ArtTRADER

PUTTING THE ART IN TRADE ARTISTIC JOURNEYS

Artful Aprons

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I s s u e 8 - Fa l l 2 0 0 9

Interviews with
Critique
C o r n e r

Cynthia Couch & Irina Pertseva

Metal

Manipluations

MIXED-MEDIA

Paper Beads

MARKERS

An Intro

Cover art by Cynthia Couch

All About Trading

ATCs, Altered Art, Art Journals, Chunky Books & Creative Inspiration

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Table of Contents
3 ArtTrader Contributors 4 Letter from the Editor 5 Contest: Snow Kings and Queens 6 Metal Manipulations 11 Gallery: Moleskine Art 14 ArtforAll2009: Art Weekend Highlights 18 Design 911 21 Gallery: Whimsical Marie Antoinette 23 Feature Interview: Cynthia Couch 29 Walkthrough Art: Fine Art Pears 31 Artistic Journeys: Artful Aprons 36 Critique Corner 38 Gallery: Butterflies 40 Feature Interview: Irina Pertseva 45 Creating Mixed-Media Paper Beads 50 An Introduction to Art Markers 55 Portrait Art with Markers: Blending for Faces 56 Heavy and Release by Kara Jones 57 Online Workshop: Art Journal Explorations 58 Online Workshop Calendar 2010 61 How to Contribute to ArtTrader Magazine -2-

FALL 2009
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CHIEF EDITOR Dana Driscoll COPY EDITORS Meran ni Cuill Amy Sargent CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS Andrea Melione Sal Scheibe Dana Driscoll Kimberly Butts Kara Jones Amy Sargent Sara Dudenhoeffer ART DIRECTOR Sal Scheibe ASSOCIATE DESIGNERS Brittany Noethen Andrea Melione PUBLISHED BY ArtTraderMag.com ArtTRADER Magazine www.arttradermag.com Editor: editor@arttradermag.com Advertising: ads@arttradermag.com Submissions: content@arttradermag.com Call for Entries: www.arttradermag.com

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Contributors

Amy L. Sargent is a poet, mixed-media artist, and writing professor living in Roseburg, Oregon. She trades mail art under the artist ID amyfaerie at www.atcsforall.com. She lives with her husband, their three cats, and an old, hand-me-down dog. When not writing, making art, or teaching, she is most certainly at the post office or at a thrift store. Sal Scheibe works as a creative designer for print and web and also as a freelance illustrator. Her designs and artwork have appeared in books, CDs and DVDs and posters. Sal is currently working on a number of large canvas paintings for art shows. She also enjoys trading ATCs and is an administrator at IllustratedATCs.com. Sals favorite artists and illustrators include Joe Sorren, J.C. Leyendecker, William Bougereau and John Singer Sargent. Her favored mediums are acrylic paint, colored pencils and markers. www.slscheibe.com www.flickr.com/photos/amerasu Meran niCuill Fascinated by nature and science, Meran ni Cuill attempts daily to translate her passions into art. Sometimes she feels she even succeeds! And then something else will catch her attention and off shell go! Chasing another ideal. Meran enjoys gardening, sunsets, dogs, birds, and just about anything as long as its not endless crowds of people. When those present, shell retreat to a quiet place and read a book, or cut some glass, both of which she finds therapeutic. www.meran.etsy.com atcs2009.meran.fastmail.fm Dana Driscoll is an experimental artist working in a variety of media including watercolors, mixed media, oils, clay, book arts, hand papermaking, jewelry making and altered art. She recently completed painting her 78-card Tarot of Trees deck and also enjoys combining her love of pottery and bookmaking. When not teaching university classes in writing and rhetoric, she can be found frolicking in nearby forests or hanging out with her nerdy gamer friends. Danas work can be found at her Tarot of Trees site (www.tarotoftrees.com) and at her blog: artisticjourneys.blogspot.com. She can be reached at adriayna@yahoo.com. www.tarotoftrees.com Brittany Noethen is an artist living in a tech managers body. She would rather be decapitated than give up making art, trading ATCs, or stop thinking that the phrase Muffins or Bust is hilarious. She currently lives in Iowa with her partner Cat, her 12 year old pit bull, Maggie, and shelves full of art supplies. www.bnoethen.etsy.com arty-iowa-girl.vox.com www.flickr.com/photos/arty-ia-girl Andrea Melione (AKA EraserQueen) has a B.S. in Arts Management and is doggedly pursuing a Masters in Library Science. She has been involved in Mail Art for five years and is the co-founder of IllustratedATCs.com. She is a contributor to ArtTrader Magazine where she is a graphic designer and author. She mainly works in watercolor, colored pencil, acrylics, markers and gel pens. Her work has been in four exhibits, though two were academic and she isnt sure if that counts enough to sound cool. artpfunkcentral.blogspot.com www.flickr.com/photos/littleboots

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Letter from the Editor

Dana Driscoll
Hello everyone, and welcome to our newest edition of ArtTrader Magazine. We have a wonderful issue in store for you this quarter! Id like to first draw your attention to our newest ArtTrader contest, the Snow Kings and Snow Queens (pg 5). Up for grabs is an amazing set of Sakura Koi Watercolors, watercolor paper, and metallic Prismacolor pens.

As the leaves are beginning to change, the weather is cooling off, and winter is quickly approaching, I have big plans to hope up in my art studio all winter long and learn new techniques. This issue will go quite a ways in helping me towards this goal, with overviews of so many new artistic techniques and eye-popping galleries of great art! In Metal Manipulations Kimberly Butts walks us through the art of metal embossing (p. 6). Amy Sargent gives us the low-down on Mixed Media Paper Beads which are wonderful for adding some chunk or dangle to nearly any artistic project (p. 45). I was lucky enough to meet both of these wonderful artists at Artforall 2009 in Indianapolis this summer. If you missed out on ArtforAll this year, you can check out our Artforall review (p.14). 2010s event will take place in Rochester, New York on June 24th-27th and everyone is invited to come! Learn more about next years event on page 17. Our great issue doesnt stop therewe have interviews with two fabulous artists: Cynthia Couch (p. 23) and Irina Pertseva (p.40). We have information on Art Markers (p. 50) and several great art walkthroughs! And of course, we also have our regular columns Critique Corner (p. 36), Design 911(p. 18) and my own Artistic Journeys column (p. 31). As those in the northern hemisphere start spending more time indoors, you might also want to check out our new ArtTrader Workshopsup for the month of October is Art Journals! More information can be found here: http://www.arttradermag.com/node/7. Thank you once again for your support of

ArtTrader and happy creating!

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CONTEST!

Snow Kings & Queens!

A cool breeze is in the air and the seasons are changing. Soon it will be time for the beautiful, white snow that winter brings. In honor of the cold season, our fall contest will focus on Snow Kings & Queens! Wed like you to create your version of snow (or ice) royalty.

Official Rules
1. Your piece should feature either a snow (or ice) king or a queen or both. It doesnt matter what size you use - it can be an ATC, a postcard or even a larger canvas. 2. Were accepting all mediuns so feel free to paint, draw, sew, collage or mix it all up! 3. We ask for original art only, and no fan art. creations must be your own! We reserve the right to remove entries that are not original. 4. This contest is open to everyone, worldwide, age 18 or older. 5. Prizes must be accepted as is. 6. Please send your entry via email to art@arttradermag.com. Entries must be at least 200 DPI. You must fill out an Artwork Release Form (on the ArtTrader Mag website) otherwise your entry will not be accepted. We will publish the top images in our next issue. 7. Entries must be received by 11:00 pm EDT on December 10, 2009. 8. A grand prize winner will be announced in our Winter 2010 issue available on January 1, 2010. Prizes will be sent via regular mail in January 2010.

When the bold branches Bid farewell to rainbow leaves Welcome wool sweaters. ~B. Cybrill

Grand Prize!
An 18-color set of Sakura Koi Watercolors, a pad of 5 x 7 postcard-sized watercolor paper, and two metallic Prismacolor pens! -5-

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Metal Manipulations by Kimberly Butts

Welcome to the wonderful world of metal manipulation. I hope that you enjoy creating lots of amazing metal art and that you will trade metal art with all your ATC and mail art friends. Throughout history, metal has been manipulated in an effort to create art by many different cultures. To create my metal ATCs, I use a low relief sculptural process in which thin metal is imprinted with texture. This process can produce similar results to those seen in famous fine and functional metallic works of art.

