you can always see what youre doing, where things are going, etc.

Fun Mixed Media Faceseah Budin

Welcome to a fun (yet informative) tour of how to make layered mixed mediaces in an ATC format. This is a new technique I have recently developed

nd want to share with you.Today we will be creating a fairy damsel using mymixed media faces technique.

When creating these cards, I use a highly-absorbent semi-transparent ink jetaper that sucks up ink like nobodys business, but each person has to messround with the supplies that work for them.

Material List

Transparency paper

Scrap papers

Sharpies

Glue stick


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When youve hit the high points, and you think your character is pretty muchlled in, its time to add the background. When I found the right background,

realized something: my character was a faerie without wings! Afterapologising profusely to my girl for not realizing her true nature, I added insome wings (pictured) and glued some nice blue paper behind them.

Last but never least, gluing the background thoroughly is one of the mostmportant parts of this process. You must attack it with the glue stick. Showno remorse. The background is the part that pretty much seals all of theother parts in (even though you glue each part individually, as well). Its thatmportant extra bit of reinforcement that keeps the card together so extra

glue is important.

Now that youve glued on the background (with feeling), take a moment togaze upon your nished creation.

You might remember from the beginning that there were many Sharpiespictured. They exist to help tie your piece together. Right now, this collage/

lustration looks a lot like a line drawing with some stuff thrown behind itwhich, admittedly, it is). Adding in more texture, detail, shading, and line will

help round it out.

See what a difference it makes? You can also add embellishments, glitter,beads -- whatever you want.

Now your card is ready to be cropped and swapped! Although Ive describedhis technique using an ATC, this can be used for any type of art. Enjoy!

You want to put the things in the foreground down rst, then lay down the background underneath that afterward

were starting with skin tone. I use ripped paper, but I know that other people are more exact with such things. I nd

part of the glory is when the paper exceeds the border and it all looks quite haphazard and fun. I rip a piece that I thabout the same size as my girl and lay it down underneath. Then I see that, well, the paper extends around her nea weird way, so I start ripping off those chunks. I later will save those chunks and use them to ll in parts where I rip

away too much.

See? Add some hair, too. So fun!


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Shading with

Colorless BlendersFor Beginners

By Sal Scheibe

One question that comes up over and over again isow to create nice, seamless blends with marker andencil. Its really quite simple. The trick is the colorlesslender pencil. This walkthrough article describesow to use colorless blender pencils and markerso create stunning results. I love to use markers andoloured pencils for making my Artist Trading CardsATCs). I nd them the perfect tool for a quick and

asy illustration and best of all, theyre not messy.

My pencils of choice are Faber-Castell Polychromosnd my markers of choice are Prismacolor brand.

However, you can use any sort of permanent markerr pencil crayon as long as you have a blending tool.love to use the Prismacolor brand colorless blenders it works almost like a pencil.

Using a Colorless Blender

start off with a base of marker only. (Figure 1)

ve added a few layers of rough pencil here from lighto dark shades. Im very heavy with the pencils as I

refer my colors saturated. You can clearly see myencil marks and thats ne as were about to get rid

f the marks and the seams. (Figure 2)

use the Colorless Blender like a pencil and pressairly hard from light to dark, slowly blending theolors together until the seams and pencil disappear.

You should start with the light colors and work to darks the blender will drag colors from one spot to theext, so you need to be careful what youre dragging.Figure 3)

Fig

Figu

Fig


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Tips & Tricks for Using the Colorless Blender

Prismacolor pencils and other brands can easilybuild up to a waxy layer and it becomes hard to addnew color. If you nd you cant add new color on top,

you may be applying the pencils too thickly. Try to

ighten up the pressure on areas where there is a lotof color and/or shading to be done.

f you nd you cant add more color or shading

because of build up, spray your card with a mattenishing spray (I use Krylon Clear Matte). Once dry,

you will have a hard surface to work on once again.t will be somewhat difcult to use your blender on

op of the matte nish so dont spray until youre

nearly nished. The matte nish will allow you to

add those highlights of light or dark pencil without

ghting a waxy buildup.

ATC Walk-through with Marker, Colored Pencil

& Blender

n summary, here are all the steps for you to viewat once:

Step 1 Line artStep 2 Markers

Step 3 Adding colored pencilStep 4 Using a colorless blenderStep 5 Finishing touches after a matte spray

This technique can be used in all forms of illustration,mail art, and ne art. We would love to see our

readers send us examples of how this techniqueworked for them!

