ArtTRADER

PUTTING THE ART IN TRADE

m a g a z i n e
Issue 17 - Winter 2012

F E AT U R E S :

Ann DAngelo

10 MINUTE

mixed media

fairies
Musings of a SelfTrained Artist: A Laywomans Laycolumn

Needle
felting

fra m in g
O rn a m en ts
Papier Mache Style

Wire Hangers for ATCS

& other displays

Cover art by Ann DAngelo

ATCs, Altered Art, Art Journals, Chunky Books & Creative Inspiration

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Table of Contents
3 4 5 8 9 11 14 16 22 27 30 32 34 ArtTrader Zine Team Letter from the ArtTrader Team 10 Minute ATCs: Mixed Media Fairies Staying Festive with Mailart Wire Hanger ATC Holder Short Attention Span Theater: Needle Felting Musings of a Self-Trained Artist: A Laywomans Laycolumn Framing Ornaments with Papier Mache The Art of Ann Pierson DAngelo Decorating the House with Mailart Art Rooms! Advertisements Submissions: Call for Art & Articles

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WINTER 2012

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EDITOR DESIGN & LAYOUT WRITING & ART TEAM Meran ni Cuill Andrea Melione Sal Scheibe Ann DAngelo Andrea Melione Sal Scheibe Sarah Trumpp

ArtTRADER Magazine www.arttradermag.com

General Inquiries: sal@arttradermag.com Submissions: submissions@arttradermag.com Product Reviews: sal@arttradermag.com Critique Corner: andrea@arttradermag.com OPEN Call for Entries: www.arttradermag.com

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ArtTrader People
Sarah Trumpp (aka themuppet) has never seen the inside of an art school and is making it up as she goes along. She lives in a teeny town in the wilds of New York with her husband, kids, and fish, and dreams of being an evil overlord. She has been an active participant in the Mailart world for the past four years, and she works primarily in acrylics, watercolors, colored pencil, marker, ink, clay, paper mache, yarn, felt, bone, wire, and glass. She obviously needs to reign it in a bit. wonderstrange.com | littlebitsofweird.blogspot.com

Sal Scheibe works as a creative designer for print and web and also as a freelance illustrator. Her designs and artwork have appeared in books, CDs and DVDs and posters. Sal is currently working on a number of large canvas paintings for art shows. She also enjoys trading ATCs and is an administrator at IllustratedATCs.com. Sals favorite artists and illustrators include Joe Sorren, J.C. Leyendecker, William Bougereau and John Singer Sargent. Her favored mediums are acrylic paint, colored pencils and markers. www.salscheibe.com

Ann DAngelo is a former English professor who once imagined that she would spend her entire life as an academic. As it happens, a lot of other people had the same idea, and between the flooding of the job market and the lure of writing novels, she left the university - and promptly stumbled into an unplanned career in corporate training. For the next six years, Ann designed a wide range of training programs and ran all over the country teaching everyone from execs to customer service reps. Encouraged by her husband, she ultimately left her role as VP of Training to move her family to Indiana and get back to her writing, but in Indiana, life took another unexpected turn when Ann discovered Mailart. After beginning with collage, she branched into drawing, and now she loves to create mixed media pieces that combine both loves. In 2011, Ann co-founded WonderStrange Arts with three other artists, whom you can visit at www.wonderstrange.com.

Andrea Melione (akaEraserQueen) has a B.S. in Arts Management and is doggedly pursuing a Masters in Public Administration. She has been involved in Mailart for ten years and is the co-founder of IllustratedATCs.com. She is a contributor to ArtTrader Magazine where she is a graphic designer and author. She mainly works in watercolor, colored pencil, acrylics, markers and gel pens. Her work has been in four exhibits, though two were academic and she isnt sure if that counts enough to sound cool. eraserqueenstudios.blogspot.com