Historical and Cultural Connections

For ages, people have been coming up with new and wonderful ways to use metal to create amazing and long-lasting art. The art teacher in me cannot resist recommending some of these fantastic examples. Who knows? They might even inspire your next great work of art! Here are two examples to get you started: 1. The Benin culture of Nigeria is well known for their impressively textured bronze relief sculptures. Check out this example from the Art Institute of Chicago: Benin Metal Art. 2. Renaissance artist Lorenzo Ghiberti also employed a low-relief process when he created The Gates of Paradise for the doors of the Florence Baptistery during the 1400s.

Tool Box
38 gauge tooling foil cut to 3 X 4 Thin cardboard cut to 2-3/8 X 3-3/8 Masking tape Pencil or other tools Acrylic paint (black) Paintbrush or cosmetic sponge to apply paint to the metal Paper towels and table covering Other desired tools/materials

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Creating a Metal Masterpiece

Step 1 After you have all the materials you need it is time to make the base for your cards. If the foil is two-toned select the side (color) you want to use. Then place the foil on the table with your selected side down. Center the cardboard on the back of the foil.

Step 2 Carefully fold the edges tightly around the cardboard and use long strips of tape to tape down all the edges being sure to cover all of the sharp edges of the foil.

Step 3 Use a pencil or other metal manipulation tools to create your design on the front of your foilcovered card. The texture wheels and other tools from Ten Seconds Studio can create fantastic textures on the foil. Sometimes its nice to have a sample texture chart on a scrap piece of foil so that you can see the finished textures your wheels and tools can create.

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Step 4 When you are happy with the design put a loop of tape on the back and tape it to your table covering so that the card will not slide all over the place when you polish (step 5). Now, apply a small amount of acrylic paint over the entire surface of your card using a paintbrush or cosmetic sponge. Be sure to get paint in all the grooves.

Step 5 Quickly, before the paint dries, use a paper towel to polish the excess paint off of the surface of the card. Some of the paint will stay in the grooves while the surface (raised areas) will be mostly clean and shiny again.

Step 6 Allow the card to dry completely (this should take an hour or less). Then apply your ATC back tag and information.

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Resources and Supplies

1. I get my tooling foil from Dick Blick. Its about $17.00 for a 12-inch-by-25-foot roll of two-toned aluminum. They also have pure metals (including aluminum, brass and copper). 2. Metal Effects by Cheryl Darrow (owner of Ten Seconds Studio) is a great book on how to manipulate metal and use the various Ten Seconds Studio products. 3. Video demonstrations of metal manipulation projects are available at Darrows web site: www.tensecondsstudio. com. Metal Modifications
Two Toned: Working on the colored (not silver) side of the foil, create a design. Then use the brass brush tool to remove the coloring, adding a fine brushed texture to some but not all areas of the card. Super Puff: Before attaching the foil to the cardboard, work from the back of the foil (over a sheet or two of fun foam) to puff out certain areas of the design. Add textures from the front of the foil. Fill in the grooves on the back of the foil with spackling paste. Let it dry. Then, carefully wrap the foil around the cardboard and tape down the edges. Bling Bling: Add artificial gems and crystals to the design. I usually place the gem on the foil and trace around it so that I can be sure to reserve that space for the gem as I complete the rest of the design. For gluing down gems, I recommend Ultimate Super Glue by api. Color Control: After creating a design on a silver foil card, use colored permanent markers to add color just where you want it. This works best in small areas; larger areas may look streaky. Color Flow: Alcohol inks can be applied to the foil to create areas of color, but it is much more difficult to control the movement of the color with this technique. Stamp and Stencil: For those who may not be as confident with their own drawing skills, this technique may save some frustration. Using a Staz-on ink pad, stamp an image onto the back of the foil and then use tools to trace over the image and puff out some areas of the design. To stencil a design, just lie a stencil on the front or back of the foil and trace the design using a pencil or stylus tool. Puff and finish the design with other tools. Keep in mind that letters, words and numbers will be backwards if printed and traced from the back, so for these particular subjects I recommend working from the front. Textured Tape: Metal repair tape can also be used to make these textured cards. You can add texture to foil tape before or after applying it to the card, but keep in mind that foil in tape form is extremely thin and can not be pushed in or puffed out nearly as much as 38-gauge metal. I also recommend trying to find 3 wide tape if you plan to cover the whole card. Otherwise, it will be necessary to apply two strips of tape to cover the whole area, resulting in a seam that will show. Metal tape is great for smaller areas of shiny texture, however, and you dont have to worry so much about sharp edges.

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Metal Manipulations Art by Kimberly Butts

Heavy Metal Flowers

Ruby Necklace

City Birds

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Gallery: Moleskine Journals

Moleskine Journals are all the rage in the mail art world! There are groups on both ATCsforAll.com and IllustratedATCs.com as well as a vibrant Flickr community dedicated to collaboration in the Japanese Accordian Moleskine books (3.5 x 5.5 page size). Here is a 2 and 4 page spread selection from artists at IllustratedATCs.com.

Rhonda Anderson

Sal Scheibe

Sarah Trumpp

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Kati Barrett

Shelli Heinemann

Gallery: Moleskine Journals

Laurie Meynig

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Brittany Noethen

D.K. Skains

Sal Scheibe

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ArtForAll 2009: Art Weekend Highlights

Review by Dana Driscoll
Forty two artists made their way to Indianapolis, Indiana for our first annual ArtForAlla wonderful mail-art-filled weekend complete with workshops, a frenzy of trading, and a 24-hour art room! This review takes you though some of the highlights and provides information on next years event.

Arrival Artists began arriving on Thursday, June 18th. While some artists were flying in, many more drove with nearly their entire art supply cache in tow. The hotel staff quickly was overwhelmed with the frenzy of excited giggling, trading, hugs, and laughter that filled the hotel lobby. After a group dinner at Ruby Tuesdays, the early arrivals came back for a goody bag stuffing party. Artists from atcsforall.com and illustratedatcs.com donated a variety of wonderful loot . . . er . . . gifts and prizes for the events goody bags. That same evening, our 24-hour art room opened and artists quickly set up their stations of art supplies at the provided tables. Many artists stayed in the art room late into the night creating nametags, ATCs, chunkies, and inchies for trading, or simply enjoying each others company. Workshops Friday, June 19th and Saturday, June 20th were filled to the brim with activities, most notably a series of fantastic workshops led by our volunteer workshop leaders. Our workshops included the following: ATCs as the Focal Point in a Greeting Card by Patti McLoughlin Calligraphy by Bonnie Driscoll Carving Your Own Stamps by Shelly Greene Colorful Faux Tintype Layered Collage ATC by Carolyn Brady Colored Pencil Techniques by Tracie Rozario Finding Your Own Artistic Style: Exploration by Dana Driscoll Matchbox Shrines and Ornaments led by Dar Mariano and Dina Haskins Melted Crayon Back-ground Tech by Martha Lee Metal Manipulation: A workshop led by Kim Butts Mixed-Media Paper Beads by Amy Sargent Painting Tech: Watercolor Birch Tree ATC by Rod Kretlow Postage Stamps as the Focal Point in an ATC Patti McLoughlin

Balletbon enjoys signing a t-shirt during our mocktail party.

I was lucky enough to attend four of the aforementioned workshops, and Ill now provide readers with a short overview of each. -14-

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In the Mixed-Media Paper Beads workshop, workshop leader Amy Sargent walked participants through the steps of cutting book pages and assorted papers and rolling them into paper beads using bamboo skewers. Next, we used embossing ink and embossing powders to coat the beads repeatedly in layers of beautiful embossing powders, glitters, and other assorted materials such as wire and fibers to create amazing, unique beads. In Rod Kretlows Painting Tech: Watercolor Birch Tree ATC workshop, participants learned how to mix watercolor paints and layer watercolors to create a striking birch scene. Rod taught us about underpainting, adding detail with different sized brushes, dry brushing, reverse painting, and working with color. This was a fantastic workshopand perhaps the best part was that Rod gave each participant a hand-painted birch tree ATC! In the Colorful Faux Tintype workshop, Carolyn Brady walked us through how to create a beautiful layered tintype ATC. We started with metal tape, adhering it to an ATC-sized piece of cardstock. Next, we used markers to color in a transparency, and then layered papers underneath the transparency to add depth and dimension. This is a wonderful technique that yours truly plans on using with my own tree drawings! Finally, I was also lucky enough to attend the Matchbox Shrines and Ornaments class led by Dar Mariano and Dina Haskins. When workshop participants arrived, the tables were full to the brim of ephemera, fibers, beads, buttons, trinkets, feathers, and paperseverything one could possibly need to make beautiful matchboxes. Dar and Dina brought all the supplies, and they also constructed a display of their own matchbox shrines to inspire participants. After walking us through the process, we were unleashed to dig through the treasure piles and create our own matchbox creations. Each of the workshops from ArtForAll 2009 was incredibleincluding the many I was not able to attend. I look forward to next years event and the workshops it features. -15-

Purplerealm (center) explains the details of making beautiful art with coloredpencils with her workshop students.