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Final VersionMaterials: Prismacolor Markers, PrismacolorPencils, Faber-Castell Polycrhomos, ColorlessBlender, Gel Pen, White Opaque Paint Marker


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Masterclass: MixedMedia Collage withPaintover CutoutShelli Heinemann

When Im reading, a particular image will often catch my eye and set mycreative mind ablaze with roiling thoughts: I want to make somethingwith that! Im a huge fan of mixed-media collage, and often turn to those

echniques as a way to incorporate found imagery into my mail art.

n the very simplest of terms, collage begins with found items (images

or otherwise) that are attached in layers to something else. Technically,amming a sticker onto a piece of paper would qualify the end productas collage although the sticker collage is a particularly unsophisticatedexample.

n my own collage work, I admit Im far less driven to jam manufacturedstickers onto paper than to create my own unique elements. Yet, in thenterests of time and efciency, I dont necessarily want to re-draw found

mages freehand, since my purpose in collage is to cut them out and stickhem elsewhere not to create a painted or illustrated, hand-drawn work

of entirely original art. There must be a better way! And indeed, there is abetter way: paintovers. Paintovers are a terric way to get from image A to

artwork B, using traditional collage methods in the process.

Paintovers are a technique in which a found image is quite literally used ashe background or paper onto which penciled, inked, or painted treatments

are then applied. Paintovers can be awkward and clumsy if done withoutcare. But with the right tools, mindset, and determination to create somethingunique from something found, they can also be a terric way to preserve

and utilize the very best of a found image while eliminating the detritus. Apaintover technique leaves the bulk of the creative process to you, but givesyou a grand foundation from which to begin. Perfect! Additionally, for thosechallenged by rendering faces, paintovers can also be a wonderful way tontroduce portraiture into collage work where it otherwise might not exist.

ve taken the paintover concept one step further in my work by creatingnished paintover images for use as cutouts, which I adhere, as collage

elements, in my mixed media work.

One last ethical note: I think wed all agree that it is important to describeones work with integrity. When you explain your creative process, be sureo call a spade a spade or, in this case, to reference your paintovers as

a paintover, and not as completely original works of hand-drawn art. Givecredit where credit is due, when and where appropriate. In life and art,hats only fair.

MATERIALS

Image of your choiceComputer, scanner, photo edprogram, printerHeavyweight, matte presentapaper

Acrylic paintWaterPaintbrush, wideHard pencil (I used 4H)Colored pencilsChalksWhite gel penTiny, pointed scissors

Patterned papersTacky GlueStamping inksRub N Buff in Antique GoldExacto-knife, very sharpBaby wipes and/or paper tow

LaceSwarovski crystalVintage brass ndings

Heat gun (optional, to speeddrying time)

Masterclass


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STEPS Overview

TEP 1 Choose a centralimage

TEP 2 Ready your imagefor use

TEP 3 Colorwash yourimage

TEP 4 Pencil a light outlineand begin shading

TEP 5 Strengthen youroutline and addcolor

TEP 6 Snip your imagefree, creating yourpaintover cutout

TEP 7 Select a background

TEP 8 Alter your background

TEP 9 Customize cutout andattach to background

TEP 10 Add piecework hair

TEP 11 Finishing steps

STEP 1 Choose a central image

The very rst step in creating a compelling paintover is to nd images a

elements that inspire you! I usually begin my collage work with a singimage that has, for one reason or another, grabbed my attention amotivated me to create something around and about it. After Ive settl

on that rst central image, I gather concepts and materials to complemeit -- either before I begin, or as the piece unfolds before my eyeWomen and children and pretty things with lots of color and pattern aappealing subjects for me, so fashion magazines, topical coffee table bookand catalogs work well as resources. But you might nd inspiration elsewhe

-- in books about cats, trees, or vehicles; in an outdoors/backpacki

publication; or from your own original photographs. Whatever works!

If the image youve chosen is the correct size for reworking, you can simptear it from its binding, cut it to size, and paint over it as is. However, in mocases, your chosen image wont be ready to re-work. Or it might be the rigsize, but printed on slick paper that has no tooth and wont accept pa

or pencil well. And I certainly cant recommend painting over glossy phopaper. In those cases, where as is just wont work, do what I do: scan yochosen image, then crop and resize it to t the size youll be working

whether ATC, chunky book, journal page, or stretched canvas.

For this particular collage piece, I found an image in a magazine and decidto create an ATC with it.

I imagined the main character not as a swan-necked brunette in a Goth

romantic setting with partner, but instead as a fresh, axen-haired blon

with curls, standing alone, soothed by a breeze, surrounded by delicacolors and owers, with an old-fashioned, vintage feel. Refreshing a

light!


