• Portfolio
    • Mixed Media Canvases & Panels
    • Dimensional and Assemblage Art
    • Art Journaling & ATCs >
      • "Pourquoi" Artist Book
    • Books, Jewelry, Hand-carved Stamps, & Textile Art
    • Beaded Jewelry
  • Workshops
    • Pocketful of People - Online Workshop
    • Bits & Pieces - Online Workshop
    • 3-2-1 Collage - Online Workshop
    • Masterful Minis - Online Workshop
    • Cut Paper Collage - Online Workshop
    • Interactive ATCs - Online Workshop
    • Patchwork Pages - Online Workshop
    • Matchbook Minis Online Workshop
    • Half-Day Workshops >
      • Stamp Carving
      • Mini File Folder Art Journal
      • Mini Mixed Media Medallions
      • 4x4 Coptic-Bound Art Journal
      • Boho Art Journaling with Stencils & Stamps
    • Full-Day Workshops >
      • Angels & Icons
      • Mini Journal Mayhem
      • Stitches + Glue Workshop
      • All Wrapped Up Workshop
      • Bits, Beads, & Blends Workshop
      • The Hanging Art Journal
      • Translucent Art Journal
      • Mixed Media Floral Still-Life
      • 3D Boho Collage
      • Mixed Media Shadow Boxes
      • Mixed Media Medallions
  • Tutorials
    • Heat Embossing Tutorials
  • Store
    • New, Restocked, & Sale
    • The Boho Bazaar
    • Original Artwork
    • Tools & Supplies >
      • Paint, Ink, Pens, & Color
      • Embossing Powder, Rubber Stamps, & Accessories
      • Embellishments
      • Paper & Paper Embellishments
      • Trims, Textiles, & Stitching
      • Washi Tape
    • My Products
    • ShinHan Art Supplies
    • Original Jewelry
    • Downloadable Collage Cut-Outs
    • Gift Cards
  • Blog
  • The Artist Tribe
    • The Artist Tribe Project Gallery
  • About Me
    • Publications & Exhibitions
    • Newsletter
GWEN LAFLEUR
  • Portfolio
    • Mixed Media Canvases & Panels
    • Dimensional and Assemblage Art
    • Art Journaling & ATCs >
      • "Pourquoi" Artist Book
    • Books, Jewelry, Hand-carved Stamps, & Textile Art
    • Beaded Jewelry
  • Workshops
    • Pocketful of People - Online Workshop
    • Bits & Pieces - Online Workshop
    • 3-2-1 Collage - Online Workshop
    • Masterful Minis - Online Workshop
    • Cut Paper Collage - Online Workshop
    • Interactive ATCs - Online Workshop
    • Patchwork Pages - Online Workshop
    • Matchbook Minis Online Workshop
    • Half-Day Workshops >
      • Stamp Carving
      • Mini File Folder Art Journal
      • Mini Mixed Media Medallions
      • 4x4 Coptic-Bound Art Journal
      • Boho Art Journaling with Stencils & Stamps
    • Full-Day Workshops >
      • Angels & Icons
      • Mini Journal Mayhem
      • Stitches + Glue Workshop
      • All Wrapped Up Workshop
      • Bits, Beads, & Blends Workshop
      • The Hanging Art Journal
      • Translucent Art Journal
      • Mixed Media Floral Still-Life
      • 3D Boho Collage
      • Mixed Media Shadow Boxes
      • Mixed Media Medallions
  • Tutorials
    • Heat Embossing Tutorials
  • Store
    • New, Restocked, & Sale
    • The Boho Bazaar
    • Original Artwork
    • Tools & Supplies >
      • Paint, Ink, Pens, & Color
      • Embossing Powder, Rubber Stamps, & Accessories
      • Embellishments
      • Paper & Paper Embellishments
      • Trims, Textiles, & Stitching
      • Washi Tape
    • My Products
    • ShinHan Art Supplies
    • Original Jewelry
    • Downloadable Collage Cut-Outs
    • Gift Cards
  • Blog
  • The Artist Tribe
    • The Artist Tribe Project Gallery
  • About Me
    • Publications & Exhibitions
    • Newsletter

ATC Tutorial
Indian Summer Themed Cards

In September 2017 the Artist Tribe and I participated in a little blog hop where we each shared projects using my stencils and / or items from my shop. For my post, I'm sharing how I used my stencils and shop goodies to make a set of ATCs (Artist Trading Cards.)

Here are the cards - believe it or not, I made all of these in one sitting... it just took a few hours (which for me is pretty fast!)

Stenciled and Embellished ATCs | Gwen Lafleur
Ready to see how I made them?

I started with an 11"x14" sheet of heavy weight paper, then I blended some Distress Oxide Inks onto the surface, spritzed with water, and dried it. I wanted to do two different colorways so that I would have some variety in the backgrounds for my cards so I did each half of the paper in different colors, contrasting warm and cool palettes.
Stenciled and Embellished ATCs Tutorial - Steps 1-2 | Gwen Lafleur
Next, I pulled out my stencils and started adding designs all over the background without much rhyme or reason. Here, I used two designs from my Art Deco stencil collection: Art Deco Sunburst Background, Art Deco Sun Medallion, then the Decorative Medallion stencil and Decorative 6-Petal Flower Screen. From my Ornamental stencil collection I used the Ornamental Peacock Feathers stencil, Ornamental Floral Screen, and Ornamental Embroidery. I stenciled all of those with Archival Inks - I wanted the slightly more soft and transparent look of inks for this, plus they give a nice, crisp image and no drying time. 