Kat and Gingersnap show of their creations in the Postage as a Focal Point for an ATC workshop, led by PattiM.

The matchbox shrines workshop led by Dina54 and Artedar was a wonderful experience to create and fill matchboxes!

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24-Hour Art Room During the entire weekend event, the 24-hour art room was buzzing with activity, trading, and lots of laughter! The 24-hour art room opened Thursday night and closed on Sunday morning. During that time, it was hard to find no less than two dozen artists hard at work on chunky book pages, ATCs, and a variety of other art projects. Many attendees brought art journals to pass around and work in, and these journals made their way around the room being passed from artist to artist. It was hard to keep up! A bustle of trading activity accompanied artists and their supplies. Late at night, the art room became an especially silly place. Our 24-hour art room also had a supply trade table where artists could leave unwanted supplies and take any goodies they could find. Memories, Trading, and Fun ArtForAll 2009 certainly had its share of trading fun! On Friday evening, we had a mocktail party where attendees brought trading binders and also asked everyone to sign our AFA09 T-shirts and art aprons! A signing frenzy took place, and each attendee took back home with them a shirt or apron (or both) filled with signatures and memories. On Saturday evening, we had a wonderful group dinner and then came back for prizes and announcements. Sarah Zamora handed out prizes to the following participants: Nancy Galambos, winner of the Guess the Art Space competition Kathryn Launey, winner of the Best Nametag contest Tracie Rozario, winner of the Workshop Leaders prize, which was randomly drawn from the names of all leaders. Congratulations to all prizewinners! Participants also created wonderful gifts for our organizer, Cathy Weber. Cathy was given a giant gift basket (put together by Patti McLoughlin) full of cat-themed goodies. -16-

A number of lovely ladies are shown here taking advantage of our 24-hour artroom!

The AFA09 attendees enjoy a group dinner at Ruby Tuesdays.

Artforall 2009 was open to artists of all media and backround. Muppin worked extensively with her sewing machine throughout the event.

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On Sunday, we were all sad to leave our friends, but took with us the memories we shared from ArtForAll 2009. We would like to thank our organizer, Cathy Weber and her two assistants, Crystal and Billie, for putting on such an amazing event! We would also like to thank our Atcsforall.com and Illustratedatcs.com staff that was in attendance: Sarah, Tracie, Rod . . . and yours truely! Thank you to our workshop leaders and the many volunteers who helped set up and arrange our spaces, clean up food, stuff and organize goody bags, and pitched in to assist with countless other small details. We are thrilled by this years success and look forward to next years event!

More fun at our mocktail party with t-shirt and apron signing!

ArtForAll 2010 Rochester, New York

Next years event will be in June 24-27, 2010 in the wonderful city of Rochester, New York. Rochester is centrally located on the east coast and is drivable from many surrounding states. Situated on the beautiful southern shore of Lake Ontario, Rochester is known as the flower city with a series of beautiful parks and nurseries, including a Lilac Festival in May. Rochester is a city full of history, including being home to Susan B. Anthony and the place where escaped slave Fredric Douglass started his abolitionist newspaper, The North Star. Today, Rochester is an artsy, trendy place boasting the Eastman Theatre, the Eastman School of Music, the Garth Fagan Dance, the Rochester Contemporary Art Center, and the Strasenburgh Planetarium. Next years event will include even more workshops, a 24-hour art room, trading, an ATC show/display, and promises to be just as fun as this year! Details about the event will be published in ArtTrader Magazine, on the ArtTrader site, and also at Atcsforall.com and Illustratedatcs.com. If you are unable to make Rochester in 2010, consider joining us in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas in 2011 or Portland, Oregon in 2012!

Art for All 2010 June 24, 25, 26 & 27, 2010 Holiday Inn & Suites Rochester, NY
Registration & workshop information will be availabe in our next issue. -17-

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Design 911
with Andrea Melione

Welcome to Design 911, the regular column that features information on design principles and how to use them to create fun, interesting and eye-catching artwork! This issue we will discuss Gestalt Theory and how to use it in our artwork. What is Gestalt? Gestalt is a German word meaning Form, in the sense of many things creating a whole. You may have heard the expression look at the big picture. Gestalt is one word that conveys the same meaning. How does this apply to design? Well, any piece of art you create has a design, which includes color, composition and theme. Gestalt is a way of looking at those elements as a whole, and whether or not they work well together to create that one piece of art. One thing to keep in mind while reading this article is that many artists subconsciously think about these concepts while they create art. The key to creating successful and appealing art is to learn and understand these concepts to the point where you no longer need to actively think about them. But for now, try to purposefully integrate some of these concepts into your creative process. Color: Everyone loves the returns they get from swaps that have specific color themes! These include monochromatic chunkies, black and tan + one, black white and red swap, the pink swap, and so forth. This is because participants have been given a specific color scheme to work with before they even begin. How often do you begin a card or artwork specifically with a color scheme in mind? Color cohesion and harmony is important when thinking about the gestalt of your artwork. Nothing crates discordance in your work more than a poor color scheme or poor placement of colors. As an experiment, try thinking about a definite color scheme to work with before you begin to create your artwork. Say youre making something for the Cats with Wings swap? Chose a specific color scheme before working on your winged cat card! Here is a short list of color schemes to play with. Feel free to add more color schemes of your own: Teal, Cream and Purple Orange, Yellow and Blue

Fuchsia, Lime Green and Orange Brown, Rose and Sage

Lime Green, Black and Hot Pink

Perriwinkle Blue, Seaweed and Sea Foam

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An ATC with a strong composition always stands out from the crowd, and a good composition actually helps you when deciding where to put your colors! Below are some composition ideas in ATC proportion. For a project, make more ATCs of these compositions to use as a resource library when youre feeling stumped. These compositions will work with whatever media you use, collage, colored pencils, fabric etc. Remember, asymmetry and odd numbers make for the best compositions.

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Theme: Depth of theme can make for a great ATC, and knowing the details of your theme can also help you make good color and composition decisions. For example: you want to make a faerie queen, either drawn, or an altered vintage image. Now try to go beyond that and give the idea more depth. What time of year is it? It may be fun to make a Winter Queen or a Fall Queen. You can take this even further and pick a specific element such as water, fire, earth or air. What about a plant? Roses, poison ivy, holly, or oak leaves with acorns. You can do this with just about anything. Once you have the idea for a theme, list the many ways you can interpret it, and then pick the ones that will work well together in the artwork. Here are some interesting and popular themes: Arabian Nights Asian Fortune Telling Hawaiian Mardi Gras Tropical Birds Berry and Flower Fairys Western Vintage men, women or Children Carnivale Circus Shoes Trees Angels Fish Mermaids Dragons Landscapes Marie Antoinette Your favorite music Musical instruments Asian Indian Native Indian Garden Earth, Air, Fire and Water Maps Piriates Bridges Snow/winter Transportation Literature Poetry Cats Horses Bugs Faeries Fairy Tales Foklore Ancient Rome Ancient Egypt Eastern Religion Western Religion Art Nouveau Industry Victorian Goth Creepy Cute Optical illustions Animals Skeletons Holloween Christmas Passover Easter Celistial

So there we have itcolor, composition and theme all need to work together to create a cohesive whole in our artwork. Gradually you should be able to create artwork using these ideas subconsciously, or at an instinctive level, but many people need to think about these concepts before creating until a kind of spontaneous process can be achieved effectively. Next issue we will be discussing rectilinear and curvilinear lines and how we can use them in the popular skinny 3x7 format. See you next time!

