Artist Trading Cards, also known as ATC's are a fascinating bit of art. About the size of a baseball card, they're intended to be mini bits of artistic expression - and always traded, never sold. You can read a bit more about the specifics at the Wikipedia article.
ATC's are made in every kind of medium imaginable - paper & ink, fabric, polymer clay, mixed media... it is a fascinating and amazing little niche in art. I think of them as inspiration starters - there's really no wrong way to make them (save the size, which is fixed), and it seems that they'd be an amazing way to jumpstart your creativity. I know I've gotten some amazing ideas just surfing through photos - try doing a Google Image Search for ATC or Artist Trading Cards.
I've not made one yet, although I'm itching to. I've started assembling supplies, and talking to people about it. To help out in this area I've started a Gallery site for trading purposes, and a mailing list for ATC related chatter. If you are interested in either please email me at atc_info at gundo.com. Anyone who makes or is interested in making ATC's is welcome to join, but membership will be approved first.
Join us! I'll send out an email with info on how the Gallery site will work, and a login so that you can create your own folder of cards you'd like to trade, as well as photos of cards you've made and traded previously. The email list will deal with all sorts of questions about the Gallery, as well as discussions on ATC's and art in general.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Our Featured Smoosher!
This week the Smooshers are celebrating cnewcomb. I first became aware of this guy on Plurk, then as a Smoosher. My Dad was a woodworker, so anyone who works with that amazing medium is naturally okay by me...
- anyone who mixes it and polymer clay is just plain awesome.
(Naturally the subject matter of this one is pretty darned close to my heart, too... a triple win!)
I'm really excited to see someone working in both wood and clay, and it's always nice to have a guy in the mix, since sadly artsy guys (particularly those who work in pc) have typically been hard to find. Take a jaunt on over to his studio and check it out!
- anyone who mixes it and polymer clay is just plain awesome.
I'm really excited to see someone working in both wood and clay, and it's always nice to have a guy in the mix, since sadly artsy guys (particularly those who work in pc) have typically been hard to find. Take a jaunt on over to his studio and check it out!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Gettin' on the Plurk Bandwagon... not that I ever got off.
I am going to take a page from the book of my dear Plurkie friend Pegasus Soaps, aka Michelle and tell you all a little bit about why *I* prefer Plurk over Twitter.
First let me say a few good things about Twitter. Twitter is totally cool! You can send a 140 character thought out into the universe without a care of whether it's seen or not. You can browse random tweets from friends, neighbors and celebrities. You can keep up on The World in a minute-by-minute fashion. It's honestly an awesome and nifty creation. I have a Twitter account, and I tend to keep it to business, tweeting about my own creations, the creations of my friends & business associates, and passing along relevant articles and links about things of use to crafters, artists and online business people. I don't tweet often (should more, I'm sure) but I keep up with a few people and am always looking for more interesting folks to follow. Feel free to follow me if you'd like. I'll probably follow back!
The problem is, Twitter is like shouting across the room at a crowded party or bar, hoping that someone hears you. I can see the use of that from time to time, but I'm really a conversation person. At parties you'll almost always find me deep in conversation with a group of folks, and at a bar I'm generally going there for the conversation of the people who come with me. Hollering a remark across the room is fun, can be useful, might work - but on the whole I like a face or a name to hear me, laugh, frown, comment on it, have a similar story to share. That's the way I roll, folks... so, that's why Plurk gets my daily attention and Twitter gets a look every week or so.
The reason they're different is threading. On Twitter you just post your comments and there's no way to follow a conversation between people - no easy way, that is. Someone can direct a comment to you, and you can direct one back - but the outside observer will have to click all over the place to try to figure out what the context is. I like context. With Plurk, one comment can have replies back and forth, threaded to that originating comment. I -like- that. On Twitter I don't say anything I don't want the world to see at a glance. On Plurk my timeline is private, not because I'm under any illusion that I'm hiding it from someone who really wants to see it, but just to keep a bit of a lid on and make everyone feel a little more comfortable being loose and chatty in my Plurks. It works. I have a fantastic bunch of friends - some are onery miscreants who like to tease and hijack my threads... all are good friends, some In Real Life, some just online. Most are crafty artists who like to create and who support me by commenting on my art, sharing my site with others, and reading my blog.
I don't have those kinds of friends on Twitter. I don't miss it there - that's not what Twitter is about. I don't want Twitter to be more like Plurk, not at all. I just need Plurk around to really round out my online experience.
First let me say a few good things about Twitter. Twitter is totally cool! You can send a 140 character thought out into the universe without a care of whether it's seen or not. You can browse random tweets from friends, neighbors and celebrities. You can keep up on The World in a minute-by-minute fashion. It's honestly an awesome and nifty creation. I have a Twitter account, and I tend to keep it to business, tweeting about my own creations, the creations of my friends & business associates, and passing along relevant articles and links about things of use to crafters, artists and online business people. I don't tweet often (should more, I'm sure) but I keep up with a few people and am always looking for more interesting folks to follow. Feel free to follow me if you'd like. I'll probably follow back!
