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…
Category: Art in the Mail
Art in the mail – snail mail and email: Zines, artistamps, mailart, digital art, swaps, and more.
Perforations for Artistamps
I wrote the first version of this article around 2002. New perforating options are constantly being developed, tested and marketed. So, this article is dated, and remains at this site as a starting point for people who want to explore perforating options for artistamps. — One of the first questions people have, is how to…
Real, Exotic and Foreign-looking Stamps
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……
Glues and Adhesives for Artistamps
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…
Glue Recipes – Artistamps
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…
Artistamps – Definition
Artistamps can be described as fake postage. Some people call them faux postage, Cinderellas, postoids, or even real postage. But at the post office, they may call them “fake.” In other words, if you use artistamps in place of “real” postage, the post office is likely to return your mail, postage due. Those of us…
Free ATCs to Print
The following ATCs are free for you to download and print. By the light (R-rated for nudity) – A nude figure and flowers. Dream (R-rated for nudity)- Faerie themed, with a nude in a woodland setting. Everlasting – Eerie image of a little girl with teddy bear. Face behind the words – A mix of…
Aisling’s Artistamps 2000 – 2005
I’ve been making artistamps since around 1978. My first stamps were handmade, one by one, and sent with my zines of that era. I hand-carved a border that looked like a perforated stamp edge, and stamped it repeatedly to create the ‘frame’ of each stamp. Then, I put art in the middle. At present, I…
Art Day 2005 Mail Art Call: Art in the Streets
The theme for the Art Day 2005 mail art call was “Art in the Streets.” These 18 entries were diverse and fabulous. In 2005, Art Day was under different management than in the years that followed. So, this was the only year I was the organizer for that event’s mailart celebration. I received the art…
Foggy New Orleans Morning – Free Printable ATC
After a research trip to New Orleans, to study the art and architecture, the mood and style of the French Quarter are still fresh in my mind. It has so many nuances, including music, art, architecture, food and beverages, and of course its legends and ghost stories. The latter inspired this ATC. The background is…