Big Things Afoot

Big things like the Democratic National Convention are afoot. Now, I know this isn't a political blog, but I can't help but say, "Wow." There you have it—my one word commentary. There wasn't a dry eye or a slow pulse in the place. Good stuff.

Now let us turn our attention to something a bit more mundane, but still a little exciting. A while ago I'd signed up with a group inside the Everyday Matters group to exchange ATCs (Artist's Trading Cards). These are 2.5 x 3.5" pieces of art that get swapped amongst the group members. I did a swap like this once before, and it turned out to be a one-for-one swap—probably a good thing for my first time out of the gates.

This time I was looking for a bit more of a challenge, and I was also looking to reap the reward of a flood of return ATCs—there are some very talented people in this group. Last week I mailed off my ATCs, and I'm anxiously awaiting the return mix of original, wonderful art. In the meantime, I've decided to let the cat out of the bag, and give everyone a sneak preview.

I made a record of sorts of the creation of my ATCs, so here they are. First came the pencil drawings, and a bit of pen work... In fact, first came some agonized planning, trying to decide what to do. There were nine people in my group (including myself), and I didn't want to do nine of the very same thing. Of course, no two would ever be the same anyway, but you know what I mean.

The planning looked like this...



The purple background made the whole thing fade into a grape lump. I'd mentally pictured something in gradients of color, but the subtlety of my mind is far, far ahead of the subtlety of my hand.

The pencil and stenciling came next...



The project ended up with far more than the requisite nine, but I've already given one to someone outside the group who is an avid postcard collector, and is also interested in ATCs (as of the moment she received her first, or so she said).

Then there were flowers and plants to add...





Next, I mixed up the background color (somewhat consistently).





Finally, I really set to painting, but I'd started a bit late, and not all the cards were finished before the chosen eight had to go out the door.

Most of these I kept...


And these I sent... Well, at the last moment I swapped the other finished maple for a crocus to give a bit more of a selection.










Always remember that...


Thanks for stopping by!