Inking Techniques to Make Multiple Artist Trading Cards

By LV Handcrafted

Hello friends! This is Linh (or LV Handcrafted on all the socials). In today’s video I’m showing two techniques for creating background panels that you can either cut down or die cut from!  One technique features the ever-so-popular ink “smooshing” and the other features creating monoprinting with a gel plate!  These techniques are fast and easy to make multiples of if you ever need to make the same card en mass. I made a set of 6 Artist Trading Cards (ATC) using one panel for the background and the monoprint for die-cutting.

Skill: Advance

Time: 45 minutes

Supplies Used

Other Products Used

See How to Create a Beautiful Autumn Nature ATC Card Set

by Elina Stromberg

See How to Create a Beautiful Autumn Nature ATC Card Set

Artist Trading Cards aka ATC’s are wonderful little pieces of art. Their small 3.5” x 2.5” size doesn’t require too many materials nor too much time. Using just one single sheet of mixed media or watercolor paper you can create a pile of cards on one go. This set of ATC’s was inspired by the beautiful autumn nature. Bright, bold colors, and wilted garden flowers getting ready for winter. Simple but elegant, and so fun to create!

Skill: Beginner
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

Apply purple, pink, and orange Memento DewDrops on a white mixed media paper with Jumbo Daubers. Sprinkle water on the inked paper, letting the colors to mix. Let dry or dry with a heat gun.


Step 2

Decorate paper by stamping random text patterns on the paper. Use only one pattern stamp, but two ink colors (orange Memento Tangelo and dark purple VersaFine Clair Fantasia). Cut several cards from the inked and stamped sheet. The standard size of ATC is 2.3” x 3.5”. If you want to mat the cards on a solid color cardstock, trim these foreground cards slightly smaller than ATC. Mix white acrylic paint with water, and sprinkle paint drops on the cards. Let dry.


Step 3

Cut ATC backgrounds from dark red cardstock. Attach card fronts on the backgrounds with two-sided tape. Stamp flower shapes on the cards using black VersaFine Clair. Decorate ATC’s with word stickers that express sentiments such as “friends,” “treasure,” and “inspiration.”

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • White mixed media paper
  • Cardstock – Dark Red
  • Acrylic paint
  • Stamps – Text stamp (‘Tekst’ by Wycinanka); Flower stem stamps (Artemio)
  • Word stickers
  • Double-sided tape

Use a Stencil Background to Create Artists Trading Cards

by Elina Stromberg

Use a Stencil Background to Create Artists Trading Cards

For me, crafting is my way to unwind and to relax. Sometimes I feel that I need to start crafting, but I don’t necessarily have a specific project in mind. The solution is to create background pages for later use. For making background pages, I take out a few white blank papers, my favorite inks or paints, stencils, and stamps, and I’m good to go. There are no strict rules to follow so I often start with the light colors, move towards the darker shades, and whenever I encounter issues I drop my original idea and jump over to plan B or C. If the result is a total catastrophe I throw away the page and start all over. For me, the end result is not as important as the pleasure the creative process gives me.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

On this background page, I started with inking the white paper with a light green color of Memento in New Sprout. I applied the ink directly from the ink pad on the paper, using the Dew Drop ink pad and a soft circular motion. If I had used a larger ink pad I would have used a brayer or a Jumbo Dauber for coloring the page.


Step 2

Then I used a darker green ink color of Memento in Bamboo Leaves and a Sponge Dauber to stencil a pattern on the page. Once finished, I splashed water on the page, letting the water-soluble ink react with the water before drying the page with my heat gun. Love those splash marks!


Step 3

Then I used another stencil and a bit darker green ink and added smaller patterns on the page. Just a hint here and there will do the trick!


Step 4

Adding a hint of both white and black is always a good idea. Those will refresh the page and make the other colors pop. I stamped some black text patterns on the page and added white color with a gel pen. I think it did the trick I was looking for!


Step 4

In the end, I had two almost identical decorated papers. I cut a few ATC card backgrounds and used a piece of the patterned paper for a background for a die-cut card.

I think that the stenciled backgrounds look good on my ATC’s!