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Gallery: Whimsical Marie Antoinette

From the artists of ATCsforAll.com
Ursina Kasper Karen Tomlinson

Sarah Hurley

Sabrina Evans

Lynn McClain

Pamela McVay

Maureen Sunde

Teresa Fogerty

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Gallery: Whimsical Marie Antoinette

From the artists of ATCsforAll.com
Theresa Siebert Jennifer Moore

Malin Walkeby

Teresa Morgan

Theresa Plas

Renu Whiteside

Joan Craft

Sal Scheibe

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Cynthia Couch
Featured Member Interview Interview by Andrea Melione Cynthia Couch is a master of mood. Her work ranges over various media and theme, but one constant throughout is the strong sense of atmosphere and emotion. From a peaceful landscape with vibrant warmth to a surreal work of disturbing beauty, she consistently pleases and provokes her viewers. In this feature she shares some of her inspiration and creative process. Do you have an arts background? Cynthia: During college, which I attended in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I studied painting with the intention of pursuing a career in art. I came within a semester of completing my bachelors degree in fine arts; but, after seeing how difficult it was for my professional artist friends to survive, I transferred into another area and finished college with two degrees that were not art related. I decided that I would pursue a more stable career outside the arts and paint on the side. You use so many techniques to create your work. What dictates the use of one? The subject matter itself, or does the technique itself sometimes inspire its use? Cynthia: I tend to go through cycles in my work where I explore a particular medium or technique. During and after my college years, I painted mainly with oils. After I began my working career as a paralegal, in which I needed to present a professional appearance in the office, I found oils to pose certain problems for me in terms of being able to adequately remove stains from my hands. This caused me to switch to soft pastels as my primary medium because I could use them in a way that was similar to how I painted with oils, but without as much of the mess. I continued to work in pastels for many years. After I discovered the small format of the artist trading card and the fun of trading them in late 2005, I started using the small format as an opportunity to explore different types of media that I had not used previously, including watercolor paint and pencils, scratchboard and clayboard, and colored pencils and ink. I also started exploring mixed media collage. I find that I enjoy playing with different mediums a great deal, but what drives me to use a particular medium or technique at any given moment is a serendipitous combination of my mood at the moment, which tools are close at hand, and what results I have in mind. -23-

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Do you approach your collage work differently from your drawn or painted? Do feel there is a difference in the way your brain works? Cynthia: I both view and approach my collage work differently from my drawn and painted work. I feel much more of a personal investment in my drawn and painted work and I also feel a much greater sense of creative ownership. For me, the collage work is more of a lark, like rearranging magnet words on a refrigerator to form some sort of haiku poem or putting together the pieces of a puzzle (albeit one that does not have a predetermined result).Hopefully, the results have some aesthetic value, but because I may use found images or objects within my collages, I feel less of a sense of creative ownership in the collaged pieces. I often rely on my drawing and painting skills to better integrate elements within my collage work, so there is usually a combination of both in my mixed media pieces.

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What particular subject matter attracts you? Cynthia: A great variety of subject matter appeals to me, from traditional landscapes and portraiture, to abstract work, and to the psychological exploration that becomes possible with the surreal. I am especially drawn to work that is emotionally evocative, either through subtle means or startling ones. I have been exploring the surreal more in my own work for the past few months and I am finding to be very therapeutic and quite a bit of fun. It is enjoyable to explore the mental and emotional tangents that a simple line or shape can produce when I allow myself to draw without reference to anything external and without specific intent. The sense of freedom that I experience when I approach a piece without a predetermined result in mind is an incredible thrill and quite satisfying. What subject matter inspires you? Cynthia: I would have to say that almost any subject matter can be inspiring if it is done well and creatively.

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Where else do you find inspiration? Cynthia: My inspiration comes from many sources. As I look around me, I tend to analyze what I see in terms of how I might deconstruct it for artistic purposes. I ask myself what colors, lines, shapes, or techniques I might use to recreate what I am looking at or how I might interpret it in a non-representational way. This is a mental practice that I engage in steadily throughout my day and that helps me to stay in a creative frame of mine when I an engaged in activities that are not art-related. On the weekends, I go out in the early mornings for long offleash romps with my dog in uninhabited areas. These outings are a wonderful source of creative fuel for me. Communing with nature and aimless roaming with a canine friend is a fantastic way to jump start ones creative day.

I also subscribe to the blogs of artists whose work I like and to the newsletters of various art collectives. Seeing fresh art created by others often helps me to feel connected to the creative drive we all share. In general though, I am visually stimulated by the things I see around me, whether it be nature, people, animals, movies or other art and I enjoy listening to music as I draw or paint. Everything is creative fuel.

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Is there any particular media or subject matter you find difficult to tackle? Anything that seems blissfully natural and easy? Cynthia: Drawing and painting feel very natural and easy to me; but, I have been doing them for so long (I am almost 53 years old now and I have been drawing ever since I could hold a crayon in my hand) that it would be pretty sad if they did not feel natural by now. I think that, as long as the medium is one I can get my hands in and play with, I feel pretty comfortable. If it is one that requires a great deal of forethought and planning, as I imagine an art form like printmaking to be, then I find I am less inclined to explore it. I think I need to have that play factor involved to be truly happy in the creative process. Do you have a favorite technique or material? Cynthia: My favorite technique of late is the one I use to create many of my surreal pieces. I sit down with my paper and draw a line or curve or shape lightly with a pencil. I look at the line or shape and allow it to suggest something to me. Maybe it looks like the beginning of a beak or a hand or something mechanical. I tend to go with whatever pops into my head. It is usually a combination of putting in enough lines and shapes to determine the flow of the piece and then opening my mind to the possibilities the piece presents. It feels like a process of letting the piece direct itself and it is a wonderful way to loosen up and let go of the preconceived notions I might have about how things are supposed to look. I think the best way to approach doing this is simply to have no fear, as well as no expectations. I cannot tell you how many times I think I am just creating something that is going to go into the trash can, only to have it shape itself into something I like in the end.

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What drew you to mail art? Cynthia: Getting involved in mail art has been a great way for me to connect with other people who have similar interests. I have been able to exchange my art for that of artists whose work I really enjoy and I love having inspiring art around me in my home and office. In my regular life, there are very few artists and so having sites on the Internet where I can find other artists who share my interests has enriched my life immensely. I thoroughly enjoy the discussions, the feedback, and the sense of a supportive community that I have found within the mail art world. Do you have any advice to people just starting a new technique or working with a new material? Cynthia: Allow yourself full license to play and dont worry about the results. You will learn so much by just playing. Give yourself permission to be a kid again and most of all, enjoy!

Visit Cynthia on the Web!

Online Portfolio: http://tinyurl.com/ly946 Blog: http://couchart.livejournal.com

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Walk-Through Art

By Sara Dudenhoeffer

This is a bit of a play by play of how I create most of my watercolour and ink ATCs. I guess one could use this as a how-to if one wanted, however, Im sure there are better ways of doing things. Plus, I believe that when it comes to art, especially art as a hobby, it is always best for one to figure out what works best for themselves, individually.

Step One The first thing I do with most of my cards is do a quick sketch in permanent ink (non water soluble). Unless Im doing a quite tight drawing, I dont usually start with pencil as I like keeping it real, so to speak. So, this is my quick chicken scratch sketch of the image.

Step Two Now, Im just laying in some base colours in watercolour paint. I havent mixed any colours on the card, Ive just used three basic colours; the red, brown and blue.

Step Three Now, at this point, Ive only added one more colour to the picture - the golden tan colour. Ive layered it darker in areas and lighter in others by using different amounts of water with the paint.

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Step Four On this step Ive added a pearlescent golden colour of watercolour very lightly (with a lot of water) over the card. Again, Ive layered it darker in areas and lighter in others by using different amounts of water with the paint.

Step Five Ive used more brown to add more depth to painting with shadowing. At this point one could add even deeper shadows to tighten up the painting further and make it look really slick... but keeping with my scribble style, I prefer to get out my micron pen and do some scribble illustrating.

Step Six This is the finished product with micron pen outline added.

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Artistic Journeys: Artful Aprons!

By Dana Driscoll
I recently had the pleasure of joining many of our Atcsforall.com and Illustratedatcs.com members at ArtForAll 2009. One of our activities at the event was an apron signing, where we used colorful fabric markers to sign each others bright white art aprons. This whole event got me thinking about art aprons. Art aprons, and aprons in general, seem to be all rage these days. So what is it about aprons?

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Close-up of the signatures on the Art Apron from AFA09

Aprons are for June Cleaver. As a feminist, initially I was put off by the idea of an apron of any kind. Although aprons had been worn by women and men in a variety of professions for centuries, in the 1940s and 1950s the apron became a symbol associated with traditional female roles. Women in apronsand the values that they espoused permeated television and advertising of that era in characters like June Cleaver in Leave it to Beaver. These cultural icons entrenched the woman-as-caretaker values within the hearts and minds of the American public for generations.

