Entries Tagged as 'Artist Trading Cards'

Vaseline As Resist - Challenge #17

I have found a technique that I totally love doing, and the outcome almost takes one’s breath away:  Using Vaseline as resist.

Materials:

Vaseline (or lip gloss)

Watered-down acrylic

Modge Podge or similar product -either matte or gloss

Hairdryer

Q-tips

Baby wipe

Scott towel

On cardstock base, add whatever you wish to be the theme, and glue them down.  Add vase color around the picture.  Dry.  (I use an old small hairdryer that blows at low speed to dry between steps.)

Then wash with decoupage, noting whether a texture swirly texture would be better than a straight layer of decoupage.  I learned the hard way - do not overdo it or under-do it.

Once this is dry, use Vaseline to block parts that you do not want paint on.  I used a Q-tip to spread the Vaseline.

Water down acrylic paint until really soppy.  Carefully spread the watered-down color over the entire card.  Dry.  (If you have the hairdryer warm, the Vaseline melts and is difficult to clean off.)

Once you are sure the wash is dry, carefully wipe with a Scott towel.  (At this point, you can block and add another coordinating wash in areas if you like, following the same steps.)

Once totally dry, use a baby wipe to wipe off the areas you have blocked with Vaseline.  Use your fingernail, lightly, if you need to, but work and get off all the scruffy peeling paint away from the vaseline’d areas.  The baby wipe will take the Vaseline off the work.  (You may need to let it dry overnight, as I did, and check the cards again to make sure you have all the Vaseline off.)

I added things on, once I got the knack of this.  I added bits of straw, paper clippings, even some Pomeranian hair, which I happen to have lots of…lol…)I am thrilled with the outcome of this challenge.

Harvest - Challenge #14

Ribbon, pressed flowers, stick-ons and mult-ilayered backgrounds make up this set of ATC’s on the Harvest Theme.

Getting Over Angst Of Landscapes

The work of art is a scream of freedom. - Christo

Landscapes are difficult for me for I am a closet perfectionist.  It is difficult for me to see the landscape from the precise leaves, buds, and branches.  This exercise has been good for me because I did the planet-scape first and then moved to the mixed mediums I used to do the other ‘scapes’.  You can see me lose my tightness and control of the pieces as I went.  I think I like the Smokey Californian sky best as far as earth-scapes go. But my favorite piece of this set of experiments is the planet-scape.  I really had to allow my creative soul to scream its freedom through intuitive washes so it could give me a hint.

“Planet-scape” is pen, “Goodnight Van Gogh” is gold and silver and black pen with watercolor wash, “Lava Meets Sea” is done with acrylic and water color wash, “Farmer-scape” is pen and watercolor wash, “California Sky” is my impression of smoke in their sky, “After The Fire” is watercolor and pen on oil canvas.

Intuitive Art - Moon and I Theme And Extras

This is wet on wet work with sumi brush definitions.

As I worked, I came up with more.

I think my favorite is Iris on the Windowsill.

Purse-shaped ATCs

I have completed four purse-shaped atcs, and do not know, yet, for
sure, if they need to go on a backing. folded, they are not the full
atc size so I am thinking about putting them on an atc-sized backing
with little hooks…buttons perhaps.

The lilac purse is made out of old satin and lace.  The black and yellow and red purse is made out of background texture I experimented with in painting over tinfoil.  The leather purse is beaded.  The flower purse is made of heavy cardstock and has embroidery on it.

My challenge for today was to experiment and complete the purse shapes.  Inside each purse I have tucked a note, a quote, or an embellishment.