Meran ni Cuill Fascinated by nature and science, Meran ni Cuill attempts daily to translate her passions into art. Sometimes she feels she even succeeds! And then something else will catch her attention and off shell go! Chasing another ideal. Meran enjoys gardening, sunsets, dogs, birds, and just about anything as long as its not endless crowds of people. When those present, shell retreat to a quiet place and read a book, or cut some glass, both of which she finds therapeutic. www.meran.etsy.com

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Letter from the ArtTrader Team

Happy new year to all of our readers and art friends!
Its the time of year where many of us set goals, though those are usually to lose weight or get in shape or spend less money; the boring stuff. But what about art goals? What do you create art for? Where do you want to go with your art? Im keeping my list pretty simple. Ideally, Id love to draw or paint or create something every day as a way of practicing. Im pretty good about meeting that goal but only because I work as a graphic designer and I make a lot of ATCs to trade (those count, right?). But Id like to take it beyond that and actually make practice art every day or, at the very least, at least one drawing or painting every few days. I think I can handle that and every few days seems achievable. Id also like to have 10 good paintings completed by the end of the year. I dont care whether theyre on canvas or big digital paintings, I just want to add 10 cool pieces to my portfolio. How about you? If youre looking to improve your art or just to spend more time creating and having fun, you might want to join us for one of our Spring workshops! We have lots of great programs coming up this year. Upcoming Workshops: Art of Collage Level I - Feb 6 2012 With Andrea Melione, Sal Scheibe & Ann DAngelo Art of Collage Level II - Feb 27 2012 With Andrea Melione, Sal Scheibe & Ann DAngelo Polymer Clay Mosaics and Pendants - Mar 19 2012 with Dana Driscoll Creepy Felties - Apr 2 2012 with Sarah Trumpp All About Fairies - Apr 16 2012 with Sal Scheibe Inspiration Series - Apr 30 2012 with Andrea Melione
Above: The start of my near daily drawing and painting in 2012. Ill tally them all at the end of the year.

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10 Minute ATCs: Mixed Media Fairies

By Sal Scheibe
Welcome to the 10 Minute ATCs Column! This issue were going to make some super quick mixed media fairies, part drawn, part collaged. I think these are best made in groups. I did mine two at a time but if you have the time and inclination, get an assembly line of 4-6 going and you can have them all finished within an hour. Material List Sketch Paper Markers Ink Pens Gel Pens Butterfly Wings (Collage Image) Patterned Paper Glue and Scissors

Step 1 These fairies are very easy to draw for everyone, even nondrawers. All were doing here is a circle, a triangle shape and then some sticks with shoes on them for legs and feet.

Step 2 Take your thicker inker pen and outline your pencil drawing as shown. Once youve done that, erase your pencil lines.

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Step 3 Draw a face and some hair. You can be elaborate or simple here. I chose simple, since its a 10 minute ATC. And just a reminder here that curly hair is harder and slower to cut out! I used a thinner inking pen for features and a fatter one for outside hair lines.

Step 4 Use your markers to color your fairy. I didnt bother with any shading since this is a quickie ATC though if you want to spend more time on it, go for it with shading and blending.

Step 5 Use your sparkly gel decorate your fairies. I simple things like swirls, stars; easy decorations also fun. pens to stuck to lines and that are

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Step 6 Cut out your fairies just to the outside of your thick ink line (see right image). Also cut out a pair of matching wings from one of your digital collage sheets.

Step 7 Use pretty patterned paper as the background and glue your wings and fairy to it. At this point, you could call it done or go on to decorate some more with inking and gel pens for more sparkly and fun.

Step 8 Optional: Glue your patterned paper onto cardstock to thicken the card to ATC levels.