Aprons above by Renu Whiteside

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Women, even of the 21st century, find it hard to get beyond these traditional values when seeking to move up the ranks in the workplace, enter male-dominated professions in math, technology, government, and science, to be paid equally for their work, and so forth. For generations we have fought the typical female stereotype, and so, something that reminds us of the days of barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen doesnt initially sit well. However, the more I thought about the art apron as something many female artists are embracing, A close-up of Danas altered art apron the more I realized that art aprons can actually empower women. Art aprons can help us to break down traditional barriers and stereotypes through creative expression. Much like what art quilts have done to traditional quiltmaking, art aprons have the ability to do for female artists. Aprons are an expression and celebration of femininity. And so, we can see aprons not simply as something your mother would wear in a kitchen or a symbol of female oppression, but rather something that allows us to express the joy of being artists and female. (As an aside, I have yet to see a nice manly artistic apron, but we are always looking for new and trendy submissions here at ArtTrader. So gentlemen readers, we expect great things from you!) At the same time, the apron as art allows us to reflect upon, and go beyond, our traditional female roots. Aprons allow us to explore femininity through their historical roots, but also allow us to move beyond those roots by altering, ripping, and turning the apron into an art object. Your art apron is anything you want it to beand while it certainly can be cute, pretty, and pink, it can also be raw, edgy, and trendy. In a way, creating an art apron is a lot like creating an art quiltwhile the quilt was also a traditional female art form, it has now moved beyond tradition into anything imaginable! Thats the wonderful thing about artwe can make anything our hearts and minds can conceive of. We can shift the meaning of cultural symbols, and alter one thing into another. But enough philosophy and historylets talk about how to make your own art apron.

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Sewing Your Own Apron The first kind of art apron is best attempted by someone with some sewing experience. Aprons are pretty easy to sew though, so if you can handle drapes or pillow cases, chances are you can handle making an apron! For this art apron, you create the apron from scratchpick your fabrics, your design, your pattern, and so forth. For my from scratch art apron, I dug into my fabric stash and found some purple fabric that I had five or six yards of and some batik scraps for pockets. I found a cheap store-bought apron for artists and I used that as a pattern. You can also purchase an apron pattern or visit the free apron pattern sites listed at the end of this article. I created the pockets separately, thinking about spaces to hold my brushes, scissors, and pencils. I finished it off by attaching a few cute buttons to it. The whole apron came together in a few hours and now I have a great apron that I can paint in and create art in. I find wearing it inspirational!

This is Danas from scratch apron for lounging around in her art studio

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The Altered Apron Method The alternative to creating an apron from scratch is to purchase one and alter it. I did this with my second art apron. I started by purchasing a canvas apron from a local art/hobby store for less than $5. I bought some Lumiere Acid Dyes (fabric dyes) and then dyed the apron purple on the bottom and green on the top. This gave me a nice base to work with. I was recently given a stash of wonderful fabrics, including strips of batik fabric, as a gift from my grandmother-in-law. I knew I wanted to make something artistic with these beautiful fabrics, and once I started laying them out, I realized they would make a perfect apron! I stitched the batiks together, and shaped them to fit around the two big front pockets of the apron. I added lace to the edges, the pockets, and the bottom with a fancy decorative stitch. Then I decided any apron I created would be incomplete without a tree, so I did an appliqu quilted tree on the top of the apron with more batik fabric. I finished the apron off by sewing on a variety of mother-of-pearl buttons to the pockets and bottom edge of the apron. The result was a gorgeous (although slightly heavy) art apron that I would be proud to wear anywhere!

Danas altered art apron, which she has declared too pretty to wear to make art!

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Ways to Alter an Apron: You can do so many things with an art apron to personalize it and make it your own. Here are just a few: Spray paint Letter stencils Stitching fabric pieces or pockets to the apron Cutting parts out of the apron, or replacing them with other fabric parts (like the pockets) Gluing fabric to it using fabric glue Fabric paints Fabric markers Buttons Stitching and thread painting Lace Beads Ribbon Dye Too Nice to Paint In? The danger in making an art apron and spending several days on it is that when you finish it, you wont want to wear it to make art. I love my altered apron so much that I cant bear the thought of getting paint on it! And so, Ill wear it for fun, or when I hang out with art friends, but not when Im planning on making an artistic mess. The Sewn-from-scratch apron I made I specifically decided it was ok to get paint on when I made it, so that is the one I wear for my art.

Art Apron by Sarah Zamora

Being Inspired by Aprons The Internet has a wealth of great apron galleries, patterns, and ideas Here are a few to get you started: The Tie One OnNo $$ Apron Gallery on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/angrychicken/sets/72157617609671394/ 52 free Apron patterns from Tipnut.com: http://tipnut.com/56-free-apron-patterns-you-can-make/ Vintage Apron Gallery: http://members.shaw.ca/collectrix/APRONS/apron%20gallery%201.htm

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Critique Corner

with Andrea Melione

Welcome to Critique Corner! In this issue we have two acrylic paintings from Gloria Arehartaka. She is fairly new to acrylic painting and so is seeking general rather than specific advice. Lets start with High Plains Drifters, which is 6 by 8 inches. First of all, it has a very effective composition. The mountain range is just above the center and this helps to give a sense of distance and depth. In the rendering of the painting, the deer themselves add a great touch to the mood and to the composition. However, the deer would look more sophisticated if a photo reference were used (not copied, but as a reference to deer anatomy). The deer in the herd are also facing the same way. Most deer do not face the same direction unless running, and from the current rendering of the herd it is not possibly to determine their activity. The rendering of the mountains and sky has a lovely, soft, painterly quality, and I especially like how the area where the meadow meets the mountains is painted as it has a hazy quality, much like one would see in nature. The color composition is lovely as well; there are just a few things that could make it more effective. We should first note that the main color composition is green/yellow/purple. There are other colors present, but those three are the ones that stand out. Greens (made from a mixture of yellow and blue) are very important in landscape. Sometimes, all greens seem the same, but there are many varieties from light to dark and with varying temperature: cool green (which contains more blue than yellow) to warm green (which contains more yellow than blue). In Glorias painting of the meadow, there is an under coat of red-brown paint. The effect of redbrown on the green is that it causes the green to look neutral and muddy. A more effective under color would be muted yellow or a warmer yellow-brown. Adding more yellow to the green would be especially effective because it would create a greater connection with the yellow warmth of the sky; which is painted with mostly yellow and pink.

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The second painting, Appalachian Winter, is also 6 by 8 inches. Again, the composition is well thought out. The eye is lead from the building and waterwheel around the paintings. Like the first painting, the only areas that need to be more effective are the choice of some colors and the rendering.

The main color composition here is white, brown, gray and blue. The extra colors are green and a light orange. Orange is a very tricky color to work into snow scenes. Orange mixed with blue creates a muddy neutral, which can lessen the effect of bright sunlight on snow. An alternative color choice would be a very light, almost white yellow to pick out spots where the sun hits. There is also perhaps too much gray. An alternative for the gray could be a blue or blue-gray with some subtle purple in the snow ruts. The rendering in this painting is good. However, more detail could be added to the waterwheel, and boards or slats could be added to the barn. The fencing is nice and subtle, as is the water conduit leading water to the wheel. Any more detail in those areas would only make them compete with the wheel itself and the barnthis was a good choice. Please continue with your acrylic painting, Gloria! Youre on your way with a great start! If you are interested in getting your artwork critiqued, please write to me at andrea@arttradermag. com! I am happy to critique any type of artwork (ATCs, paintings, large works) in any medium (drawn, mixed-media, fiber, etc.). Please submit only art that is original to you (not inspiried by another artist), and please let me know if you have any specific areas or questions for me to address. Im looking forward to seeing your art!

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Butterflies
A collection of butterfly ATCs in different media from the artists of ATCsforAll.com

Kati Barrett

Kimberly Butts

Julia Hu

Gina Barrett

Dianne Jackson

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.
Rabindranath Tagore

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Kathryn Cresswell

Minttu Lilja

Jennifer Klee

Ranie Partridis

Katrice Shorter

Lisa Manyweathers

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Irina Pertsev.

