Some time ago I began a series of blog posts charting my creative adventures with Artist Trading Cards.

Recently I have returned to making these small-scale creations as they give me the opportunity to fit some making time into my day without being too time-consuming.

FYI, if you would like to see more from the ATC range that I have created, please feel free to raid the blog archive.

Been thinking lately. Sometimes we all get a little trapped in the rat race of life, running on that never-ending treadmill of tasks and never really getting anywhere.

During a recent walk during a dog-sitting stint with my favourite furry niece, I let her take the lead and just followed her. She was obviously following a simple desire to find the basics. Food or friends. Is this a rat race to her or is she just following her primal desires, her heart?

Either way, I think it’s good to just let go and follow your heart every now and again. Feeding the love muscle – stop sniggering – is a very good thing to do.

Using that ethos as a theme, I created this.

 

Quite pleased with the result.

If you would like to know a little more about this project, here are a list of the supplies used and a quick step-by-step of the method.

Supplies

• Blank Artist Trading Card.
• Tim Holtz Distress Inkpad – Peacock Feathers.
• Tim Holtz Distress Inkpad – Cracked Pistachio.
• Archival Inkpad – Black
• White Pigment Inkpad
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology – Small Talk Stickers
• Stampscapes Rubber Stamp – Set 2B “Nature Sheet 2”
• Ink Blending Tool.
• Large Acrylic Block.
• Post It Notes – All Over Sticky Type.
• Pritt Stick.
• Cotton Bud.
• Paper Scissors

Method

1. An even coat of cracked pistachio ink was applied to the ATC with a blending tool.
2. A post-it note was torn into strips and one strip was placed around about the middle of the ATC.
3. Using the blending tool I applied more cracked pistachio ink, working it up towards the top of the ATC.
4. I then lifted and reposition the post-it note further up the ATC and repeated step 3 a couple of times to give the impression of a bank of clouds.
5. With the black inkpad and large waterfall stamp, an impression was printed at the bottom of the ATC. Before cleaning off the stamp, I made an impression on a fresh post-it note.
6. I snipped along the upper edge of the design on the post-it note and positioned the negative/sky half on the ATC so that the waterfall was left exposed.
7. Using the blending tool, I applied some peacock feathers ink until the right tone had been reached. The mask was then removed.
8. Some white pigment ink was added to the water areas of the design with the cotton bud and then smudged to give the impression of moving water.
9. To finish, the sentiment was then stuck to the top edge of the ATC.
10. Some additional shading was added to the edge with an alcohol marker.

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There we go. Another little work of art made.

What do you think? Would you have done anything differently?

Oh, by the way, if you would like to see more from the ATC range that I have created, please feel free to raid the blog archive.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this post then please feel free to use the comments section below.

I’ll see you again with another blog post very soon.

J :)