Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Valentine's Day ATC's


These Artist's Trading cards started with leftover pieces of scrapbooking paper.  I spread white, pink and red acrylic paints on the Gelli Plate to color a sheet of cardstock from which I cut the  heart shapes.  Next, I over-stamped the hearts, embossed some of the images and scuffed ink along the edges.  They are not quite finished.  I printed out some sayings on white cardstock.

And now- some very distorted pictures of the ATC's with the sayings and decorative stickers.  They are stuck to full-sheet sticker labels and need to be cut apart.




Monday, January 23, 2017

A New Batch of Altered Rolodex Cards - Starting The Year Out Right












A few days ago I amazed myself by actually clearing off half of the art table.  Okay, it's not completely clear, but there's a HUGE open space now on which to work.  Yay!  Some of the bits and pieces were used in the above collages. (Now, do you think I will ever sort through the two trash  bags of snippets and clippings?)

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Sealed With A Kiss Artist's Trading Cards






The theme of a current mail art swap made me think of envelopes with sealing wax, or a kiss mark.  So I attempted to make these ATC's look like small envelopes.  The photography is disappointing but the project was fun and easy.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

New Art - New Year


You didn't think I could keep myself from making more altered Rolodex cards, did you?  Ha!

Here are some very simple Blue Valentines for an active swap with the mail art group.  The backgrounds were painted with two color of acrylic paint.  Painted Deli waxed paper made up into opaque hearts applied with matte gel medium.  The sayings were printed out on sticker paper.




Holiday wrapping papers are the backgrounds for these Make-A-Snowman group swap post cards. The snowmen, made of ornament cut-out's or punch-out's from fancy mailing envelopes, were glued over Magic Mesh.  Paper details were added and Gloss Accents dabbed over permanent marker eyes and buttons to complete the designs.




So this is how I ended 2016 and started the New Year.  Yay!

Monday, January 2, 2017

More Dendritic Prints

These are prints from one of my earliest attempts at Dendritic printing with acrylic paints.  The first two show the almost identical prints lifted from the bottom and top plates.  Please check my December 27, 2016's post for a description of my process.
























Sunday, January 1, 2017

Tidbits - Part 2

22.  Inexpensive yet sturdy mailing envelopes are easy to make with half-folded cardstock.  You start with an 8+1/2" x 11" sheet, decorate as desired (paint, ink, etc.), fold, tape two sides closed. Enclose contents, tape top edge, affix address label and postage- and you end up with an 8+1/2" x 5+1/2" mailer. These are smaller than the 6" x 9" Kraft envelopes with the flap at one end, and as far as I know, both can be mailed for one stamp (49-cents at present) unless the contents are thick, heavy, or unbendable.












21.  Easy altered tag backgrounds may be made by dipping the blank tags in rubber stamp inks.  I crumpledsome of these manilla tags first to add "texture," poured 1/2" - 1" colored inks into several plastic drinking cups, dunked one end of the tags, then let them dry.   Overturning them, I dunked the other ends, eventually adding collage elements (appliques, stickers, Magic Mesh) and fibers to the dried tags.











Samples:  Fabric, Tyvek & Fibers


Tyvek on photo matte board


























20.  Cut-out pieces of Tyvek (house insulation wrap or postal envelopes), when painted with acrylic paint first and then carefully heated (with proper ventilation) using either a heat tool or a flat iron (place Tyvek piece between Teflon pressing layers) makes an interesting bubble effect for collage.  One side will be bubbled up, the back ill be indented.  




























19.  An interesting material to make grid marks with the Gelli Printing plate, or as a texture plate for rubbed designs, is a section of hardware cloth.  This metal fencing is available with different sized square openings.
















18.  To add a bit of protection to ink jet images on envelopes or address labels, add a final coat of wax by rubbing with the side of a clear/white taper candle.  Then buff with the flat part of your clenched fist.  This might help to prevent ink from running in humidity or light rain.  No guarantees if your artwork falls into a puddle, however.

17.  I make a lot of my own stickers or labels use full-sheet labels by Avery or another company.  Clear label sheets will give you more leeway as far as cutting out intricate designs, but will show the background of whatever you adhere them to.  White labels are opaque, of course, but the white outline around your design might not be as desireable unless you are going to place them on a white background.

16.  If you are trying to use tissue paper (gift wrap weight) for collage and find that it tears or rips easily, try placing it on a sheet of waxed paper or freezer paper (glossy side), and then coating it with either matte- or gloss- gel medium.  After it dries, it will be easier to handle.