Irina Pertseva.
Featured Artist Featured Ar tis t

Interview by Andrea Melione

Irina Pertseva, a native of St. Petersburg in Russia, now lives in Canada with her husband. Irina sculpts wearable treasures with precious stones and wire. When you look at her wire wrap designs its not hard to envision it being worn by a mermaid or elven princess. She is a welltraveled artist, having lived in Germany where her work was exhibited. In this feature she shares the sources of her passions, materials and creative process. What drew you to jewelry as a creative outlet? Irina: Finally, I figured out a way to apply my natural abilities in artistic understanding: engineering, thought, and three-dimensional visualization all at once. Is your educational background in the arts? Irina: All of my childhood, I was painting in an art studio but I never dared to go to Art College. I went to finish university, where I studied Geography and Cartography. Studying there, I was fascinated by the beauty of stones whose names we had to memorize and the tiny flowers under the microscope. -40-

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When I met my husband, a professional artist, he became my art and design teacher, progressing my artistic capabilities. Your work is very intricate, a mixture of beading and wire wrap. Did you teach yourself these techniques? Irina: I was experimenting a lot with wire in my childhood and even learned, from a science magazine, how to make sophisticated chains from wire. I started to make jewelry only in 2007 when I bought some beads at a garage sale. I borrowed books from the

library and learned some basic techniques. But I wasnt satisfied with simple beading. When I saw some amazing jewelry work online done with wire wrapping, I was inspired to try wire wrapping myself. But I didnt want to copy somebody elses design and methods except the very basics. I spent few weeks, trying to figure out my own ways of expression. So now many techniques I use are uniquely mine.

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What materials do you like working with the best? Irina: I like to work with gemstones and glass stones, fresh water pearls, Swarovsky crystals, silver, gunmetal, copper, bronze and brass wire. I prefer more durable materials and I like to alternate the color of wire Im working with, since I get tired doing the same colour combination for a long time. What is your creative process? Do you start with an idea, or do you look at your materials first for inspiration? Irina: Usually I make plenty of fast sketches, and then choose the very best of them and work on them more painstakingly. Each morning I go through my drawings to find out which one appeals to me most today. Then I choose color combination and materials. But real pieces look very different from the sketch and many nice ideas dont work in a particular material. Im always ready to return to the last successful point in my work and redo all over again. However the pure aesthetic idea is so strong sometimes that it dictates shape, materials and everything. In that case its less likely that I will redo anything in my work because I move forward more intuitively and make decisions on the way. I love wire wrapping because it gives freedom to try any new idea immediately and the possibility for making significant changes even in a completed piece if I dont like something in my design. I have changed my first wire wrapping piece four times and I was proud when it was accepted together with other fine pieces to a jewelry store. Fortunately I got more experienced with my methods and I dont have to change my pieces that much any more. When the design is finished I put my piece on display and look on it for hours, sometimes for days and check my work not only from aesthetical but also from engineering point of view. Even my most sophisticated pieces should sit comfortably and nicely, not only on a still mannequin but on live and moving person, they should survive a reasonable amount of pressure and stretch, the occasional fall, sometimes careless storage, transportation, and a few minutes in a small childs hands. -42-

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What personally inspires you? Irina: Natural beauty of the stones and glass I work with inspires me. Some childhood experiences made a lasting impression on me as well. My mother has very nice Czech jewelry (brass and enamel with miniature paintings on it). My uncle was an archeologist and I, as a child, saw his catalogue of golden objects found in Scythian burial mounds. Also in my childhood I visited the amazing exhibition of treasures from the Tutankhamun tomb. And all those impressions influenced my taste. I love medieval paintings, The Fauves, Vermeer,

Grunewald, Max Ernst, Alfonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, and Michael Pacher. Pollock has also influenced me a lot, as well our best friends painters inspired by him too. Art Nouveau drawings give me a lot of inspiration even more than art nouveau jewelry itself. I love the work of Kandinsky, and the very little known in western world but amazing Russian painter Filonov. My husband is my permanent source of inspiration he sets a sort of standard, a particular level for me. He taught me to look critically on my work. But the last push of inspiration to start wire wrapping I get in jewelry I see from artists on the Deviant Art website.

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Do you ever imagine the characters of the people who will wear your jewelry? Do you ever create your jewelry with a wearer in mind? Irina: I imagine rather some ideal character wearing my jewelry. I think my customers like to connect with that character too. Do you have any other artistic outlets? Irina: I hope to return to painting and drawing some day. Do you have any advice or tips for people interested in making jewelry? Irina: Learn from other successful artists how to make and to sell; but also remember to look for your inspiration in ancient, ethnic and classical art and in nature itself.

Find Irina on the Web!

Gallery: http://blackcurrantjewelry.deviantart.com/ ETSY: http://blackcurrantjewelry.etsy.com/

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Creating Mixed-Media Paper Beads

by Amy L. Sargent
Creating mixed-media paper beads is a great way to explore mixed-media creations and take a break from two-dimensional art. I use my finished beads in a variety of waysI use them in beadwork and other jewelry designs, I add them to the bindings and dangles on some mail art projects, and I incorporate them into art dolls. There is really no limit to how these little beads can be used. Many of the supplies I use are repurposed from other projects so the monetary investment in these beads is relatively small. Many artists may have experience rolling paper beadsa lot of children did it in grade school art classes, and the first few steps of these beads arent any different. The supplies that youll need, and other supplies that could be fun to add, are listed separately below. Step One: Cutting the Paper

Necessary Supplies: Assorted papers Paper cutter or scissors Ruler Bamboo skewers [sold near kitchen tools at grocery stores, dollar stores or super stores] Ultra-Thick Embossing Enamel [UTEE] in clear Boss Gloss, or other clear embossing ink Mod Podge or gel medium A heat gun An empty canning jar or coffee mug Optional Supplies: Glitter Embossing powders Pigment powders Micro beads Paper ephemera, like postage stamps or tiny images from collage sheets

I use a variety of papers to make my beads basesvintage book pages, scrapbook papers, old magazines and junk mail. I find rolling paper beads allows me to get rid of papers I dont really like but that I cant bear to just throw away. I cut my paper into strips to get startedusually about 7 inches long, and about of an inch to one inch wide. The width of the strip will be the general width of the finished bead, so keep that in mind as you cut. This is one of those occasions when a guillotine-style paper cutter is a wonderful thinga rotary cutter and mat also makes easy, precise work of this step. -45-

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Step Two: Rolling the Beads

Once I cut a small pile of strips, I start rolling the paper. I use a bamboo skewer to roll my paper tightly into a bead shape. After the first inch or two is rolled onto the skewer without glue, I coat the remainder of the strip with a thin layer of Mod Podge before completing the roll. I use my fingerbut a sponge brush works well, too. Once the paper is fully rolled, I leave the bead on the end of the skewer, and I put the other end of the skewer in an empty jar or coffee mug, so the bead can dry. The strips may not always roll perfectly, but I dont worry about thatI think that the imperfections are what make these interesting. I usually roll at least a dozen beads before moving on to the next step. Step Three: Adding the Enamel, Part One

Once my beads are dry, I start coating them with embossing enamel. I must stress that this process takes several steps, and that if I try to rush this step, I always regret it. Melted UTEE can make a mess, and it isnt very forgivingI always end up throwing a few beads away. First, I take a bead, still on its skewer, but pushed to the end. I open my Boss Gloss, and using the sponge applicator, I lightly coat the outside and the end of the paper bead. While the Boss Gloss is still damp, I dip the bead into my container of clear UTEE. When I pull it out, it should resemble the coating on a sugared doughnut. I turn on the heat gun, and slowly, I rotate the coated bead in front of the gun. I usually position the bead about two or three inches away from the barrel of the heat gun, because if the bead is too close, the UTEE will begin to boil, which means the bead is too hot. -46-

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Step Three (Continued) As the UTEE melts, it will glisten and liquefy. I keep rotating the bead until that entire thin coat is melted. I wave it lightly for a second or two, then, while the UTEE is still a bit moist, I dip the bead back into the UTEE again. I repeat this process two or three times. I do not add more Boss Glossthats only for the first coat. It is imperative that this is completed in three thin coats of UTEE, not in one thick coat. I have tried using a dip tray of pre-melted UTEE to do this, and it gets too thick and doesnt work well. Also, if you find that youve have a lumpy or drippy bead, you can do one of two things. Either leave it alone embrace the unique nature of the bead, or you can slowly, lightly melt the bead again, then rotate the bead slowly to distribute the UTEE more evenly as it cools. Step Four: Adding the Enamel, Part Two

Once Ive completed these coats on one end of the bead, I put the skewer back into the jar, so the UTEE has a chance to cool off and harden. Once Ive done this step on all 12 beads, and theyve all cooled, then I pull them off their skewers, turn them around to the end that still has exposed paper, and start againwith Boss Gloss, then two to three coats of UTEE. If either end of the bead becomes clogged with UTEE, you can either use a small drill bit on a Dremel or hand drill to open the holes, or you can lightly warm the UTEE in front of the heat gun and poke the end of the bead open with the pointed end of a skewer. Now, the entire bead is encapsulated in a layer of clear resinthey are done! But, these are just the basics . . . once youve mastered the melt-and-layer UTEE process, its time to have some real fun with this project.