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with Mailart
by Andrea Melione

Staying Festive

The holidays are over, but if youre like me, you probably still have your tree up. Its just too pretty to take out of the living room, and for many in the northern hemisphere experiencing the cold dark days of winter, the lights provide a warming glow. So if you cant bear to give up the sparkly cheer just yet, why not consider using your Mailart collection to give your tree a makeover in January! There are two stages for planning your Mailart tree, using what you have now and planning for next year. First, consider using the Mailart you already have. Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are perfect candidates, being small and lightweight. For a tree, I like to sort them out by color to make a strong visual statement. The statement is even stronger if you have a colored tree. Or you can sort them by theme. For example, I have decorated a tree with mermaid cards, which was very popular with friends and family. There are a number of ways you can hang cards on a tree, but I prefer using wire hangars so that I dont have to punch a hole in the card, and can switch out the card for a new one. (See instructions below.) You can also start planning for next years Mailart tree by joining or hosting ornament swaps. Below is a fun list to get help get your ideas flowing:

Fish Celestial (sun, moon, and stars) Altered bridge cards Flowers Hearts (a Valentine tree can last all through February!) Butterflies Birds Cats

Owls Marie Antoinette Fairies Angels Halloween (put your tree up early in October) Color Scheme (open theme, but colors pre-chosen: this is great if you want a particular color palette for your tree)

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Wire Hanger ATC Holder

Materials needed: Wire cutters Flat nosed jewelry pliers 20 gauge wire in any color Cut a piece of 20 gauge wire at about 19 inches (48cm). Bend the wire in half. About 2.25 inches (6cm) up from the bend, bend each wire, as shown. Then, at 1.5 inches (4cm) from the second two bends, bend each wire again. Bend these ends again to form a shape like a cross (see photo at right).

About .25 inches (.6 cm) from the top of the card, bend one of the wires; then at about .75 inches (2cm), bend the wire again. Curl the ends of the wire and bend the tips of the four bend points to fit around the ATC. Twist the ends of the wire to form a circle and join again (or bend ends like a hook) to hang your ATC. I want to stress here that the measurements given are approximate. It is best to form this hanger around a piece of good stiff matboard to adjust the fit as you go. Dont use an actual ATC as you dont want to harm the edges of the artwork.

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Here is a close up of the completed wire hanger (at left) and the finished tree below. You could easily hang these wire ATC ornaments on a regular tree or large plant in your home or string them up along the top of a wall.

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Short Attention Span Theater: Needle Felting by Sarah Trumpp

I have decided that 2012 will be a year of acceptance. I will accept that maybe my butt wont ever be as small as it used to be. I will accept that The Police will never be as awesome as they were in 1980. I will also accept that I truly have the attention span of a gnat and bounce through crafty pursuits like a kangaroo in new Nikes. In an effort to foster the acceptance of at least that last item, Ive decided to let my short attention span work for you. This time well talk about needle felting. Needle felting is one of the few crafty pursuits that requires you to be stabby. That is AWESOME. Its almost as therapeutic as boxercise. Bloodier, by far, though - I always manage to stab myself at least once, so be careful. The sharpness of felting needles may enter into a previously unknown dimension of sharpness. Plus theyre barbed. The barbs of the needle cause the fibers of the wool to mat together and make felt. Thats a really cool thing when youre watching a big fluffy bit of pink stuff turn into a cute little heart, but a really uncool thing when youre dragging them through your dermal tissue. Bottom line: It hurts. A lot. You may be wondering a couple of things at this point: A) What do I need to get started? B) Where can I find this stuff? C) Why cant The Police still rock? I dont know why The Police cant still rock, but all you need to get started with needle felting is wool roving, which is the same cleaned and combed wool that spinners use to make yarn, a piece of foam at least 2 inches thick, and a felting needle. All of these things can be obtained at a craft store. Since I live in the boonies, I buy all of my felting supplies on Etsy plus I get cool stuff like the hot pink wool roving you see below that glows under a black light and has flecks of black silk fibers. Craftgasm! See how fluffy and pretty that roving is? It really is awesome. That innocent looking bit of metal beneath it is the Stabbylicious 5000, or the felting needle. - 11 -

