Mixed Media ATC Tutorial Using Gesso

ATC or artist trading card is a fun way to create a little piece of art that is all about you and then trade  with other artist / crafters for an ATC they created. Some people like to use ATCs to decorate a scrapbook page or to use on a card. I like to trade and collect them and keep them in a binder and enjoy them as the little pieces of art that they are.

I joined an ATC swap where we have to  make one ATC for everyone in the swap and we are allowed to make any theme, design etc of our choosing. I chose to make a mixed media collage design for my ATC.
Supplies I used:
A Manilla File Folder
White Gesso by Liquitex
Distress Inks by Ranger, Colors used: Wild Honey, Barn Door, Brushed Corduroy and Black Soot
Colorbox Pigment Ink: Gold
Burlap Stencil by Tim Holtz / Ranger Industries
Brass Dragonfly Stencil by Dreamweaver Brass Stencils
Eye image rubber stamp by Stampabilities
Art word image rubber stamp by Hero Arts
Prismacolor fine line black ink pen
Sakura Clear Glaze pen
Lightweight chipboard
water
adhesive

I began by cutting the base of my ATCs, which is 2 1/2" by 3 1/2", from a manilla file folder. I then placed a small amount of white gesso onto my craft mat. Using an old gift card, I dipped the edge of the card into the gesso then ran the card down the front of my ATC very lightly so that the gesso would be in random splotches on my ATC base. I then let the gesso air dry.

Once the gesso is dry it is time to add some ink. I applied Ranger's Distress Inks with a foam blending tool. The colors I used are Wild Honey and Barn Door.

After I had the inks applied and blended to my liking, I then spritzed a fine mist of water onto the inked ATC.

The gesso will act as a resist. You can take a paper towel and wipe the gesso areas off more if you like before spritzing with water. I liked that my gesso areas had some slight ink to them and chose to leave it. The water will react with the ink and create a fun look. Before going any further from this point, you will need to let the ATC dry. You can let it air dry on its own, or if you are like me and impatient, you can dry the ATC with a heat guu. Once the ATC was dry, I inked the edges with Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy.

I now took my Art word image rubber stamp and brushed a portion of the stamp with Distress Ink Black Soot and stamped onto the upper half of my ATC.

Using the foam blending tool and Distress Inks Brushed Corduroy, I then stenciled the lower portion of my ATC.

Now it is time to stamp the eye image, twice, with Distress Ink Black Soot.

Before going any further I made sure all ink on the ATC was dry. This time I left it overnight to dry but you could also use a heat gun. Once I was sure the ink from each step was dry I positioned my dragonfly brass stencil onto my ATC. I used a low tacky masking tape to hold the stencil in place while dry embossing the dragonfly using a lightbox. After dry embossing and before removing the brass stencil, I then stenciled the dragonfly with Colorbox's gold ink for the wings. I used Distress Ink Black Soot for the body of the dragonfly.

For the final step, I used the Prismacolor black pen to go over the word "ART" in the top left corner to make it stand out more. I gave it a couple of minutes to dry then I went over the word again this time with the Sakura Clear Glaze gel pen. Now the word ART not only is bolder but also has a shine to it.

I finished the ATC by adhering my creation to a lightweight chipboard, added a cream color cardstock backing with my artist info and then inked the edges front and back with Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy. The finished ATC pictured is not the one used in the tutorial pictures but was made using the same method.

Here is one more ATC using the same method and same products but a different layout.

I hope you enjoyed my ATCs and enjoyed seeing how I made them.
Thanks for stopping by!


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