Supplies

Imagine

Other

  • Mixed Media Paper – White
  • Cardstock – Green, Yellow, Orange
  • Card base – White
  • Pronty – Leaf Stencils
  • Carabelle Studio – Dots
  • 13Arts – Triangles
  • Heat gun
  • Katzelkraft – Dog stamps
  • Wycinanka – Text pattern stamp
  • Sizzix – Bird stencil, Oval stencil
  • Alcohol markers
  • Glue
  • Double-sided tape
  • Gel pen – White

See How To Create Mixed Media ATC’s

by Nadine Carlier

ATC cards by Nadine Carlier ic

What is an ATC? “Artist trading cards (commonly referred to as ATCs) are 2 ½” x 3 ½” miniature pieces of art that are traded around the world with other artists. Artists create, trade and collect art at organized “swap” events, either in person or online.”

I enjoy trading ATC’s with other crafters, not only is it fun I also really like to be able to see what others create. Everyone has such different styles, and they all inspire me one way or another. ATC’s don’t have to be hard to make or super elaborate just as long as they reflect you and your style. All I needed to create these ATC’s was some Creative Medium, Walnut Ink, irRESISTible, VersaColor, and VersaMagic.

Watch my video tutorial below on how I created them. Enjoy!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 min.

Supplies

Imagine
Other

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Three Creative Hacks that Create Cuteness Overload

Happy Monday! We have three great projects to kick start your week and provide a healthy dose of Monday motivation. Renee and Jennifer both show wonderful modifications on existing crafting standards. Renee expands an ATC to a double sided display and Jennifer adapts quilting to papercrafting. While Mischelle brings a bright and vibrant art journal to make a normal day not so normal.

Mermaid steam punk

ATC Conversion The Bigger the Better by Renee Zarate

ATCs, Artist Trading Cards, have been around for a few years now. They traditionally measure 2 ½” by 3 ½”, they can be collaged, stamped, matted, left plain, attached to greeting cards or put into albums. They’re quick and fun to make but you might wonder what other uses are there for this tiny work of art or are they only to trade with fellow artists? There are times when you love an ATC so much you can’t bear to trade it, you just want to look at it yourself and not share it with others. We don’t have to hide them away in an album, we can keep them on display by making them bigger and better! I turned this one into a free standing chunky ATC.

Buy or cut a wooden block that measures 2 ½” x 3 ½” x 1 ½”. Decide the placement of the handle on top and the clock key on the side, make a hole to insert these items. Paint the wooden block any color desired. Next, apply a thin coat of white gesso. Make two ATCs using stamps, ink, washi tape, whatever scraps are on hand. Make the ATCs on the gessoed watercolor paper cut to measure 2 ½” by 3 ½”. Adhere to the wooden block. The faces on these ATCs are made from Washi Tape. Ink the edges of the ATCs using a Jumbo Dauber. Glue feet onto the bottom of the block, these feet can be beads or small wooden embellishments. Apply On Point Glue to the feet and then dip each one in glitter or micro beads. Attach the knob on the top of the block, keys to the sides; decorate the ATC images with sequins and glitter. Tie twine and baker’s twine to the top.  It’s very satisfying to create an ATC with whatever subject matter you choose. Now you can look at your favorite design on a shelf or turn it around to change the view with a second ATC.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Graphic 45 Stamps – Diamond Pattern, Clam Shell design, Phrase and Mermaid tail
  • Gold Foil
  • Glitter
  • Microbeads
  • Glue Stick
  • Metal Ephemera
  • Baker’s twine
  • Brown twine
  • Sequins
  • White gesso
  • Watercolor paper
  • Paper Trimmer
  • Adhesive
  • Jane Davenport – Mermaid Washi Tape
  • Graphic 45 – Voyage beneath the Sea Collection paper
  • Wooden block measuring 3 ½” x 2 ½” x 1 ½”
  • Americana acrylic paint – Dark blue
  • Paint brush

paper quilt llama

Patchwork Llama Paper Quilting by Jennifer Vanderbeek

Sometimes you just need to make something to make it, no matter what it could be used for (or not). When I saw the DCWV No Prob Llama papers, I remembered I’d picked up the Lloyd & Lola quilt pattern, purely on a whim, and though for sure I could do something to combine the two. Using the instructions for the pillow cover, I used a 1 inch = 1 cm rule and made a smaller version of the patchwork pillow from the different patterned papers with a background of the Brights Textured pack.