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Optional Steps: Customization Text, Ephemera and ImagesAfter gluing and rolling the beads, use Mod Podge or gel medium to add small images, words or other paper items to your beads. I often tear foreign postage stamps into strips and add pieces to my beads, or use words from dictionaries to wrap the paper. If you hoard paper ephemera like I do, then start looking around your studiothe paper labels from the ends of thread spools, price tags, old S&E Green Stamps, and fortune-cookie fortunes are great additions to these beads. From this point, once Im pleased with the colors, words and images forming the outer paper layer of my bead, I start Step Three. Embossing Powders and Pigment PowdersEmbossing and pigment powders add interest and are very easy to incorporate into mixed media paper beads. You can dip the warm bead into a powder, then use the heat gun to melt the bead a bitlike magic, the powder becomes part of the UTEE coating. You can even do this as a last step on the beads. I like to sprinkle a tiny bit of rust-colored Ranger Distressing Powder on some beads as a last step, because it gives a grungy look to the beads and also makes the texture of the bead surface a little gritty. If you sprinkle just a pinch of embossing powder on a warm bead, then warm it again, you can add a speckled look to the beads. Using iridescent pigment powders are great, too, because they are translucent, and they dont hide any of the great papers youve used to create the beads base. Glitter and Micro BeadsGlitter should be added after the first coating of UTEE, so that subsequent coats of UTEE will seal the glitter smoothly into the beads. I like to add micro beads the same way, but micro beads can also be added to the last coat of UTEE to add texture to the beads.

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Other Additions and VariationsThere is no limit to what you can do with these beads! Before adding the UTEE, you can wrap the bead in colored wire, tie some embroidery floss or other thin string around the bead, or rubber-stamp the paper. Ive even used alphabet stickers to add monograms to beads. Also, if you cut your strips of paper into long triangles, and roll from the fat end to the point, your beads will grow thicker in the middle, but stay narrow at the ends. You can also tear your paper strips instead of cutting them for a more primitive look. I hope that you try making these little beads! They can add interest and dimension to altered art, jewelry, art dolls, chunky-book pages and art journals. Just keep in mind that it takes a little practice, and you cant get hung up on trying to create a perfect bead, because they are all going to be one-of-a-kind. So, if you already own a heat gun, then with a little container of UTEE and a small bottle of Boss Gloss, you can be making dozens and dozens of beads for fewer than ten dollars!

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An Introduction to Art Markers

By Sal Scheibe Markers can be great art tools since they are easy to use, readily available, and come in the most vibrant colors. In this article, well examine the different types of markers most often used for ATCs and Mail Art as well as the commons methods of storage and use. Markers work quite simplyinside the marker is a container of ink (either permanent, archival or soluble) and that ink is transferred to the paper or writing surface through a marker tip, generally made of nylon or felt. In most cases, once the ink has gone, the marker is finished and thrown out. However, with some artist-grade markers, the containers are refillable. Permanent Markers are water resistant and the solvent is usually made with xylene (less often) or alcohol (most often). Despite the name, permanent markers are not 100% permanent, fade-resistant or lightfast (the degree to which a dye resists fading due to light exposure). Some brands of permanent marker will fade over time, especially when exposed to direct sunlight. With some markers, the fade will be more pronounced than with others. The higher the markers lightfast rating, the longer its color will stay Figure 1: An example of faded permanent markers vibrant and bright. Depending on how mail art or journal art is stored, you should expect some fade over the years. However, storing art journals in the closed position and storing ATCs in binders or books will increase their longevity in regards to color vibrancy. Examples of Permanent Markers Sharpies Prismacolor Premier DoubleEnded Art Markers Letraset Tria Markers Copic Markers From my personal experience (not a scientific study!), Sharpies do tend to fade over the course of a few yearssee figure 1. I have not personally seen any fade with Prismacolor or Letraset, both of which I have used regularly for the past few years. -50-

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Archival Markers are markers that are used for conservation and archival purposes, usually in scrapbooks or on photos. They contain pigments rather than dyes. Archival markers are acid-free and lightfast (in most cases). If youre going to use any marker for fine arts and require a high level of permanence, then archival markers are your best choice. Unfortunately, most of the archival markers are fine tip or fine brush. These tips dont cover a lot of coloring area on larger art pieces. Examples of Archival Markers Prismacolor Premier Fine, Brush & Chisel Sakura Pigma Micron Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens

Samples of archival markers (left) and permanent markers (right)

Water-Based Markers use water-soluble ink as opposed to alcohol most often used in permanent markers. They are usually free of any health issues (the xylene used in permanent markers is toxic), and theyre limited in surface application, generally to paper or some other absorbent material. They are not fade resistant or lightfast. Examples of Water Based Markers Tombow Brush-Pens Caran dAche Fibralo Markers Using Markers on Different Paper Types Markers and papers do not share the same application properties. Some tend to bleed more or require more than one coat to cover a surface without the telltale marker lines. For the best results, choose a smooth, hard, coated paper - Bristol board is a good choice as is comic board and smooth illustration board. Many have success on satin finish photo paper too. Its an unusual choice but it does work quite well with markers.

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Based on my experience, permanent markers work best on a coated, smooth, sturdy surface. Best paper types would include Bristol board, comic board/paper, satin finish photo paper (no gloss) and some types of illustration board (the smoother and the harder, the better). How to Stop the Bleeds The best way to stop your permanent markers from bleeding is to use the best paper possible for your markers. This may take some trial and error on your part though you can refer to the image charts above for samples. Using permanent markers on watercolor paper will be an exercise in frustration. For one, the watercolor paper is porous and absorbs a lot of ink so your markers wont last as long. And because the paper is so porous, your markers will bleed, a lot. On the smooth Bristol board, the paper is compacted in a hard, less porous surface and the ink tends to stay put. I find that markers used over pencil or directly on paper with no pencil or line art tend to bleed more than markers that are stopped by line art pen lines (see figure 9 on Bristol board). However, you might run into problems with bleeding ink lines. If youre careful and wait for the line art ink to dry thoroughly, this method might work for you. Its a bit touch and go depending on the brands youre using. I also find that leaving a 1mm to 2mm edge between the marker and the pencil or line art is sometimes helpful. After a minute or two, your marker will have finished bleeding so you can go back and touch up any uncoloured areas. And lastly, press lightly! The harder you press your marker into the paper, the more ink is let lose and the more bleeding you will experience.

Figure 9 Markers over pencil and ink

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Blending Markers There are a few ways to blend permanent marker and finding the right method for you will take some practice. In most cases, its usually best to blend when the markers have just been applied, before the ink dries. Colorless Blender Marker Method Some marker brands include a colorless blender marker but results (in my experience) are less than stellar. The blender marker re-wets the marker colors that have been laid down and it does blend them together, but this action sometimes results in the removal of colour as well as splotchy looking marks. You can lessen this result by pressing gently and not for too long. Try to use the blender marker before your colors dry for the best results. And remember to clean it between different colours by drawing on a clean sheet of paper until the marker runs clear again.

Light to Dark to Light Method My favorite method for marker blending is to use light to dark to light coloring. Color first with your light color, then add in the darker color. Take your original, lighter color and go over the area you want to blend. When dried, you should have a nice, smooth transition between colors or shades. This trick is best used on smooth, hard paper like Bristol or Comic Board.

Layer Method This isnt strictly blending but more a nice way to shade with markers. Lay a single coat of marker and let it dry. Then go over the areas you want to shade with the same color. You wont see a huge difference but enough to show some slight layering of tones.

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Light to Dark Method Again, this isnt strictly blending, but it is a method for lending depth with your markers. Begin with your lightest color and then shade until you reach the darkest color. This will work best with 2 or more shades and is especially good with grays for black and white art.