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Since V-day is nearly upon us, were going to make a simple little pink heart. Grab yourself a little bundle of roving and spread it out, then roll it into a tightish blob. This technical language may take some time to get used to. You really want your blob to be tighter and more compact than my blob unless you want to stab stab stab stabstabstabstabitystab for 10 minutes. I totally want that. Once you have a tightish blob, start stabbing. I started by stabbing the bottom to make the pointy heart end. You stab for a while then pick it up and turn it, stab some more, turn, stab, turn, stab. The turning is necessary as it keeps the texture and consistency even, but perhaps more importantly, it also keeps your felted bits from sticking to your foam. If you dont lift and turn regularly, youll end up with a nice chunk of foam embellished with a pretty pink heart. As you can see below, the roving is starting to get compacted and matted together. Youll see holes starting to form. Keep stabbing. You want your finished piece to be firm and only a little springy, so youll need to keep needling about five times longer than you think you do. Make sure you always go in a straight up and down motion, dont bend the needle or itll snap off, and you could put your eye out. Ive shaped my roving here into a sort of heartshaped blob and have tapered the point by stabbing on the sides of the roving until they form the shape Im looking for. If you feel like you have too much volume in one area, stab it until it goes away. If you dont have enough, just wrap some more roving around it and go to town.

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Finally, to get the shape of the top of the heart, stab in the middle until it forms a divot, and then go from the sides of the divot to give it that heart shape (see pics at right).

Needle Felting Fun :)

Thats it, youre done. You just spent 20 minutes maniacally stabbing something, and you dont have to worry about going to jail. Go you! You can get started with needle felting for probably less than $10 if you buy a small, cheap bag of roving, a small piece of foam, and one needle at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. There are kits on Etsy with everything you need to make anything from carrot magnets to anatomical hearts, all for around $12. Do you have something crafty youd like me to teach you to do in my own crackedout wildebeest way? Email me at sarah at wonderstrange dot com, and, if I dont know how to do it, Ill obsessively research until I figure it out.

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Musings of a Self-Trained Artist:

A Laywomans Laycolumn by Ann DAngelo

Last year, I received an invitation to join a Self-Portrait swap, and in fine neurotic fashion, I freaked out, my internal monologue sounding roughly like this: What if I make myself too young? What if I turn out all hot and skinny, like the love child of a Victorias Secret model and a number 2 pencil? What if people start sending me books like Self-Delusion & You: How to Get a Grip on Your Actual Height, Weight, and Bone Structure, You Ninnypants? Despite my misgivings, I wound up joining the swap because it had this caveat: I had to collage. Collage, as it turns out, liberates the artist from that entire dilemma. Since there is no way to create a realistic portrait of the self using images of others, the artist must look past the appearance to behaviors, personality traits, and internal conflicts. This exploration of the self can be lighthearted or truly searching, but in either case, the exercise is so satisfying both emotionally and artistically that I am hereby recommending it as an excellent way to kick off the New Year. The Example In this card, which I made for the swap, I decided to try having a little fun at my own expense. The central joke here is that I created myself out of an image of Napoleon, with whom I seem to share the overachieving desire to conquer the world, along with a certain smallness of stature and some seriously questionable hair. The Speedball pen references not only my writing aspirations, but also my wish to succeed quickly on all fronts. (Logging the hours? Gaining experience? Bah humbug! I want to bowl a 289 right now, please.)

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As for the artistic process, I found that the layering of accomplishments the A, the row of stars, the pair of ones served the piece both thematically and visually, creating dimension while expressing my ridiculous yearning for marks of approval. On a literal level, the pink glasses signify that this woman is me, but the repeated use of the same pink color across various symbols of achievement suggests that this need colors my vision. Although my desire for approval is not something I particularly like about myself, Ive been working on finding ways to laugh at my faults, instead of burying them deep in my underground shame tunnels. In that respect, this card proved wonderfully therapeutic. I dont think anyone has ever said that collage is the best medicine, but maybe someone should. The Suggestions By way of conclusion, I have a few suggestions for anyone who wants to undertake this cool exercise in artistic introspection. 1. Choose the focal images first; figure out what they mean or express afterward. 2. Be open-minded. An image of a man might convey something about a female artist even more handily than an image of a woman. The same holds true for images of two people. (Who doesnt sometimes have a two-way argument going inside their brain?) 3. Make conscious decisions. Choose colors, snippets of text, and supporting images that express the theme. 4. Create a series. When it comes to self-awareness, who couldnt stand a little more?

