Upcoming Trades

Last nights trade was fun and inspiring. In addition I think the ideas for the upcoming trades are very exciting. Here is our schedule thru June 2010.

March 2010: "Ink Blots" The idea is to make ATC sized "ink blots" by folding your card in half so the blot is a mirror image. Here is a link (thanks Pamela) to the inspiration for this idea. Then to look at the "blot" and "see" what you can find for your subject matter...people, faces, etc. Then enhance the card to finish. I have made 2 test ink blots using Arches 140# cold press. I scored it down the middle to get a nice fold before I added the medium. I used watercolors for my "ink". You could use india ink for your "blot" and finish in whatever color/medium you desire, make it all one color, or....?. Make 4 cards to trade and one for yourself if you wish.

April 2010: "Symbols" Symbols are all around us and often overlooked or their meaning is forgotton. If you have read "The Da Vinci Code" or "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown you can see how we are surrounded by symbols. So this card is to choose a "symbol" as your subject matter. The field is wide open...religion, mythology, ancient cultures, mathmatics, texting, editing, punctuation, astrology, etc. Any medium. Make 4 cards to trade and one for yourself if you wish.

May 2010 "Zentangle" This is a fascinating use of "doodling"art as meditation. Here is a link to a website that explains how to make one , and also to the originators website where there are many examples to see. Make 4 "ATC size "Zentangles" to trade and I guess just try and stop at 4! (Thank's to Rosie for this idea).

June 2010 "Art Postcard" For this trade we will each make 1 postcard to mail, without an envelope. So your medium must be durable enough to survive the mail. The smallest size your postcard can be is 3.5 x 5" by .007" thick. The largest size is 4.25 x 6" by .016 " thick. This is to qualify for the postcard rate of .28 cents. Oversize is charged as a letter, .44 for 1 oz., .61 for 2 oz....and if it gets too thick it will be a parcel. Original 2 dimensional art and collage are probably good choices. One of the fun things about a postcard trade is that it provides a record of the "maker/artist" (return address), the "first owner of this art" (mailing address), "date mailed" (post office cancellation), and "where it was made" (post office cancellation). Also, without being in an envelope, it has already had an audience of many postal workers and you never know what will inspire someone, or just make them smile for a moment. It is also an opportunity to use some of the beautiful artwork you find in stamps! Here is link to the USPO site with info about postcard mailing. Hope you enjoy this one. We will each make one to send and will draw names the next time we get together for a trade.

We can figure out meeting or mailing dates by email, and as soon as they are final I will post to the blog. Also, I would like to discuss adding more people to the group and see how everyone feels about that.