my first ATCs

ATC = Artist Trading Card

I have long been interested in this form of miniature art. I think I was still teaching scrap-booking classes (around 2005) when I first heard of them. I have seen them made in paper, mixed media and fabrics but I've never seen a knitted one (now there's a challenge, Lynne!)

I have long wanted to make some but, for the past couple of years, my practical side has been getting in the way of making art of any kind. Craft is okay, my inner critic is silent if the article under creation is of practical use; but "art for art's sake": forget it!

Just about every time I have thought about making art during daylight hours, I have felt that it would be such a waste of time. Only in daylight hours, you ask?

At night, when I can't sleep or just before I fall asleep, I think of great ideas for all kinds of art projects. In the bright light of day, all my ideas float away like mist or just seem too silly or impractical.

But there are a few reasons why that changed on Saturday:

1. My new studio - I just feel more creative with all that space around me (if I ignore all the boxes still in my old study screaming for me to sort through them).
2. I have been quite ill with a heavy cold, including awful sinus pain and headaches. I didn't have the energy or enthusiasm to deal with boxes of stuff!
3. My new-found interest in quilting; it means I have been looking at new blogs and one that has really been inspiring me is Kate's Arty Bits Blog. Kate has been making ATCs and she keeps inspiring me.
4.  I want to be creative but I have come to a impasse with my latest quilt: I don't have either the fabric or the thread to go ahead and haven't felt well enough to go to a fabric store to change that situation.
5. A simple decision - I decided that I was going to make an ATC and "Miss Critic" could take a hike. I know, from past experience, that once I'm in "the zone" I can't hear her anyway so I just had to get past that not-so-still-small-voice!

So, on to the actual art making...Who knew that something so small would actually take a couple of hours to make; if you count gathering supplies, making decisions, cutting, making more decisions, assembling, making more decisions, re-assembling, making more decisions, gluing, labelling and cleaning up!

So, you have already seen this - the beginnings of my first applique block:

Well, it seems I'm working on a series for the first time in my artistic life. Here is Saturday's version made from scraps of long finished scrapbook pages (I can't bear to throw away anything that might be useful, hence those boxes that need sorting!):

And I was taught never to mix patterns (see Miss Critic - you are not always right!)

Lesson learnt: Cut the background papers slightly too large and trim them back later!

And here is Sunday's softer, less 'realistic', version:

Verdict: I'm not 100% happy with what I've produced (what artist ever is?) but I've made a start and making art makes me happy so "Take that, Inner Critic!"