REGISTER NOW! www.arttradermag.com

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Framing Ornaments with Papier Mache

by Sarah Trumpp

When I finally give in to the Christmas elves, otherwise known as my children, and set up the tree each year, there is always a conversation about the ornaments where they came from, which kid made the Batman (it was me), and who gets to throw the tin foil ball at the tree (long story). Once the holidays are over, its a bittersweet job packing those ornaments away, and the house looks empty and sad without twinkling lights and shining skeletons decking our halls. This year, Ive decided to offset some of that sadness by keeping one of my most favorite ornaments out after everything else is tucked away, so I built a papier mache frame out of an empty cracker box to display it. You can use this frame to display ornaments, art dolls, Dotees, or anything else that needs to hang to be properly appreciated!

Materials List:
An empty cracker or cereal box Old newspaper or wrapping paper Tissue paper Papier mache paste (options explained in article) Ruler X-Acto or craft knife

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The first thing you need to do is choose a box and measure the height, width, and depth. Brush off your algebra skills to make sure your box will work: The width and height both need to be at least double the depth plus 2. My box was 8.5 inches tall and 6.5 inches wide. The side of my box (the depth) measured 2 inches, so my width worked with a mere 0.5 inches to spare! On the front and back of your box, measure 1 inch from all edges and mark it. This will be the front of your frame! Using your depth measurement, make a line that same distance from your 1-inch mark. Make measurements from the vertical lines on the front and the horizontal lines on the back. These marks will allow you to make flaps that will ultimately be the insides of your frame.

In the pictures below, Ive blocked out the areas that will be discarded so that you can get an idea of what areas you will cut.

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Next, youll need to use a craft knife or X-Acto to carefully cut along your marked lines. Cut out your marked area first and toss it. If youre working on the back, youll cut along the vertical lines and fold along the horizontal lines as in the picture below:

Repeat this process on the front of the box, but cut on the horizontal lines and fold along the vertical. At this point, you should have a complete shadowbox-style frame. Use masking tape (I used blue painters tape for no other reason than it was there) to secure your flaps and secure the opening in the box top. Now youre finally ready to get messy!

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A quick word about paste: Traditional papier mache is done with wheat paste a mixture of flour and water. This is probably the cheapest way to do it, and all you have to do is mix warm water with flour until it is smooth and lump-free with a pancake batter-like consistency. I choose not to use wheat paste mostly because I live in the country and dont want to encourage mice to chew on my art. My paste of choice is a one-to-one mixture of plain old white all purpose glue and water. There are specialty powdered and premixed mache pastes available at craft stores as well, so choose whatever works best for you and go for it. Start your papier mache by dipping a strip of newspaper into your paste and then squeezing the excess glue off by running the strip through your fingers. You want the paper to be wet but not saturated. If you get to the point where your frame starts to drip, youre using too much.

Make sure you cover the entire box, including the inside corners, with at least two or three layers. The good thing about doing papier mache this time of year is that you can lay your piece on a heater vent, and that will make it dry in about half the time.

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Once youve done your multiple layers of paper (right), its time for the final surface treatment. Tissue paper is probably my favorite secret tip/cheaterpants way to finish off a papier mache piece. It gives texture and added interest to the final product, covers the newspaper with color, and smooths out the edges. If you leave the newspaper as your final layer, you will most likely have to sand it to make it smooth. With tissue paper, you dont have to sand, it gives a final layer of strength, and the edges blend in. Score! I am essentially lazy, so I like to use black tissue paper for projects like this. I would most likely end up painting it black anyway, so using black tissue paper helps me avoid painting it, and I like that. You could alternatively use torn book/text pages as your final layer to add visual interest. Since tissue paper is so thin, youll have to apply it with a brush it wont survive a paste bath! Just lay down a layer of your paste with an old trashy brush, lay down a piece of tissue paper, and then brush glue over the top.