Cutting out all the pieces takes the most time. Make sure to label them for later! Because sewing using seam allowances and paper piecing doesn’t, not everything will line up perfectly as is. I had to play around with the sections to make them fit, but the seam allowance extras gave me a handy way to attach the pieces to each other, at least in sections. Tweezers definitely come in handy! Once the main pieces are assembled, using the pattern as a guide, lay everything out on a large sheet of paper to figure out what will ultimately fit before gluing anything down. The irRESISTible Pico Embellisher is perfect for adding some textural stitching along each paper-pieced edge. This adaption was so fun! I hope you try it yourself.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • DCWV – No Prob Llama, Brights Textured paper
  • Elizabeth Hartman – Lloyd & Lola Quilt and Pillow Pattern
  • Centimeter-marked ruler
  • Pencil
  • 
Fiskars – Paper trimmer, Scissors
, Tweezers

Shimmery Journal Page with little houses

Bright Fireworks Journal Pages by Mischelle Smith

I love Fireworks Shimmery Craft spray! I find that I use them mostly like watercolor paints. I pour them onto my palette and use my paintbrush to bring color to my paper or canvas. These inks are incredibly vibrant and colorful. They breathe life into my work. I also love the shimmer the mica powders leave – it adds another layer of interest. These inks blend beautifully together just like watercolors would.

fireworks shimmery craft spray is used to color art journal pages.

In this project, I applied Iridescent Purple Creative Medium to pages using stencil and palette knife. Let dry. Then, I pour Fireworks into palette saucers. Paint pages with Fireworks using a paintbrush. Let dry. Then continued to layer art with stencils and stamps using Memento Luxe Inks Danube Blue, Tuxedo Black and Pear Tart with a jumbo dauber. I cut out the stamped images and attach to pages with Tear It Tape. Once I layered enough, I added more detail with charcoal, a white gel pen, and Tuxedo Black Memento Marker. Then I used the spray stick to spatter page with irRESISTible Texture Spray Wedding Dress and Liquid Glass. Let dry. Finish with several sprays of Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz which is the perfect final touch.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Stencil Girl – stencil
  • Vera Lane Studio – Straight Street and Woodland Accessories
  • Paint Brush
  • Paint Palette
  • White cardstock
  • Charcoal
  • Stump
  • Washi Tape
  • White Gel Pen
  • CTMH – Liquid Glass

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How to Use VersaFine with Metal Artist Trading Card

Sheet Metal and Vertigo ATC

by Alison Heikkila

2016_April_AH_sheetmetalATC_main_wm

I really enjoy making ATC’s, but I’ve never made one out of metal. I decided to give it a go with Imagine Crafts’ Sheet Metal since they offer an actual ATC size. With this tutorial, you can vary the tools to accommodate what you already have.

Skill: Beginner

Time: 20 Minutes, plus drying time

Directions

2016_April_AH_sheetmetalATC_step1

Step 1

Emboss Sheet Metal with Embossing folder by running it through a die cut/embossing machine. Ink the raised image with Jet Black StazOn ink. For more color and texture, I spritzed the metal with Desert Sand irRESISTables, and I let it dry.

2016_April_AH_sheetmetalATC_step2

Step 2

Take a large punch (I used a Maple Leaf) and punch out some Vertigo. I used Rattlesnake. I love the varying image of this particular Vertigo sheet. Ink the edges with Celestial Copper Delicata ink.

2016_April_AH_sheetmetalATC_step3

Step 3

Use the same punch again, but this time punch a piece of Kraft colored cardstock. Ink the leaf using VersaFine inks. I used Habanero, Spanish Moss, Toffee, and Satin Red. I punch a small hole into the 2 leaves (at the same time, to be sure they were in the same place, and then added an eyelet. I also punched a hole in the Sheet Metal, where I wanted the leaf’s hole to be.

2016_April_AH_sheetmetalATC_step4

Step 4

Using a bead with a large hole, run a piece of ribbon through it. I used about 6 inches of ribbon, but you can make it longer or shorter if you wish. Feed the bead halfway through the ribbon, then insert both ends through the eyelet in the leaves and then through the Sheet Metal.

2016_April_AH_sheetmetalATC_step5

Step 5

Tie a loop to your desired length. I wanted the ends to hang over my ATC, so I left them long, but my loop in the back is long enough to hang the ATC if I decide to.

That’s it! Again, feel free to change out the shape of the punch and/or the embossing folder for many, many different looks. Changing the colors of inks and sprays will also totally alter the completed ATC. Have fun with it!

Supplies
Imagine:
Other:
  • May Arts – Ribbon
  • Bead
  • Eyelet
  • Darice – Embossing Folder
  • EK Success – Maple Leaf Punch