I love to scrapbook, but rarely have the time.  Another problem is I am a compulsive paper collector-- especially Rusty Pickle, and Tim Holtz, which are perfect for altered art and artist's trading cards. 

Artist's trading cards are usually measure about 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches, and can be made of cardstock, mat board, you name it. I just recently plunged into it to have something to do while helping daughter create a scrapbook for her group she is in.  Just wanted to know if anyone else here does this, or swaps the cards.  I just got an ATC book with different ones, and I've made three from the projects. I was thinking that some of these cards would be neat as bookmarks too.

Anyone else here create trading cards?

I have no idea what your talking about but Im a compulsive paper collector too. I buy breakable things at the dollar store so they will wrap it in that cool tissue they have.

Lisa,

I saw an ATC book a few weeks ago at B&N.  They showed some really great cards!  I have a lot of paper that I have collected and thought that the ATCs looked like a great way to use it.  You are right, some of them would make very neat bookmarks.

Hey there!

I am a Stampin' Up demonstrator and I have done alot of ATC swaps/ etc.  They would make great bookmarks.  I usually turn mine into larger cards, but a bookmark is a fab idea!

I've been working on art cards lately myself. I'm not the "altered" art kind of person, so mine tend more towards traditional paintings, just mini in art card sized. I work in quite a few different mediums and am trying to make a couple art cards in each medium.

I also just participated in an ATC swap using polymer clay as the medium. It was a lot of fun and got me working with a few different techniques.

I used to do product demonstrations last year at Michael's; so I had alot of time to experiment with different mediums myself. I simply love polymer clay- it is a great medium to work with. I can only imagine the cards you came up with!! Did you use Translucent Liquid Sculpey also? I have used polymer clays and model magic to create miniature dollhouse foods in 1 inch scale, you can get some very realistic looks with the different clays. Fimo is best, since sculpey loses the definition in a caning technique.

Has anyone here used paperclay? I also work with this air dry medium, and it is marvelous. The clay is perfect for creating stones, brick, stucco, wood effects in miniature- I have used it one some of my dollhouses in my collection, and ones I also sell. Some of my links to my albums are:

http://community.webshots.com/user/lisan204

http://community.webshots.com/user/lisaneault

http://community.webshots.com/user/minisonthemove

One cottage I did with paperclay after it was wired was Wisteria cottage.

You can also use paperclay after it is rolled flat, to create frames, tags, etc. and use stamps to create impressions with it. I have been thinking of using this in the ATC card for effects. 

Val, have you used beads on your ATC's? I bet that would really be a neat card, with beads.

I was thinking the size of the ATC's you could really create some incredible bookmarks, or even page corners with them, especially since there are so many papers out there with faux writing and lettering on them.

Hi Lisa!

Yep, I've used TLS before. I used FIMO gel in one of the cards I did and I now prefer it over the TLS. Now I have to figure out what to do with that huge bottle of TLS I have. And the little bottle... lol!

I have fully beaded art cards that I did. I bead embroidered them and then glued a paper backing to it. Those were fun but very labor intensive. So far I have done the polymer clay cards, the bead embroidered one's, and some in acrylics. I want to complete some more in graphite (which I'm working on), colored pencil and at least experiment with one using pastel to see if it will resist smudging if I use a ton of fixative on it.

I haven't tried paperclay yet, but I do have some in a drawer that I've yet to play with. I have recently been interested in cold porcelain, which air dries too. I haven't tried it out, but I've done some research on it. It looks interesting, plus there are a ton of DIY recipes for it.

The miniatures are cool! Love those bananas. And your cottage is interesting too. The brick and such was done in paperclay? Does it usually have a stone-like texture to it? Miniatures are one thing I just can't wrap my fingers around...I've tried doing that teeny stuff but I guess I have hot hands because it practically just melts in my hands (polymer clay).

I have made miniature roses with the cold porcelain, but switched to paper because it is easier to manipulate. I know a few miniature artists who do remarkable flowers in cold porcelain, but it dries too quickly for me--also adding paints and color to it is a pain.

The stucco and stones, the fireplace, exposed brick, and the stones on the pathway and on the front stoop are ALL made of paperclay, handsculpted. I used a brush to stipple the 'stucco' and make it look like crumbling plasterwork. I have seen some artists do extremely delicate miniatures with paperclay. The key to working with it is to keep it moist especially in a very hot humid climate, but not wet. The way I colored it with acrylic paints is in a series of 'washes' or what we refer to as 'dirty washes' and it works.  Paperclay is great because it can be sanded, drilled, and have moist paperclay added onto it--a little bit of elmer's or tacky glue works to adhere it.

TLS makes great icing on miniature cakes, gravy, milk, juice puddles (for instance when you are cutting oranges) and the TLS can even be used by itself to create a yeast like mixture like cake, only you add baking soda and oil paints to it. I usually use model magic to make my cakes or my breads in mini.

I have not yet tried polymer to create an ATC, but I amt hinking using TLS to create a picture transfer, then put it on the polymer would be unusual.

I'm glad you liked the links! The important thing to remember if you decide to use paperclay, is have some watercolor paper or chipboard to adhere it too- and have something to weight it down flat.

I've been making ATCs for several years and have swapped with local groups and on-line groups.  I didn't want to do them at first, (seemed like a stupid thing) but a friend begged me to join her group and I thought I would just use them for greeting cards.  But I've found that I don't.  I still think it's stupid, but I guess they are just ATCs for the sake of ATCs.  Now I'm addicted!   I make tons of greeting cards too, but they are a different "canvas" so to speak. 

Does anyone want to trade 3 for 3 artist trading cards?  I always seem to have leftovers I've made for various groups, so would be glad to exchange.  PM me if you are interested. 

I made ATCs when I first started crossing over from fiber to paper, but now I love making postcards (both fiber and paper) and mailing them. I have done them in all kinds of different media...paper, paint, collage, quilted, beaded, felted, etc.  It's funny taking them to the PO to be handstamped...at first it took about 30 minutes to explain what they were, then quibble about whether it could be mailed, then decide on the postage...now it's more like a visiting celebrity.  I'm the one who brings the huge stack of media mail and the weird, funky postcards.  Hey, everyone gets 15 minutes, right?

I  make lots of cards from printing images I find on line.  I use some as bookmarks but mostly collect them and use them on bulletin boards.  Facebook has started to be a really good source for me.  I started because I was finding images from old story books by Arthur Rackham and Dulac that I really loved.  Now there are a few websites that just put up free images from old graphic art.  I really enjoy it.  Not into scrapbooking (waste of money to me), but I did save the ATC swap group link in case I get time to get into it.  I used to collect old postcards out of the great great aunts houses when I was a kid.