Prismacolor New Product: Premier Illustration Markers Prismacolor has recently released a new line of illustration markers with fine, brush and chisel tips. The good news is that theyre archival, acid free and lightfast. This is great news for mail art enthusiasts who want to ensure that the art they create and collect is going to be fade resistant and long-lasting. The brush tips are excellent for detailed work that requires a tapered line and are especially smooth on marker paper and comic board. The chisel tip markers offer a great way to get line variance in a one tip marker, without the need to use a double ended version for both fine and thick lines. The fine edge of the chisel brush is very thin and could easily be used for detailing while the thicker edge works very well for filling in larger areas of color. What Im most excited about is the archival qualities of these markers. Although permanent markers have done us all well over the years, it will be nice to have a quality professional marker that is lightfast, fade resistant and acid free for us collectors who want our artwork to last a lifetime. Pros Archival (acid-free) and lightfast Very smooth, especially the brush marker Great for detailing and line variations Fine tips dont clog easily, even over colored pencil (which you shouldnt be doing anyway without a fixative spray first!) Cons Not enough colors -54-

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By Sal Scheibe

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Walkthrough: Portrait Art with Markers, Blending for Faces

I start with a pencil sketch, very faint. For this image, Ive only used the 5 colors above for the skin. I mix and match my marker brands all of the time and they all work with each other well enough.

I place a base color down. In this case, its the Copic E21 marker. I dont worry too much about a completely smooth coat. As long as most areas are covered nicely, its fine.

My next step is to start shading with a darker tone. Ive used the Prismacolor Light Peach marker. To blend the colors in, I use the light to dark to light blending method mentioned in the previous article. It smooths transitions nicely.

I continue adding the darker color, Letraset Tria R838. Its quite red/orange but you wont notice it so much when the entire image is complete. Again, I use the light to dark to light method and usually use the base color as my blender (the Copic E21 in this case.)

Here Ive added the two darker brown tones and again, Ive used the Copic E21 for blending the markers together and smoothing the transitions. And thats it for the markers!

The final image with hair. You can see that I used a black Micron to go over the eyelids/lashes. I also used a white oil pastel pencil to add some highlights to the skin on the nose, cheekbones and chin.

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Heavy & Release

by Kara L.C. Jones (a.k.a. Mother Henna) These two pieces are 100% digital and were created in Photoshop Elements. Heavy is pretty basic. It has a gradient background, a line doodle done on my Wacom tablet, and then a lot of layers playing with words and fonts. Release is a bit more layered. I included a piece of one of my altered daffodil photos to make the border. It has some layering on it and a drop shadow effect. Then I added another very old bit of handwriting that I scanned and altered for main background. The Release GRRRRL is drawn again with my Wacom tablet, and Im playing with her body, dropping in the gradient of a clear blue sky so it just touches on the air of really letting go consciously. Once again, Im playing with words and fonts.

The Heavy piece came to me when answering one of the Illustration Friday prompts (www.illustrationfriday. com). You can tell I was just not in a good place that day. Sometimes these gremlins come along and crumple all my confidence about entering the world as an artist and make me question my heART. The piece is Release true to where I felt I was that day. A couple of days later though, my perspective had shifted. A few trusted supports had really helped me release the demons of insecurity and move back into open space. So I created the Release piece to reflect this progression. It was interesting to see that in the Heavy piece, the character is certainly abundant with holding objects, but the Release character is much more Zen, her arms even sort of reflect that empty rice bowl idea. The true abundance was, for me, in holding nothing! So Heavy and Release were a sort of call and response as I used art to check in consciously with my heART and BEing. Im so grateful to have art in my toolbox of peace!! Kara is a Grief & Creativity Coach, exploring the heART of living through her work and art at MotherHenna.com. She is the founder of the 1,000 Faces of Mother Henna project. -56-

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ONLINE WORKSHOP SERIES

Art Journals: Creative Exploration

Start Date October 1, 2009 8 week program presented by Dana Driscoll & Sal Scheibe (start anytime between October 1 - November 15) Fee $95 US per person Art Level - Novice to professional!

About the Art Journals Workshop! In our Art Journals workshop, we will cover a variety of artistic techniques to begin or deepen your art journaling journey. This eight-module course will include four modules of artistic techniques and four modules of writing techniques to help you combing art with various writing practices. The workshop begins by discussing how to find, alter, or create your own art journal and what kinds of themes and topics work best for art journals. Well talk about nature journals, travel journals, family journals, collaborative art journals, daily journals, and so much more! Well cover various techniques for art including mixed media backgrounds, painted backgrounds, found poetry, watercolor/sketching, combining words and images, and more. Well also spend time on written techniques: freewriting, guided writing, poetry writing, reflective writing, daily journaling, and using quotes. The workshop will end with each person submitting a journal page to be included in a collaborative art journal. Your instructors are Sal Schiebe, a professional graphic designer and illustrator and Dana Driscoll, a writing professor and artist, both of whom are avid art journalers! Week 1: Choosing or Constructing a Journal Week 2: Journal Topics, Themes, and Purposes Week 3: Mixed Media Pages and Backgrounds Week 4: Finding Inspiration and Committing to a Journal Week 5: Book Pages and Found Poetry Week 6: Poetry Writing, Responsive Writing Week 7: Drawing, Painting, and Sketching Week 8: Reflective Journaling Practices

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ArtTrader offers many fantsatic online workshops for our readers. We hope you can join us! Please check the ArtTrader Mag website for details and registration. * January 12 Art Journals (8 week program) * February 8 Whimsy Workshop Level 1 (4 week program) * February 16 Mermaids (2 week program) * March 8 Whimsy Workshop Level 2 (4 week program) * March 23 Altered Dominoes (2 week program) * April 6 Whimsical Goddesses (2 week program) * April 20 To be announced (2 week program) * May 17 Mixed Media Gothic Art (2 week program) * May 31 Color Exploration (2 week program) * June 14 Colorful Funky Ladies (2 week program) * June 28 Calligraphy (2 week program) * July 12 Handmade / Recyled Paper (2 week program) * July 26 Mixed Media Canvases - Whimsical Fantasy Art (4 week program) * August 23 Artistic Expressions & Styles (4 week program) * Sept 20 Mermaids (2 week program) * Oct 4 Altered Dominoes (2 week program) * Oct 18 Whimsical Goddesses (2 week program) * Nov 8 Art Journals (8 week program)

Workshop Calendar 2010

Colorful Funky Ladies June 14, 2010

Color Exploration May 31, 2010

Art Journals January 12, 2010

Whimsy Level I Feb 8, 2010

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Advertise in the next issue of ArtTrader Mag! Please visit our website for details.
www.arttradermag.com

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Call for Articles and Artwork

Thank you for your interest in contributing to ArtTrader Magazine. ArtTrader Magazine is a web-based publication (in PDF format) focused on Mail Art for trade such as ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), ACEOs, art journals, chunky books, altered art and altered books. We are always accepting the following types of materials: How to or Step-by-step articles on artistic techniques. We are interested in techniques that can be applied to any mail art. These include illustrative techniques, and also works in fabric, digital, collage, mixed media, and more. Articles on artistic journeys or experiences. Do you have an interesting story that you would like to share? We would like to hear it. Artist Spotlight/Profile. Do you have a body of work you would like share? We would love to feature you in our artist spotlight. Showcasing Art. We are interested in showcasing assemblages, mixed media work, creative journaling, chunky books, fat books, inchies, ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), post cards and more. These types of articles usually have a small bit of background accompanying them but primarily are visual in nature. Product and Book Reviews. If you are interested in writing a review of a new product or book that is connected to the Mail Art world, we would enjoy hearing about it. Submissions of Artwork Almost all of our articles require artwork submissions. You might also want to submit artwork to appear in our webzine galleries. Our call for artwork is always open and we welcome your submissions of ATCs, ACEOs, art journals, chunky pages or altered books. Everyone is welcome to submit their art. You do not need to be a member of IllustratedATCs.com to submit artwork. You must submit your work to us in digital format. 300-400 DPI is sufficient. Do not submit artwork lower than 300 DPI. Acceptable formats include: JPG, BMP, TIF. Do not submit GIF files. Any submitted artwork should be at least 500 pixels wide and high (they can be much larger than this, of course!)

www.arttradermag.com
Article Submissions Dana Driscoll, Editor editor@arttradermag.com Artwork Submissions Sal Scheibe, Art Director art@arttrader.com Advertising Inquiries ads@arttradermag.com Critique Corner Andrea Melione andrea@arttradermag.com
For additional details on our submission and artwork guidelines, please visit our website:

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Peaceful Lady ATC by Sal Scheibe

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