Mr. Jeremy Fisher

I wanted to work with oil pastels some more so I did this AJ page inspired by the children's book about the frog Mr. Jeremy Fisher.  I used oil pastels, pan pastels, Golden fluid paints and charcoal pencil.

Journal reads:  Once upon a time there was a frog named Mr. Jeremy Fisher.  He lived in a little damp house among the buttercups at the edge of a pond.

She Art Girl

Another Christy Tomlinson inspired "She Art Girl".  I think maybe she's not finished yet.  It's always good to take a picture and see the piece from that advantage.  This helps to see if you need to add something to make it more cohesive.  I may do some more work on her and them add the final picture.  

Oh yeh, she needed some help.  Looking at the picture, I realized I didn't even do her left wing. Isn't that crazy that looking directly at the page I didn't even notice that it was missing.  I added her wing and the text.  Now she looks complete.

AJ pages using oil pastels

Two different versions of AJ pages inspired by Pam Carriker.

Imagination

I started the AJ page by gluing fabric scraps to the page, adding gesso and color to the background.  I decided I wanted to go with the butterfly and birds, then added the girl.  After that I just continued to build the background which has several layers and different types of paint, pan pastels and charcoal pencil work. I wrote the sentiment and kept adding layers until I felt that it all blended together and expressed what I wanted to express.  When I finished, I realized that the original fabric scraps are barely visible but have great texture.  I think that I'll start another page and leave a little more of the fabric background.  That's what is so fun about AJ pages.  They give you the opportunity to experiment without a lot of time or supplies invested in the outcome.  The more you experiment, the better you become.  You are able to see how the products work, what you like or don't like and best of all you can just have FUN.

Quote

I found this quote by Kelly Rae Roberts and it just sums up how I feel when I am creating:

"I've been making art and I think I need to make art every single day. I just love it. Time stands still, I pause for freedom, for stillness, for inspiration and my heart breathes its fullness into the work - a welcomed and needed release of love, of creative energy, of a life unfolding."

What is an ATC ?

                                   I found this wonderful explanation on Joumana Medlej's blog:

"The very basics"

"As their name indicates, ATC are collectables, a brilliant idea born of the older sports-themed trading cards. The one rule that makes an ATC derives from this: the dimensions of the ATC must be 2.5"x3.5", or 64x89mm.

To this rule are appended a couple of conventions. First, an ATC mustn't be sold, only exchanged, as the whole essence of these tiny works of art is about artists meeting (by correspondence or online if need be) and exchanging their works, thus meeting many artists and getting exposed to many personal styles.

Second, on the back of each ATC the artist writes part or all of the following information: name, contact information, title of the ATC and number (1/8, 2/8...) if it's part of an edition. By definition ATCs are made in limited numbers, often no more than one of a kind. Unique ATCs are called originals; sets of identical ATCs are called editions and are numbered; sets of ATCs that are based on one theme but that are different are called series. Don't be intimidated by the concept of small editions or originals: very few people are anal about this. What most collectors really want are cards that were made with care. Based on that, numbers are meaningless.

That's all! The above is all you need to know to start making your own ATCs. Common sense dictates that they should be sturdy enough to survive mailing, and of reasonable thickness (unless you specifically want them otherwise. Transparent card sleeves are useful to protect the cards if need be. This is particularly true if they can easily get smudged or if the medium might stick during transport."

This is an ATC that I did for a PAO swap.  Rules: use at least one Tim Holtz product.  This one is actually my ATC and a little different than the one's I swapped.  I used TH papers, TH paper tape, and pan pastels for color.  It was a 9 for 9 swap, so I sent 9 and will receive 9 little works of art from my friends.  Now how cool is that?  I love participating in ATC swaps.  It is a chance to send/receive to/from my artistic friends.  I have them displayed in a 3 ring notebook placed in plastic trading card holders.