Art Cards - Mermaids & Nudes & Birds... Oh my!

Well the holidays have come and gone so it's time to put the muse to work again. My newest obsession is making mixed media, collaged, art cards. They're similar to ATC's and ACEO's, only a bit larger. And unlike most artist trading cards that I make, the elements go beyond the edges of the card and were attached with 1/4 inch thick photo mounts to add a 3D effect.

Necessity actually dictated the size - I have a stack of 5 x 7 inch heavy chipboard I'd been hoarding for a while and wanted to start using some of it. I prefer creating smaller pieces of art as opposed to larger sizes, so I cut my chipboard in half, bringing the size to 3.5 x 5 inches, or roughly the size of a standard postcard. You can only put so much on a smaller art card, so I may create some larger pieces in the future.

My favorite themes lately, have been mermaids, vintage nudes, and birds with floral elements. I really like the whole Paris thing and that inspired me to make a Moulin Rouge card. Recently, I aquired a large bag of small/tiny seashells, some pygmy seahorses, and 500 real starfish, all being the perfect size for small artwork. I was able to incorporate them into the mermaid themed cards. Using letters and postcards as the backdrop enabled me to use some of the many postage stamps that had been gathering dust.

I had some vintage postcards and letters that I'd been dying to use in my artwork for the longest time. I scanned and printed them and then started going through my stash of collage sheets and vintage images. My muse was in overdrive and I quickly thought of several themes I wanted to do. Since they were too big to be an ATC or ACEO, I had to think of a way to display them. I added wire, twine or ribbon to my cards so they can hang.

I made quite a few, since they didn't require much time to put together. I listed some of them on eBay and most of them have sold. As with about all of my artwork, I seem to never keep anything for myself - except pictures of my creations. It's probably a good thing since I would need to build a storage unit to hold it all.

One of my drawers is filled with shiny new, unstamped Altoid's tins that have been crying out to freed. So, I'm off to the land of art!

ATC/ACEO's and Shadowboxes

I've been busy getting ready for the holidays and creating artwork to sell on eBay instead of blogging. Shame on me!

Don't get me wrong, I love eBay, but hesitate to sell my artwork there. It can be quite discouraging. I've seen beautiful pieces with VERY low starting bids go unnoticed and very sloppy artwork go for upwards of $50.

My "Queen of Bee's" is an ATC/ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches) that sold for $17.89. This was a little surprising since I had only about $1.50 invested in materials. Let's face it, it's made with chipboard, a scrap piece of decorative paper, a rhinestone, rusty wire, a reproduction vintage photo, and a few beads. I can compete with Domino's Pizza, assembling one of these little ditties in 30 minutes or less.


I also sold a 3D shadowbox. The shadowbox was 5x5 inches and a Dollar Store find. It took me about an hour to make the piece. Actually, I profitted nothing from its sale, but I suppose I gained exposure on eBay as many people viewed it... and the following week when I listed other items all but one sold. Its puzzling how a piece of cardboard can sell for much more than a concrete piece of artwork.

In any event, I seem to be attracting more "lookers" and that can potentially lead to bidders. With the Christmas season upon us, I hope to unload a few more pieces before I begin creating artwork for Valentine's day.