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Once youve given that layer time to dry, paint and/or decorate your frame however you wish. You can glue on embellishments, splatter paint, attach beads and chains, whatever you like. I did a simple light brushing of copper and turquoise craft acrylic paint. It picked up the texture in the paper and looks almost like corroded metal close up. Nothing makes me nostalgic for the holidays like corroded metal! Finally, add a screw-in hook or loop (secured with a blob of glue), then glue a sawtooth hanger to the back, and give your ornament a spot to hang on the wall! For a link to what Dotees are, go to: http://www.flickr.com/groups/doteedolls/

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Ann Pierson DAngelo

interview with Andrea Melione

The art o

Ann Pierson DAngelo is a remarkably versatile artist and one of ArtTraders newest workshop instructors. Her work is quirky, fun, and richly combines narrative with visual humor. Her personal journey from aspiring author, to corporate powerhouse, and finally to successful artist is an inspiration to us all to follow our hearts. In this interview Ann shares with us her art and her inspirations. Can you tell us a little about yourself? At the beginning of my career, I taught Drama, World Literature, and English Composition at Boston University. Although I adored teaching, I made a kind of lame intellectual, because I like chips, cheap frozen pizza, and inane chatter. Classical music and French philosophy, meanwhile, are not my favorites. After leaving academics, I worked for a national litigation support company, where I was responsible for training and communications for 1200 employees. When the CEO told me to Jump, I was also responsible for saying How high? That was not my favorite thing either. Once I had the corporate bug out of my system, I moved from the East Coast to the Midwest, wrote editorials for the Indianapolis Star, and worked on a novel. In 2011, I co-founded WonderStrange Arts. Wonderstrange and my fellow artists, Sarah Trumpp and Cindy Jo Blair - are my very favorites of all.

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Have you ever had any formal art training? I am loathe to confess that I havent taken a formal art class since the 8th grade, when I was far more concerned about my pinstriped jeans and the statistical probability of holding hands with [fellow student] Pete Huber than my artistic development anyway. Can you tell us a little about your rubber stamp collection and how youve developed it? What a fun question! At the height of my stamping, the rubber stamp market was dominated by sweet, cutesy images, which are as appealing to me as a rusty shrimp fork in the spleen. For many years, I used the Internet and especially eBay to find weird rubber stamps, which I buy in lots to get good deals. Since I slice and dice my stamped images, my husband and I could also be found at the Heritage Stamp Show, saying things like, Oh! Look at this body! That could go with so many different heads! I have no idea how many rubber stamps I own (thats a common question), but since I got plenty of them for $0.25 or less, I dont mind admitting that the number probably falls somewhere in the thousands. These days, I add to that number only if I find something deliciously strange or jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

visual art, I cant listen to sad, dark, or even especially mellow music

even though I love dark

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What would be your dream find at a flea market or thrift store? A smoking boudoir doll that I could afford but at that point, Id be pretty sure I was being punked. What influences or inspires your work? As a collage artist, I am inspired by the images I find. That answer is not remotely sexy, but its the buck-naked truth, all the same. I flip through my vintage magazines, my stamp books, or my old Sears catalog until something grabs me, and then Im off and running! Are there other artists you admire? Carrie Ann Baade blows me away. I have been particularly taken with Lisa Falzon lately, along with Junker Jane, who makes amazing stuffed creations, and Julien Martinez, whose art dolls would probably make me weep if I ever saw them in person. I have tremendous admiration for Sarah and Cindy as well. If I werent in business with them, Id want to be.

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Are there any non-2D artists whose work you admire? (Musicians, authors, mimes) I am a huge fan of Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy, and the short stories of Roald Dahl, which are dark and terribly clever. Unfortunately, even though I love dark visual art, I cant listen to sad, dark, or even especially mellow music without slipping into the maw of a monstrous depression, so I listen to a lot of rap, hip hop, and dance chart nonsense. What do you think makes a collage effective? For my money, a collage piece needs to be about something. That something doesnt have to be profound heck, in my case, it could be about girdle rash but everything in the composition needs to lend its support. I also place a very high value on coherence.

