I set my timer for one hour, and began this project early in the morning. My goal with each card in this series is to complete all of the art–from concept to finished image–in one hour each day. This card started with a deliberately random choice of an image from the public domain, an Asian…
Day: April 13, 2009
Gold Leaf – ATC Tutorial
My instructions for making this card are for Adobe Photoshop, but you can use almost any graphics program and create the same effects. It’s not easy to explain this sort of process. It’s vastly easier for me to show you, in person. If you print out this page and follow it step-by-step, you’ll probably figure…
Gold Leaf – a Free, Printable ATC
This 3″ x 5″ artist trading card (ATC) started with two photos that I’d taken in Petersburg, Virginia, at a Civil War battleground. Everything was fine until I needed to add a figure as the focal point. An hour and a half later, I saved all of the layers that I was working with–to reuse…
Spirits in the Old Saloon – a Texas ATC (R-rated)
(Originally, I called this card “Ghosts of the Old Saloon,” but later realized that doesn’t really echo the depth of what I wanted to convey with this card. I may redesign it, but – for now – here it is, anyway.) Reminder: This image includes female, upper-body nudity (if you really look for it) and…
Everlasting – free digital ATC
After a wonderful weekend in New Orleans, I was in the mood for a slightly eerie, somewhat nostalgic ATC. The ATC image started with my photo from a Massachusetts park, taken early one April morning. Next, I added a public domain photo of a little girl. I have no idea who she is, but she…
Dreamcards – from an ATC swap
Art can be very revealing, whether that’s our intention or not. These are two ATCs that I created, and what I wrote about them in 2000: Dream Card/Nightmare Card, 5 Sept 2000 These are two cards from an ATC exchange, with a theme of “Dreams and Nightmares.” The originals are 3″ x 5″. My dream…
Dream – a free digital ATC (artist trading card)
This ATC was created in an hour; that’s the time I allowed myself for this project, each day. (I was trying to design and post one ATC, daily.) I started with the background, which is a public domain photo of Ireland. (I’ve listed all of my resources, below.) Then I added a dramatic figure–slightly altered–from…
Choose Your View – printable ATC
“Choose Your View” – a digital ATC (artist trading card) that you can print… free! Click on the image to download the printable version. This ATC started out to be a Christmas/holiday-themed card. For some reason, I chose a rather dramatic photo of England. Maybe it was my frame of mind at that moment….
By the Light – printable ATC (artist trading card)
“By the Light…” – a digital ATC for you to print I was in a frivolous, mischievous mood today, and something just clicked for me when I saw this image of the moon. In other words, the visual puns are entirely deliberate. I started with an image from the Bare Bottoms folder on my Shameless…