The problem is, Twitter is like shouting across the room at a crowded party or bar, hoping that someone hears you. I can see the use of that from time to time, but I'm really a conversation person. At parties you'll almost always find me deep in conversation with a group of folks, and at a bar I'm generally going there for the conversation of the people who come with me. Hollering a remark across the room is fun, can be useful, might work - but on the whole I like a face or a name to hear me, laugh, frown, comment on it, have a similar story to share. That's the way I roll, folks... so, that's why Plurk gets my daily attention and Twitter gets a look every week or so.
The reason they're different is threading. On Twitter you just post your comments and there's no way to follow a conversation between people - no easy way, that is. Someone can direct a comment to you, and you can direct one back - but the outside observer will have to click all over the place to try to figure out what the context is. I like context. With Plurk, one comment can have replies back and forth, threaded to that originating comment. I -like- that. On Twitter I don't say anything I don't want the world to see at a glance. On Plurk my timeline is private, not because I'm under any illusion that I'm hiding it from someone who really wants to see it, but just to keep a bit of a lid on and make everyone feel a little more comfortable being loose and chatty in my Plurks. It works. I have a fantastic bunch of friends - some are onery miscreants who like to tease and hijack my threads... all are good friends, some In Real Life, some just online. Most are crafty artists who like to create and who support me by commenting on my art, sharing my site with others, and reading my blog.
I don't have those kinds of friends on Twitter. I don't miss it there - that's not what Twitter is about. I don't want Twitter to be more like Plurk, not at all. I just need Plurk around to really round out my online experience.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Our Featured Smoosher!
I belong to an incredible polymer clay guild on Artfire called Polymer Clay Smooshers. I've probably mentioned before how awesome these people are, especially Star, our wonderful guild mistress. We're starting something new, and I'm going to work my hardest to keep up with it and all the other wonderful things my guild gets up to. I still haven't re-opened my shop, but look for it in mid-July if not before.
This week's featured Smoosher is CraftyBabyHope. You can find her blog here, and her shop here. There are some really lovely items in her shop so please go look at all of them - but I have to point out my favorites. I love her polymer clay work, of course, but I have to confess that her wire & glass bead stuff is phenomenal.
Do head over and check out what she has to offer! I'm thankful for her and all the other Smooshers.
This week's featured Smoosher is CraftyBabyHope. You can find her blog here, and her shop here. There are some really lovely items in her shop so please go look at all of them - but I have to point out my favorites. I love her polymer clay work, of course, but I have to confess that her wire & glass bead stuff is phenomenal.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Creation.
The process of creation is painful! Right now I'm helping create a new space in our basement, first for family that is coming and after that for our Music/Game Nights. I'm also re-creating my own creative space, and creating a new aspect of my business. At the same time I'm trying to create things inside myself, and in my family. It takes a lot of work, and some days I'm just plain tired of it all! But it's all for good.
Keep an eye here at the blog, and an eye at my shop toward the end of July. Notice that I've become an Amazon Associate, I hope that will help you as you search for items you want and need. More to come!
Keep an eye here at the blog, and an eye at my shop toward the end of July. Notice that I've become an Amazon Associate, I hope that will help you as you search for items you want and need. More to come!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
New Horizons
I've been dealing with a strange fatigue phenomenon. It started right before the holidays and has gotten progressively worse. I've found a few opportunities to get into the studio, but mostly I'm too tired to get busy with things. Right now I'm looking at a box full of finished polymer clay pieces, just waiting for wire and beads and the transformation into Something.
The good news is that a large portion of the pieces are for my new design line, which I hope to start rolling out in the next week. I'll be listing things at Artfire, of course, but I'm also trying to build up stock to start doing shows this fall.
I'm going into spring with a new eating plan, a new exercise plan and a new work plan. Here's to Spring 2010!
The good news is that a large portion of the pieces are for my new design line, which I hope to start rolling out in the next week. I'll be listing things at Artfire, of course, but I'm also trying to build up stock to start doing shows this fall.
I'm going into spring with a new eating plan, a new exercise plan and a new work plan. Here's to Spring 2010!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Diversions and roadblocks
Just as surely as I get started on a big project like redoing my studio, other things come along to get in my way. We had a conference out of town, Gabriel's been sick, I am sick now, and we're getting ready for our big Thanksgiving celebration the Saturday after the holiday. That involves a lot of long-put-off work on storage and reconfiguring different areas in our house, so my studio (regretfully) has taken a back seat. I hope to get most of the house stuff done this weekend and try to get back to the studio over the next week so that after the holiday I can get to work on the gifts I'm making. I won't have an entirely handmade Christmas, but I do have handmade gifts to give to several friends and family members. I'll also do goody plates or bags for neighbors and several friends, of cookies and pumpkin bread.
I still sneak into the studio every day to do some plotting and thinking about what I want for the room. I need a better solution for the sewing machine for one, and I need to decide what should be stored in the basement and what should be put on the top of the book cases. I think I know where I want to put the printer, but I have to get through of mounds of junk before I can do any rearranging.
With luck I'll come out of this with a pretty streamlined work area, one that I can feel confident moving from project to project on. More on this later!
I still sneak into the studio every day to do some plotting and thinking about what I want for the room. I need a better solution for the sewing machine for one, and I need to decide what should be stored in the basement and what should be put on the top of the book cases. I think I know where I want to put the printer, but I have to get through of mounds of junk before I can do any rearranging.
With luck I'll come out of this with a pretty streamlined work area, one that I can feel confident moving from project to project on. More on this later!
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