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How did you learn about Mailart? I went to a local scrapbooking store one Saturday to pick up some adhesive, and the manager chased me down and more or less commanded me to sign up for an ATC class that was happening the next day. It was taught by Russell Black, and I didnt want it to end! (Russell will even tell you that I refused to leave the classroom, but thats not true. Once the armed guards showed up, I let go of Russells ankle and went along quietly.) How has Mailart affected you as an artist? Mailart by virtue of its size and nature encourages experimentation, and in that respect, Mailart has facilitated my development more than any other single source. I cant think about Mailart without thinking about the Mailart community, though, because the people on ATCsforAll and iATCs are phenomenally supportive. I have met some of my dearest friends in the world through Mailart, and I have to credit them as well, because they have emboldened me, encouraged me, and pushed me at every turn. I could never thank them enough.

:: Find Ann on the web at ::

www.wonderstrange.com

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Decorating the House with Mailart By Ann DAngelo

After my husband and I pack up the holiday decorations, I feel vaguely sad. Without the colorful chaos of the season, the house looks frighteningly close to normal, which in my vocabulary is a synonym for dull. The good news is that anyone who trades Mailart probably has the antidote for dull dcor in a box or a binder filled to overflowing with delicious little pieces of original art. With that in mind, here are a few ideas for displaying Mailart around the house in 2012. Frames and Photo Holders Yes, yes, I know: Someone broke the shocking news about picture frames shortly after the discovery of fire. Without belaboring the obvious, I want to point out that framed Mailart can be displayed virtually anywhere: on the kitchen wall, on that bookshelf in the living room, on the side table in the guest room, even in the bathroom. Big frames look terrific, but small frames like these can be configured on narrow strips of wall that might not otherwise accommodate artwork. I purchased the frames in this picture at Hobby Lobby, but I routinely get 2.5 x 3.5 frames at thrift shops for less than the price of a cup of black coffee. Big frames look terrific, but small frames like these can be configured on narrow strips of wall that might not otherwise accommodate artwork. I purchased the frames in this picture at Hobby Lobby, but I routinely get 2.5 x 3.5 frames at thrift shops for less than the price of a cup of black coffee. Photo holders can be pricey in regular stores, but theyre Fly ATCs by Juli Waller, hanging relatively common on a 10-inch strip of wall next to my kitchen pantry in thrift stores, too where they are also cheaper. I use photo holders to show off sets and seasonal groupings. Photo holders also have the advantage of being able to hold all sorts of Mailart, from twinchies to postcards and back again.

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Found Object Displays Whenever I go to a thrift store, I am always on the lookout for nontraditional ways to display Mailart. Take this fake window display. Each of the four empty panes is just slightly bigger than 4 x 4, making this a fantastic, oneof-a-kind display for chunkies, like this piece by Andrea Melione. Do found objects need a little love to look their best? Sure, but thats part of the fun! If I wanted to make this a themed display for butterfly art, for example, I could paint the frame and dangle paper butterflies (or ones created from shrink plastic) in the triangular slots at the top, then fill the window box below with a bounty of handmade paper flowers and butterfly inchies. DIY Displays Of course, to supplement or even replace great thrift store finds, we crafty sorts can also make our own displays! In 2010, I received a killer handmade ATC holder in a gift swap. Sarah Trumpp created this one-eyed little guy using polymer clay, a weight, and jewelry wire. Now he sits on my bookshelf, displaying a set of pumpkin ATCs by Cindy Jo Blair.

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If clay seems intimidating, there are other ways to achieve the same effect without it. To show off my favorite bird ATCs by Cindy Jo and Sal Scheibe, I bought these little nests at a craft store and added copper wire and two metal clasps to complete the display. The same principle could be applied across multiple themes: Flower ATCs coming out of a decorative watering can, creepy doll ATCs coming out of a plastic doll head, Marie Antoinette ATCs coming out of a plastic cupcake from a set of play groceries. The trick to any display of this sort is stability, so be prepared to add weight at the bottom if necessary. (My little nests are prone to tip over. Clearly, I need to add eggs!)

