Artist Trading Cards

di mcdonald
Australia
email: di@dyzee.com
 

© di mcdonald 2007
 
 
 

                                         dyzee.com
What are Artist Trading Cards???? 

They are very small pieces of art made on Card the size of a normal playing card 2 1/2"x 3 1/2". 

Some people collect them and keep them in trading card plastic sleeves. They do look good, connected  together and displayed as a large work of art! 

I love them, I think they are great, especially for really busy people who need and want to do some art at least once a day. This is do-able!The rule states that they may not be sold only traded with others! 

How ever in recent times, there have been instances where these have been sold on ebay etc. There is debate, because of this, about whether they should still be called "trading cards". 

I choose to stick to the rules and only trade them:-) 

While I was in New Zealand I visited a friend who is a very prolific mixed media artist. While I was sitting in her lounge room talking to her I noticed a basket which was full of Artist Trading Cards. Fascinated I asked her about them, she said she has them there so she can give them to people who come to visit her. What a wondeful idea. Of Course I did not go home empty handed.

How to Make Artist Trading Cards

Here are some easy instructions for you, so you can get started  and enjoy this art.

1: Cut the cardboard or cardstock to the correct size.

2: Colour the background. As you can see from the pictures I love to use watercolours. You could choose to use watercolour paper and when the card is finished glue it onto the card stock to finish it off and give it more body. Just have lots of water and swirl the colours around then dry woth a heat gun. It best to be careful what colours you are combining. Remember Yellow and purple together make brown!

3: When the background is dry its time to cut out some pictures for your collage , These can come from magazines and just be something that catches your eye or matches the colours in the back ground.

4: Now get out a piece of scrapbook paper and cut out a shape you like. I have used a heart shaped cutter and glue that on.

5: I love to add more texture in the way of a tiny scrap of fabric. Preferably a sheer ot mesh evening fabric. Glue that in place.

6: A Charm is great next, just glue it on......................or choose a word or a phrase. You can glue or cut out letters from a magazine, or chosee those rub on letters.

7: To finish your artist trading card, grab a Gold Leaf pen and draw a border all the way around your card.

8: Now Punch a hole somwhere and add a bunch of beautiful yards and threads to it.

Thats wasnt so bad was it? Now you can make heaps of them and use your own style.