Continued from ATC Tutorial 3 – Memories – Giving it meaning The card was very nearly finished. I liked the colors and the general design of the image, but it needed just a little… something else. I didn’t know what, yet. This is the part of the process that can take forever, since it’s trial […]
ATC Tutorial 4 – Memories – Finishing the ATC Read More »
Continued from ATC Tutorial 2 – Memories – Adding More Layers At this point, the card was pretty… but it had no real theme or meaning to it. And, while “pretty” art can stand on its own merits, I rarely choose to make art without another layer of meaning. So, I started examining the card
ATC Tutorial 3 – Memories – Giving it meaning Read More »
This card was designed to document the creative process when I’m working on digital ATCs. I’ve written four pages–with thumbnail images of each step–to explain how I work on these cards. It shows you how to go from initial idea to finished card. This card, with documentation and HTML work, took about three and a
Memories – A Digital ATC Read More »
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
Everlasting – free digital ATC Read More »
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
Dreamcards – from an ATC swap Read More »
Q: I want to make some artistamps by hand, not necessarily on the computer. How do I make my art the right size for stamps? Should I be creating the art in stamp size, to start with? A: Most commercial artists work much larger than the finished, printed product will be. For example, a standard
Resizing Your Art for Artistamps Read More »
If you’re new to Adobe’s PhotoShop program, it can be overwhelming to figure out all the fabulous bells & whistles it offers. However, it’s a wonderful tool for artistamps! When I wrote this article around 2002, I was using Adobe 5.0. The commands may vary slightly if you’re using a different version, but the concepts
How to make a Sheet of Artistamps with Adobe PhotoShop Read More »
These are a few stamps from my own collection of inexpensive, international postage stamps. They are “real” stamps, used on mail. I like them because they look exotic and/or old, and I gather ideas from them. I’m providing them as inspiration. You can copy* them, tweak them with your own color and design ideas, or…
Real, Exotic and Foreign-looking Stamps Read More »
Adhesive backing for artistamps If you’re sending your artistamps for others to use, you probably want to make them as much like “real” postage as possible. For example, you’ll want the recipient to be able to lick the back of the stamp so the glue becomes moist and will hold the stamp in place. The
Glues and Adhesives for Artistamps Read More »
Glue recipes vary from great to disastrous. But, they can be a fine alternative to “lickable” adhesive-backed paper and commercially prepared glues, described in my article, Glues and adhesives for artistamps. Climate differences can affect how well a glue recipe works. Likewise, personal taste–sometimes literally–can influence your choices. Artistamp genius Jas kindly sent this recipe
Glue Recipes – Artistamps Read More »
