A Few ATC's...

Here are a couple of ATC's I made from a kit that Donna Downey sells. There are four in a kit, but my fourth one the picture is all blurry. So I am just sharing the three of them. It is always fun to see how other people do things, the materials they use,etc... I think it helps you to see things in a different way. I am not big on the pearl stuff, but it does add texture and light to things.  I forget about simple things like popdots to elevate and create more texture.  I used my inktense pencils and water brush to add color on these. Enjoy!

ATC Class with Donna Downey

Last month when I was in Charlotte North Carolina visiting family I decided to take an ATC class at Donna Downey's Studio. What a great idea that was. For $10.00 we purchased this kit and all of us sat down for a relaxing evening of creating.

Donna is very sweet with lots of funny stories. I met so many talented and sharing women that evening. Most of the ladies had taken classes there before and many knew each other. Everyone was so kind and friendly.

I loved the four ATC's we made. I had enough leftovers to make some more original ones. I would love to add some stitching to these. Meanwhile, it was fun to get out and meet some new people in a creative place. If you are ever in the Charlotte North Carolina area please stop by you won't be sorry.

ATC's with the Citra Solv Backgrounds...

This background reminded me so much of the swirling motion of the ocean. The girl is from Paper Whimsy.

The background here is rather dark and mysterious, sort of like the guy. I used some decorative tape and the labels are from Art Chix.

The background here reminds me of the painting Starry Night by Van Gogh.

The girl is from Paper Whimsy. I used my Derwent Inktense pencils over the background to add some color. I lightly used my water brush to blend.


Thought I would share some finished pieces using the Citra Solv backgrounds. I used them solely as backgrounds. I am still playing and experimenting with them. I will share more results as I go along ...

Pretty Little Houses...ATC's

These are some ATC's I did this week. I gathered up a bunch of scrap paper from my work table that had all that miscellaneous paint and over stamping on it and decided to make some house ATC's. I wanted to play with my new Derwent inktense pencils. I have had so much fun playing with them. They are definitely my new favorite art medium. I think they would be very easy to travel with. All you would need is one of those brushes you fill with water and them and maybe a small pencil sharpener. They don't melt, dry quickly, and are very stable. They can shade like watercolors. Also, they come in a nice thin tin that doesn't take up any room. Perfect for journaling and sketching. I am sold.

Some ATC's

This is a photograph I took of a friends most cherished doll. I love how she is so worn and tattered. I used my wonderful new pencils on the background.

The background was done again with my new pencils. I just scribbled and wet till I was satisfied. The image is off the collage sheet I gave out a few weeks ago.

The background was done with my new Derwent Inktense Pencils, the Zetti girl is from Teesha Moore.

This is for all the librarians out there. I know my library is busy, busy, busy morning to night. I am so enjoying this new series of books I found from a Margaret Maron. She is a North Carolina author. It is so fun to read and recognize all the places she talks about. The little girl is from Paper Whimsy.

This background was done again with my ink pencils. I wet my stamp then used the pencils to ink it then huffed and stamped.

Out and about this week I stopped at Michael's - a big box art store- and thought I would check out their new display of Sharpie Poster Paint Pens. I was trying to see if they had any colors I didn't have and check their prices. Next to their display was their fine art sale items. Of course that drew my attention. They had a lovely tin of 24 Derwent Inktense pencils I have been lusting after for 60% off. One tin left so of course it just hopped right into my cart and came home with me.

I have been playing with them ever since. All of the backgrounds on these ATC's I did with them. They are ink in a pencil. You then use a wet brush to intensify the color and move them around. You can shade with them like watercolors, but they are much more stable. I had all the browns and blacks already as I use them quite a bit for shading. I have not worked with the color ones, and I must say I am in love. They are so easy to use. The colors are great. I can see great possibilities with these.

ATC's - Geisha's

First set of three

Second set of three

These are two sets of ATC's I worked on this weekend. I am in a swap where we are to make three Geisha ATC's for three in return. I thought I would work on these and see where I went with them. I like to start early/they are not due till June/ and experiment a little till I come up with something I like. These are pretty traditional, but Geisha's were part of old traditions, also. I love working with Washi paper. It is so thick and printed so beautifully. Off to make some more arty ones...

Mark Rothko ATC's

These are my version of Mark Rothko's paintings in an ATC form. One of the yahoo groups I am a member of has a monthly artist swap. Each month an artist is picked and you make 4 ATC's that are in the style of that artist and send them to the hostess. In return you get 4 ATC's back. I made five, one for the hostess and the other four for the swap.


I found this project a lot of fun and actually quite informative. I have seen his work in the National Gallery and in New York. The size and depth of his paintings have always intrigued me. On top of that, his life and tragic death are so easy to romanticize that his work always deserves a second look. However, to do this project the how he created came into it. Honestly I thought it would be alot easier than it was.


Like his paintings each ATC has several different coats of paint with each peeking through to give a clue that it is there. The colors that form the main images were actually two, three, four layers of different values of that color. I liked turning the ATC's upside down to let the paint run. I came away with a greater appreciation of Mark Rothko the artist.

Maybe it was the size and scale of the ATC's that was so different. I can't imagine the physical energy it must have taken to paint some of his large canvases. I began to understand the logistics behind the paintings. It was a great exercise in learning about the artist.