I got a little behind with my ATC Workshop project but am all caught up now...It feels so good to be caught up , I love that I can relax and enjoy my usual peaceful life. :-)
To refresh your memories I am participating in an "on line" workshop with a Yahoo group called "Artists of the Round Table"


Click to join ArtistsOfTheRoundTable

100 of us began with chapter one of Bernie Berlins book called "ATC Workshop" and will do each chapter till we try every technique in the book. I think there are 13 chapters or so and each chapter has between 2 and 3 techniques so...as you can imagine we will all be doin' lots of new stuff!

here is a link to my first post about this workshop ...start at the bottom of the page if you'd like to view it in order. http://beccirenfro.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html

Anyway this is Lesson # 7.

this technique is called "Resin Fresco". I used paint ultra thick embossing powder and gesso to get this neat textured look for this background. here I have the unfinished back ground of the little Frog dancer then I have it finished.

Frog Dancer background

Frog Dancer finished

The next 2 cards are examples of more finished cards using this technique...

Week #4 ATC Workshop...

This is what my cat Wiggles was doing while I was creating... "What a comfy cat!"


These were fun techniques and I will most definitely make ATC's using all 3 of these again for swaps that I join and creations to hang around the house. While doing the tissue paper technique I recalled doing a similar project in an art class I took during the summer when I was in grade school. We had a great summer recreation program in the 60's at the Elementry School . It was only a 1/4 of a mile from our house so we could walk there any time. We made all kinds of neat stuff with clay, lanyards, bracelets and played games like 4 square, checkers, chess, jump rope and had watermelon seed spitting contests SO MUCH FUN! I wonder why our schools don't still do this for the kids during the long hot summer? Seems like it would help to curb the boredom they experience especially about 1/2 way through the summer...Oh well...That's a problem that we need to seriously address here in our country.

Oh yes, I can't forget about Brownies and Girl Scouts! My Mom was almost always our leader and she was the Queen of crafty stuff! We kept busy all the time with craft projects during, after and in-between our meetings! Did anyone else make a mosaic tile hot plate when they were little?

The first technique I did for this lesson was using "tissue paper". I crumpled it up and glued it onto the card stock then when it was dry I used a rubber stampon top of it...

Before


After


Before


After. I used a rubber stamp and I doodle a bit with a black pen.


This one above I simply put the tissue paper over a face form a magazine molding the tissue to go with the waves of her hair. I was going to stamp over it but I like it just as it was...


This card was a mixture of the string (which I'll show at the end of this posting)and the tissue paper technique...Yes, this is a picture of me that I altered in Photo Shop. Spooky huh? I feel like I look like this at times. I guess a girl can get grumpy & dark sometimes... I get like this especially when I can't make up my mind about something and I know I need to make a decission.



Next was a technique using "telephone book paper". John doesn't know I tore up the phone book yet! I think if I'm lucky we will get our new book in July...Hope so! HA!


I got the old picture from the Internet and I added the Cow Doggy Girl in the middle. I made her for another swap and I used her again for this card! I really love her!

Another picture from the Internet. WOW what a resource! I am so happy to be part of the Cyber Space frontier!


Now is the 3rd technique using "string". The idea was to do what ever with the string mainly to create interest and texture to the finished ATC. I enjoyed this because of the texture and interest it did create! Good idea!


The background of this card was done with the torn up magazine technique we did in an earlier lesson. I then just wound the string around the card, painted it then glued on the little pictures I had in my stash.

Kinda the same idea here. This is my Mom and Dad and me and my sister Theresa.

And another example...

Have a great hair day! Becci

Week #3 ATC Workshop...

I enjoyed this weeks lessons. All the techniques were comfortable for me to produce. Actually they were effortless. Usually when something is effortless for me I become very board with it and I don't want to do it . I never feel bored doodling on pictures.!

This first technique is called "Magazine Papers". Tearing out magazine pictures and then cutting them up and drawing & doodling on them is the idea for this.

I cut out face parts from different ladies and glued them back together in the normal face order but as you can see this is not normal looking! It's WILD! I didn't add extra drawing on this ATC so you could see a before of this idea.

Above, I cut up the magazine picture then I glued it back together in a semi weaved pattern then drew and doodled on her for the finished ATC.

The second technique was the same idea as the first one except this time we added gesso over the top of the magazine picture or photo then drew on top of that. It gives it a misty surreal effect that I really like!

This is the original picture. My good friend Daisy is the beautiful lady in this picture!

And this is Daisy altered.

Magazine pic original.

Magazine pic finished.

Magazine picture finished. I for got to scan in the original ...Oh well.

The third technique was interesting. It's done with Never-Dull. You know, the metal polish that's in a can and you tear off a tuft of cotton stuff?