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STEP 2 Ready your image for use

My original image was rst scanned, cropped, and sized to

2.5 x 3.5 inches ATC size. Id already settled on gure

placement and composition by this point, and based my

cropping around those considerations. This was the onlydigital step in my process so adjustments to brightness,

contrast, and sharpness were made at this stage. I chose todesaturate my image, removing all color, which I think makesa more pliable, neutral foundation for paintover work. Notethat there was no need to digitally isolate the main characterfrom her surroundings, or to erase or re-work backgrounds.Since this was to be a collage piece, Id literally cut her freeusing scissors, in a later step.

I recommend printing your image onto paper you know willhold wet fairy well. Some cardstocks hold up nicely, but

my hands-down favorite paper for paintover work is a highquality, heavyweight, premium matte presentation paper. Ithas just the right thickness and texture for this process.

STEP 3 Colorwash your image

To achieve a great, toothy foundation for your paintover,quickly brush a thinned acrylic wash over your chosen imagewith a wide brush. Its soooo important to a smooth nish

that you prepare your wash carefully (mix paint and waterto translucency -- and please, no lumps!) Work quickly andstroke vertically. Let the rst wash dry; if you think you need

more coverage, add a second. The idea here is to obscureyour original image with light, transparent washes of paint,so that only the hint of an outline remains from which youcan build out your new, re-envisioned image. I used whitefor my wash, but you could use a bolder color, still keeping ittransparent, for an entirely different effect.

Its soooo important to a smooth nish that youprepare your wash carefully (mix paint and water

to translucency -- and please, no lumps!)


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STEP 4 Pencil a light outline and begin shading

If youve completed Step 3 successfully, youll note that its faidifcult to locate the outlines of your original image. Thats a go

thing, as it gives you plenty of room to reinvent your image to syour whims and imaginings. Alter features, add elements, and

shape silhouettes to your hearts desire.

In my case, I wanted to retain the graceful, overall silhouette aproportions of my original photograph, so I outlined my charactefacial features lightly using a hard pencil (4H), altering them onslightly (extending an eyebrow, reshaping the lips.) I knew Id adding piecework hair later, so rather than penciling in hair, I dr

a rounded curve to represent her back skull. Id have to covthat back skull shape in my piecework later on, giving my macharacters head the proper anatomical shape. Trust me on thits easy for things to get distorted later on if theres no establishoutline to follow.

Some light shading was added at this stage, blended with my pinnger.

You can also use pen and ink for this stage, but of course it wcreate an entirely different effect.

STEP 5 Strengthen your outline and add color

Strengthening your outline and adding color is the last step befocutting your image free from its original backing, so its importato thicken the perimeter outline at this stage by using your hapencil. This thickening ensures that when you cut, you will be cutting into the features of your image, creating distortion, binstead will be cutting into the outer edge of that thickened outlinleaving the interior of that outline, and your images features alowith it, intact.

Using colored pencils in various shades, I added color to my imagWork slowly and carefully, as it is nearly impossible to erase errocompletely from the wash background youve painted.

I used chalks and a Q-tip to create a soft blush, and used a whgel pen (blotted) for highlights.


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TEP 6 Snip your image free, creating your paintover

utout

sing tiny, pointed, sharp scissors, and working slowly (I didnt

ant to ruin all my hard work,) I cut my image free from itsackground. Here, Ive shown the cutout scanned against blackaper.

TEP 7 Select a background

found a really pretty patterned paper in my paper stash tose as my background. It had the right feel for the piece I hadnvisioned. Heres how it looked, cut down to ATC size anddhered to a stiffer ATC-blank backing (I like my cards to beick and layered.)

TEP 8 Alter your background

While the paper I chose had the right feel, it was too crisp and

brant for the soft, vintage tone I was seeking for my piece. So,sing various stamping inks and Rub-N-Buff wax metallic paste,ayered transparent white and gold colors onto the paper untilachieved a just-right nish. Baby wipes and paper towels are

seful for this work; I often use either, or both, to move ink andaint around on my paper for a smeary, casual effect.


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STEP 9 Customize cutout and attach to background

I had a wonderful piece of vintage ecru lace in my fabric drawand thought it would make a beautiful, dimensional outt for m

collage gure, in addition to introducing mixed media elemen

to the piece. So, using my nger, I rubbed Tacky Glue onto tcutout in a V-neck shirt shape, then laid down two strips of lac

to cover it, pressing hard to adhere, and trimming excess. I theadhered my cutout to the background paper I had prepared Step 8.

STEP 10 Add piecework hair

One of my favorite things to do in collage portraits and signature technique of mine is to add paper-pieced hair my gures. I do this really haphazardly, snipping shapes wild

from patterned paper scraps I have lying about, without mucthought to whether or how theyll t the work at hand.

