Figures & Artist Trading Cards

It's been awhile since I've gone an art card run. 

I've had everything laid out in front of me numerous times, 

just making a mess and sorting 

cutting out a few images and text and bundling it all back up again 

sticking it back in the drawer.

Yesterday was the day I endeavored to make another collection.

I realized when I was scanning these  that I 

have a propensity for putting figures in my ATC's

I think it's because of the small space I have to make  my artistic statement

and that ready made figures are quite handy,

a shorthand for me

and the text too 

and a few swapped heads

and I have fun

combining and sometimes going "hmmm?"

 myself

I love typing manuals for the text

and old magazine ads

especially with some old gal from the early 1900's

I'm sure you can guess what the title is on this one

but what you may not know is that is an altered pic of a cactus

in the background.

I've cut up a few of my old printmaking projects

for some of these backgrounds

The Whiner

My brother gave me the most delightful pageful of crying babies from the early 1900's

I've been scanning and using their faces

definitely altered art

apologies to Matisse

Yellow Hat Guys Make Me Cry

Look To the Future

Faros

I Would Have Curtsied

Should Be

Goddess Shoe

Too Many Hams

I'm happy to trade any of these if you wish.

Even if you don't want to trade I'd love to hear which one is your favorite.

Thanks, xoxo Kim

Out of ConTEXT

Laugh With Me

But I don't know Jack! 

(text added by me on this one)

For Most of Us

No Drag

(this text was from a car wax ad 

 image from a sewing book on alterations)

We Say

Moon Is There

There Is Joy

Warning!

The fence that hems him in.

(This is a larger piece that can be clicked on for detail.)

More Space

(This is more of a bookmark sized piece.)

Make the cat black
(Also a larger piece)

I've been making some more atc's  and a few larger pieces with images from vintage books.

I like to use text that takes on a different meaning out of context. Some of this text is from a typing lessons book. 

Paint, Ink, Beeswax & Images~ ATC's

I unearthed the high grade printmaking paper that I had left over from a printmaking class I took in the early 90's. I decided to play with some of the acrylic paints in bottles that I had bought and experiment some more with my inks blending and brushing colors and dropping ink drops onto the paint. Since the application was thick and saturated I would blot the paper with another paper doubling my decorated surfaces. I cut these up into ATC-sized pieces 2.5 X 3.5 inches to use later.

Later on I stamped designs on some and added my images and text. I had just decoupaged some boxes with vintage Bingo cards (that I received in a giveaway from Amy at Mittens) and had a few snippets of text left from them which I used.

I had picked up some beeswax to use in some encaustic work but haven't yet gotten the damar resin that's needed to harden it properly. I haven't been schooled in the process yet so I was winging it by just using melted beeswax on it's own. I had some printed images on muslin that I thought would become more translucent with the application of wax but it just seemed to coat it rather than enhance except for some really gauzy worn fabric.

After scraping and distressing the wax I was left with some nondescript textural pieces. I had some mini scrapbooking rivets to play with too. Here's what I came up with~

Which one speaks to you?

"Strings"

waxed, stitched inked and riveted muslin

"Capture a Spiral and Turn it to Gold"

waxed teabag, gold coil, stamped and waxed background

"Somebody Stop Him!"

text and image from vintage children's book

"Postage Due"

printed muslin and ephemera catalog image

"Vertically & Horizontally"

moon piece cut form old printmaking project, Bingo text

"Modern Glyph"

Vintage dressmaking book, stampings

"Be-Bi-Bo-Bu"

waxed fabric, vintage sheet music, stamping on inked, painted and blotted paper

"Music with a Flourish"

stamping, vintage sheet music, waxed fabric, stitching

"Diagonally"

Image from vintage Japanese dressmaking school book, Bingo text

"12 Different Ways"

Bingo text, vintage company stamp

"Vertically or Diagonally"

Bingo text , harnessing diagram and waxed muslin

"Japanese Stitchery"

stitched, painted and stamped muslin, image from vintage dressmaking school book

"It makes you think"

Dolly Dingle paper doll, game image

"Balancing Act"

Chinese text from travel pamphlet and stamping

"Five"

Bingo text, stitching, ink

"Free"

bottle cap (from Artymess), charm and stampings

ATC's From Some Rainy Daze

"Make Happy Happy"

It has a good beat.

"School Girls"

Old etching, target practice, vintage storybook image and paper doll head

vintage science book images, inks and paint.

"Does this make my antlers look fat?"

"Budding Artist"

I had been saving this snippet of text for something... and then I saw the brushes!

digitally altered Buddha head from one of my Burma pics along with a diagram from an old craft book.

"Tea on the Dock"

"The Awe of it All"

photoshop Buddha and vintage girl

"Treasure"

Rainy days sent me up to the studio to play with paper. I cut up old prints and paper from a printmaking class from the 90's that I took. I also messed around with some leftover paint with faux glazing medium from a cupboard painting project.

Then using mostly vintage images and other papers from a swap, I created a few whimsical and decorative ATC's, the meanings of which may be elusive and enigmatic or perhaps up to the viewer to glean.