Rainy Day ATCs

I've promised to do an "Intro to ATCs" when I get back to Hawthorne Park in Florida (November 19). Even though that sounds ages away...I know better. Time gets so full.

So while I have a rainy day in the north woods I am browsing among my notes about ATCs and books about them and trying some different ways of doing them.

You will see some Christmas ones in there because I think by Nov 19, people will actually be planning for the holidays and will be thinking of doing some with that theme. Luckily have have found some Christmas books and magazines at garage sales to inspire me and to give me some collage materials.

One thing I have not done and wish I knew how to do is to make "transfers" where you can "lift" images off of magazines and then position and re-glue them to collages and acrylics. If anyone know a good online source for information about that, let me know. I believe that you coat the image with something. There was a workshop that Dianna Barringer did a few years ago in Mt. Dora, FL and I wanted so much to go. Somewhere I read that you can use Crayola products to do this too. Hmmm? I am even sure I am using the correct word when I say "transfer". But I'll bet some of you know what I mean.

As I look these over and think which of these would I want to "trade" for? I think the hand painted watercolors, pens, acrylics are more desirable than collage. But then, perhaps a more combined method would be best...some hand painted, some collage. For instance I like the little wheel barrow watercolor better than a cut out Santa from a magazine..although he is colorful and fun placed on a piece of old map!

Now...how to display traded ones? I am thinking of an altered journal for that maybe? I do know that when people trade them, they put information on the back. Somehow that info would need to be transferred off and into the journal before you would consider glueing an ATC down into a book. But it would be nice to be able to turn the pages and see the images. I know some people use those plastic baseball card folders because then you can see the backs. But that seems so boring. I could group and frame them...but frankly I have so much art framed I do not have room for anything else on the wall! I think you want to get up close and personal with these little things too.