For this collage, I found a yellow toile paper in my stash ancut long, wavy, thin strips from it, laying the nished bits side b

side. I tried on various strips of paper around the head a

selected those that t each area best for use, keeping in minthat hair in front of the ears would, in real life, be closer to m(the viewer) than hair that was emerging from the far side of mgures head. This spatial understanding helped direct the ord

in which I laid down the layers of strips; I wanted to ensure th

the closest hair would be on top and the farthest hair woube underneath.

Using a dab of Tacky Glue and my ngers as applicator

I spread glue on each strip and adhered them to the card.kept an Exacto-knife with a brand-new blade close at hand, animmediately after adhering a given strip, cut away the portionear the face using light pressure, to maintain the hairline.


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STEP 11 Finishing steps

Once the pieced hair had dried, it was time to add a littleshading to the hair for even more dimension, and I did so usinga colored pencil slightly darker in tone than the paper itself.

My gure also needed some further accessorizing, I thought,so I added a tiny stud earring with gold gel pen, and a punchedower for her hair, edged in pencil and ink, and accented with

a Swarovski crystal center. Last, I used ve vintage brass

bead caps, pounded at into orets, to accent the neckline of

her lace top.

Et voila! My nished mixed-media paintover collage card, just

as I envisioned it pretty and relaxed, with a decidedly soft,vintage feel. I called it Fresh, because I think it is.

Additional ATCs created with the Paintover Cutout

technique by Shelli Heinemann.


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Sophia is a four-year-old artist from Ft. Worth, Texa

She has been interested in art since she was two: Tha

when I started to paint on my easel, just like mommy

easel. Some of Sophias favorite things to draw inclu

rainbows, swirls, letters, numbers, kitty cats, doggie

giraffes, and even people. Sophias preferred medium

are markers and crayons. Sophia lists some of the thinthat she does with her completed drawings and painting

Sometimes I send them to people, or I like to put the

on the fridge, or on my nightstand, or I mail them to m

friends. I put my best, best art in my art book that m

mom made. As for Sophias thoughts on having an a

teacher, she says: Oh, I do at my imaginary school; she

really nice. Well, sometimes, my mom [is my art teache

too; and I use her scissors to cut and glue pretty pape

like she does. Sophia has also participated in a local a

competition at her local library where she received tw

ribbons for her paintings.

Petite

Artiste:

Getting to KnowKid Artists!by Abi Aldrich

Featuring

Sophia Z.

Sophias latest art doll


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Chunky Book PagesTheme: Gothic Zetti

We recently hosted a

4x4 chunky book PAT

(Pick-a-Theme) swap atillustratedATCs.com. Here

are a few of the themes!

Heather Luedke

Cat Insley

Shelli Heinemann

Brittany Noethen


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Chunky Book Pagesheme: 18th Century France

More pages from our PAT

Chunky Book Swap at

IllustratedATCs.com!

Heather Luedke

Meran niCuill

Sal ScheibeDana Drisc

Annie Melione


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ArtTRADERwww.arttradermag.com

Article Submissions

Dana Driscoll, Editor

[email protected]

Artwork Submissions

Sal Scheibe, Art Direct

[email protected]

Advertising [email protected]

For additional details on ou

submission and artwork guideli

please visit our website

www.arttradermag.com

Call for Articles and Artwork

ArtTrader Magazine is a web based publication (in PDF format) focusedon mail art for trade such as ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), ACEOs, art

journals, chunky books, altered art and altered books.

We are always accepting the following types of materials:

How to or step-by-step articles on artistic techniques. We are

interested in techniques that can be applied to any mail art. These includeillustrative techniques, and also works in fabric, digital, collage, mixedmedia, and more.

Articles on artistic journeys or experiences. Do you have an interestingstory that you would like to share? We would love to hear it.

Artist Spotlight/Prole. Do you have a body of work you would like

share? We would love to feature you in our artist spotlight.

Showcasing Art. We are interested in showcasing assemblages,mixed media work, creative journaling, chunky books, fat books, inchies,

ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), post cards and more. These types of articlesusually have a small bit of background accompanying them but primarilyare visual in nature.

Product and Book Reviews. If you are interested in writing a review of

a new product or book that is connected to the mail art world, we wouldlove to hear about it.

Submissions of Artwork

Almost all of our articles require artwork submissions. You might also wantto submit artwork to appear in our webzine galleries. Our call for artworkis always open and we welcome your submissions of ATCs, ACEOs, art

journals, chunky pages or altered books. Everyone is welcome to submittheir art. You do not need to be a member of IllustratedATCs.com to submitartwork.

You must submit your work to us in digital format.

300-400 DPI is sufcient. Do not submit artwork lower than 300 DPI.

Acceptable formats include: JPG, BMP, TIF. Do not submit GIF les.

Any submitted artwork should be at least 500 pixels wide and high(they can be much larger than this, of course!)

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