After finding my image from the magazine and gluing it to my ATC card stock I used Elmer's glue to trace, doodle, dot, dash etc. onto the picture. When the glue was dry I used the Never-Dull and rubbed over the picture. The dried glued stayed there but the toner from the magazine was blurred and or removed depending on how long I rubbed it. The effect is interesting and gives a very nice textured effect for a background.

I tore up red and black magazine pieces and glued them to my card. Then I "dotted" the glue over that. I used the Never-dull just to the point that the toner was almost gone. Traces of the original colors still there

Here I kind of striped the glue on to my background image. I think it kinda resembles an American flag but it originally wasn't that at all! I like how this ATC turned out, so00oo creative I must say! HA!

Week # 2 for my Cyber Sapce ATC Workshop

I wasn't as excited about this week...so I thought! When I got my stuff all together I began creating the lessons and as usual I could hardly make myself stop! I do eventually stop though, physically but not mentally. I go to bed and my mind still throbs with ideas! I absolutely love my bed and sleeping so even thought I'm coming up with tons of great ideas, I wouldn't ever think of getting out of bed to act on any of them! NO WAY!

Anyway, here's some examples of lesson #2.

First we did what's called the "Leafing Pen Resist" technique. We used a metallic pen made by Krylon. It's actually some kind of 18kt. gold leaf. Well, the gold one is anyway. I guess the silver pen is silver leaf but they also make a red one so I wonder what that is?

The gold doesn't show up very pretty on the computer screen like it does in real life. But, I like these cards. For the Angel and cat card I first I drew the sun with the leafing pen and then I water colored over it. The paint won't cover the leafing pen so this is why the technique must be called "relief".

Above is another example of a this technique finished...quite a few months ago I was doodling while talking on the phone ( go figure)and I came up with lady who has a bit of a "deco" flair.

And this is my little sister and me in the early 60's...ahhh, how sweet!


Below are a few examples of un-finished backgrounds using the "Leafing Pen Resist" technique.

Above is stamped with a textured rubber stamp.

I used the red Leafing Pen. It's not very shiny but still looks pretty neat

The second technique is called "Inky Layers".

I "inked" up layers of a different varieties of papers that I collage to an ATC background card. I rubbed ink with a couple of colors from my rubber stamp pads into the layers with a paper towel and then smudged here and there with my fingers to get some depth and a somewhat (controlled) distressed look to the background.

Below is the background,

And this is the finished ATC below...

Again below is the background

and this is the finished ATC...

The creature in this ATC is actually a picture of one of John and my one of a kind sculpted art dolls that we make. I have a link posted at the top of my blog here if you'd like to check it out...

And now the 3rd technique is using stencils.

I think you're getting the idea now about me showing you the background (above)

and then the finished ATC card (below).

But in the 2 examples below I didn't make a finished card for them so0o0o...

Stencils were not my favorite technique but it might have had something to do with it being very late and I was tired! It was messy and sloppy and that can drive me nuts! I'm a bit of a perfectionist and the tiniest little mess up makes me borderline compulsive till I get it cleaned up or fixed up. I love the look of disorder in art I see. This style really really thrills my soul but doing it or living in it makes me paralized till it's taken care of!

ATC ( Artist Trading Card) Workshop we are Cyber Space Pioneers!

I 'm in a Yahoo Group called "Artists of the Round Table". This is a group of artists who create in all kinds of different media. We started an on-line workshop following the book written by Bernie Berlin called "Artist Trading Card Workshop". We are as a group, starting at the very beginning and will do each project in Bernie's book. There are all kinds of different techniques in her book that she teaches and I'm very excited to be a part of this work shop! After the workshop is complete and all projects are done we will get a completion certificate signed by Bernie! YEA!!! I think there a 100 people who are participating and the workshop had to be reluctantly closed because it was just getting too big for the moderators to handle!
Here is my first lesson completed:

Above are watercolors randomly dripped on to a baby wipe.

This is the finished ATC using the colored baby wipe.

This next ATC technique is called "Intuitive Water color ". The idea here was to randomly drip water colors onto the paper and when it's dry see what kind of shapes I can see then outline the shape with a pen, kinda like looking at clouds and finding faces and such in them...

The 3rd technique was to drip water color on to a paper towel, let it dry then tear it up and apply it to the ATC card for an interesting background. I like this technique because of the great texture it gives to the feel of the card.

Here is an example of one the I used a rubber stamp on and one I did collage on:

I have really really enjoyed this project! There isn't very many groups near me that like to do this kind of stuff, I do have a 2 friends and 1 group I enjoy but as we all know it's hard to get together with work and family and resting (that's important too!) So anyway, I'm thinking how lucky we are to be pioneers in this Internet group idea! Chances are we may never meet physically but we have all met and are becoming good friends of "like mind" in mind and spirit,which after all is what I'm thinking is what we will be takein' with us when we die! WOW! Cyber Space Pioneer, NEAT thought! :-)

Have a great hair day! Becci