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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 later in other projects–and started over with just a few elements.
Adjusting hue and contrast, the card finally came together with the faerie-like sense of style that I wanted.
She is stepping out of the everyday world into her own fantasies made real. Oversized flowers and opulent, old-fashioned colors help her to leave routine behind and dance in a happier, more magical world.
I named this ATC “Gold Leaf” as a pun. Of course, the figure looks as if she’s wearing gold or gold leaf. And, among the plants, “gold leaf” could also refer to the daisy leaves.
DOWNLOAD AND PRINT YOUR FREE COPY OF THIS CARD
Right-click on the image and save the file (gold-leaf.jpg) to your hard drive. Print it at 150 pixels/inch as a 3″ x 5″ card. Or, if you prefer a smaller card, adjust the dimensions in your graphics program.
TUTORIAL
If you’d like to learn how this ATC was made, read Gold Leaf – ATC tutorial