Metal clasps, meanwhile, provide a great basis for garlands, which allow clever decorators to fill up those unusable stretches of wall over closets, windows, and doors. I created this garland in about 20 minutes using clasps, jump rings, tissue paper, and electrical wire. Changing the art is as easy as hopping onto a chair, opening the clasp, and slipping in a new little masterpiece! Mailart traders take great pains to create beautiful work, and we all love to open envelopes filled with treasures. What a shame to tuck those treasures away where no one can see! In 2012, fill the house with art!

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ROOMs!

Where do you create?

This is my art room / office. By day, I work as a graphic designer and most of it happens right here, at my desk. All the tools I need are sitting on my desk: Wacom and pen! I also use this space to create my art and ATCs too. I have an easel for big canvases (and a smaller table top version tucked away) and a moveable drawer for my ATC tools (markers and pencils). I love the moveable cabinet because it means I can move into the kitchen or drag it to the TV room and create while I watch a movie. I dont need a lot of room to create but I do like a lot of light which I get in this room with the bay windows.

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I cram most of my supplies into these book shelves with overflow in my garage cabinet. I dont have tons of supplies and tend to buy only what I need because I dont have any room for much. Plus I have an aversion to clutter. I know... its a strange thing for most artists to hear since we tend to be craft supply junkies and extreme paint hoarders. At right is my favorite moveable cabinet. It holds all of my art pens. Wed love to see some art rooms and creation places, even if its your dining room table! Please dont forget to fill out the release form if you send a photo. Its on our website.

Send us your art room photos!

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www.slscheibe.com Creative Graphic Design and Il lustration

Visit EraserQueens blog for a chance to win an Original ATC by Andrea Melione The Winner will be drawn October 15th!
Click here to visit or go to: http://eraserqueenstudios.blogspot.com
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4 Eyes Glass Studio

Cabs, Beads & Studio Pendants 4 Eyes Glass
www.4eyesglass.com

503.558.0304 303.420.0348 meran@ghostman.com

*** Catalog available online *** meran@ghostman.com ***Photos upon request***

EraserQueen
is on

http://www.youtube.com/user/ EraserqueenStudio

Watch a walk through of Halloween Goddess

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Article Submissions - write for us!

Thank you for your interest in contributing to ArtTrader Magazine. ArtTrader Magazine is a web-based publication (in PDF format) focused on Mailart for trade such as ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), ACEOs, art journals, chunky books, altered art and altered books. We are always accepting the following types of materials: How to or Step-by-Step articles on artistic techniques. Articles on artistic journeys or experiences. Artist Spotlight/Profile. Do you have a body of work you would like share? Showcasing Art. We are interested in showcasing assemblages, mixed media work, creative journaling, chunky books, fat books, inchies, ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), post cards and more. Product and Book Reviews.

www.arttradermag.com
Advertising, Product Reviews & Partnership Inquiries sal@arttradermag.com Submissions Sal Scheibe sal@arttrader.com Critique Corner Andrea Melione andrea@arttradermag.com
For additional details on our submission and artwork guidelines, please visit our website:

Art TRADER

OPEN Call for Artwork: Readers Gallery

We want to have a Readers Gallery in every magazine issue to showcase the beautiful art made by the Mailart community. Please send us your Mailart pics! Theme doesnt matter, as long as its Mailart. Were looking for ATCs, ACEOs, Chunky Pages, Inchies, Twinchies, Skinny Pages, Art Journals, altered art and altered books. Submissions should be sent to: submissions@arttradermag.com Send images in JPG, BMP or TIF format. PDFs are also fine. High quality scans please so at least 100 DPI though 300 DPI is preferred. Make sure you fill out an Artwork Release Form so that we can show off your art! Its on our website in the Magazine section. Very important! Thanks for reading! The ArtTrader Zine Team

www.arttradermag.com

Bowie, Schiele style ATC by Sal Scheibe

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