{Mixed Media Tutorial} Creating Impressionistic ATCs by Lynne

Hello, everyone! Lynne here today to welcome you to my monthly mixed media tutorial for STAMPlorations - this is my time to teach and to inspire!

This month I am sharing some simple techniques for creating ATCs (Artists Trading Cards) and showing you how to use stencils, masks, inks and gesso to make your ATC's look like tiny pieces of impressionist art.

Impressionism: a movement in the late 19th century in French painting, characterized by the goal of reproducing an impression of a subject by use of reflected light and color and the blurring of outlines. —

And these same techniques I am sharing can be applied to a canvas or an art journal page. So sit back, relax and enjoy this photo-tutorial and I do hope inspiration finds you as you scroll through my lesson.

You being with a backgound: for my background I used my Dylusion Ink sprays on a piece of 140lbs watercolor paper, and then after it had dried I used my brayer to roll a very little bit of white gesso overtop - this faded my background colors back and added some texture. Then I cut my paper into the standard business card sized bits of 2.5"x3.5".

Next, using my masks, white gesso and a makeup sponge, dab the gesso overtop the mask to create a base image.... like these below:

Only dab on enough white gesso to cover the mask so that the background color peeks through. Let it dry.

Next, use stencils and a paste (I used Studio 490 Crackle Texture Paste)  add some 3-D images overtop of the background images.  Now the cards looked like this:

At this point you may can leave the cards as is, all subtle and crackled and faded back, OR you can pump up one of your images using pencil crayons to outline it.

Choose a main image and add a faint outline in either the same color a few shades darker or a complimentary color.  See the difference?

And finally... add any other ephemera to embellish your ATC and a stamped word or saying using the tissue paper method. The above image is an ATC before I added my finishing touches:

And here it is completed.  (I used white gel pen to outline this feather)

This is the before...

And here it is completed.  You may notice that I use ink or Copic markers on the edge of my ATCs, I think this finishes it off.

the before...

And the completed ATC.  You may also notice that I like to enhance my crackles by dabbing some spray ink onto the image and wiping it off so the ink goes into the cracks.

Before:

And Final


So that's it for today... thank you for stopping in to share my creativity, I do hope you enjoyed my post and are leaving inspired!

~Lynne


Products used on this project:

STAMPlorations stamps: Trendy Birds 2

ARTplorations stencils: Some Birds, Feathers and Arrows LARGE