With that done, I cut the sheet down into 2-1/2"x3-1/2" cards, then took paper scraps and adhered them along the bottom or side with matte medium.
Stenciled and Embellished ATCs Tutorial - Steps 3-4 | Gwen Lafleur
To bring more pattern and variety to the cards I took different washi tapes and added those as another layer, sealing them with matte medium.

With the matte medium dry, I took some different Dresden trim border designs and added a small section on each card.
Stenciled and Embellished ATCs Tutorial - Steps 5-6 | Gwen Lafleur
Next I cut out nine images from the collage sheets (these were provided as part of a kit for a swap group I used to be a member of, but you can find similar designs in my Irresistible India downloadable collage cutouts.) I decided which backgrounds looked best with which images and then adhered them in place with matte medium.

After that it was time for one of my favorite parts - embellishing. For this, I mainly used different trims, jewels, and charms from my stash and glued those in place.
Stenciled and Embellished ATCs Tutorial - Steps 7-8 | Gwen Lafleur
Finally, I used Sepia and Jet Black Archival Inks along the edge of each card and then finished them with a line of gold from a Pen-Touch paint pen.

That's it! The cards themselves are quite easy to make - the key is the background, which adds a lot of complexity and depth without a lot of work. From there you just add a few layers on top, and voilà! Fun and ATCs, all ready to trade.

Here are close-ups of each of the cards I made:
And of course, one final look at all of them together:
Picture

You might also like...

Gwen's StencilGirl Stencils - Ornamental Collection

$5.00 - $14.00
Shop

German Dresden Trim & Shapes (42 Styles Available)

$2.49 - $9.69
Shop

Irresistible India - Downloadable Collage Cut-outs

$4.49
Shop

Gwen's StencilGirl Stencils - Decorative Collection

$5.00 - $7.00
Shop

Gwen's StencilGirl Stencils - Art Deco Collection

$5.00 - $14.00
Shop

Gwen's StencilGirl Stencils - Boho Collection

$7.00 - $14.00
Shop

Enchanting Elephants - ​Downloadable Collage Cut-Outs

$2.29
Shop

Classic Art Washi Tape (3 Styles Available)

$3.95 - $6.95
Shop

Patterns & Text Washi Tape

$2.95 - $5.95
Shop

MT Washi Tape (4 Styles Available)

$3.49 - $6.49
Shop

Asian Calligraphy Washi Tape (3 Styles Available)

$2.95 - $6.95
Shop

Beautiful Butterflies - Downloadable Collage Cut-outs

$6.79
Shop
Picture
EMAIL ME
Data Safety | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
© COPYRIGHT 2023 by Gwen Lafleur. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Portfolio
    • Mixed Media Canvases & Panels
    • Dimensional and Assemblage Art
    • Art Journaling & ATCs >
      • "Pourquoi" Artist Book
    • Books, Jewelry, Hand-carved Stamps, & Textile Art
    • Beaded Jewelry
  • Workshops
    • Pocketful of People - Online Workshop
    • Bits & Pieces - Online Workshop
    • 3-2-1 Collage - Online Workshop
    • Masterful Minis - Online Workshop
    • Cut Paper Collage - Online Workshop
    • Interactive ATCs - Online Workshop
    • Patchwork Pages - Online Workshop
    • Matchbook Minis Online Workshop
    • Half-Day Workshops >
      • Stamp Carving
      • Mini File Folder Art Journal
      • Mini Mixed Media Medallions
      • 4x4 Coptic-Bound Art Journal
      • Boho Art Journaling with Stencils & Stamps
    • Full-Day Workshops >
      • Angels & Icons
      • Mini Journal Mayhem
      • Stitches + Glue Workshop
      • All Wrapped Up Workshop
      • Bits, Beads, & Blends Workshop
      • The Hanging Art Journal
      • Translucent Art Journal
      • Mixed Media Floral Still-Life
      • 3D Boho Collage
      • Mixed Media Shadow Boxes
      • Mixed Media Medallions
  • Tutorials
    • Heat Embossing Tutorials
  • Store
    • New, Restocked, & Sale
    • The Boho Bazaar
    • Original Artwork
    • Tools & Supplies >
      • Paint, Ink, Pens, & Color
      • Embossing Powder, Rubber Stamps, & Accessories
      • Embellishments
      • Paper & Paper Embellishments
      • Trims, Textiles, & Stitching
      • Washi Tape
    • My Products
    • ShinHan Art Supplies
    • Original Jewelry
    • Downloadable Collage Cut-Outs
    • Gift Cards
  • Blog
  • The Artist Tribe
    • The Artist Tribe Project Gallery
  • About Me
    • Publications & Exhibitions
    • Newsletter