Our theme for the latest set of artists’ trading cards is nature, and boy did I have a hard time with it. I’ve made two sets, I’m not real thrilled with either of them.
The first set is called Ode to Eva Gabor:
Text taken from Green Acres theme song written by Vic Mizzy.
The second set I call Everything Dies:
I’m happier with the second set, though they are very simple, rubber stamps on mulberry paper.
This month the theme for artist trading cards is Spirit. I tried to think about team spirit, spirit airlines, Spirit of St. Louis, alcoholic spirits, and all other sorts of spirits, but I kept returning to Dickens. I decided to draw an image inspired by this passage from “A Christmas Carol”:
It was a strange figure — like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium, which gave him the appearance of having receded from the view, and being diminished to a child’s proportions. Its hair, which hung about its neck and down its back, was white as if with age; and yet the face had not a wrinkle in it, and the tenderest bloom was on the skin. The arms were very long and muscular; the hands the same, as if its hold were of uncommon strength. Its legs and feet, most delicately formed, were, like those upper members, bare. It wore a tunic of the purest white, and round its waist was bound a lustrous belt, the sheen of which was beautiful. It held a branch of fresh green holly in its hand; and, in singular contradiction of that wintry emblem, had its dress trimmed with summer flowers. But the strangest thing about it was, that from the crown of its head there sprung a bright clear jet of light, by which all this was visible; and which was doubtless the occasion of its using, in its duller moments, a great extinguisher for a cap, which it now held under its arm.
Our artist trading card group met this week. I just wanted to write a little about this group, they are some amazing women. We started meeting to exchange trading cards, but we do many things that involve paper. Our latest was a page exchange for a circus book, and I can’t get over how creative these pages are. 
Barb made pages that move, a lion tamer putting his head in the lion’s mouth, and a cat that turns into a lion.
Ingrid’s tight rope walker with umbrellas can be seen here.
Jane’s clown face poster for an imaginary troupe of IT workers that started the cirque du bouffons is, well, extremely imaginative.
Lynn’s creepy clowns (What? You’re not surprised she made creepy clowns?) can be seen on her blog here.
Norma did a lovely fortune teller, Madam Zia, and Cheryl gave us a sweet, vintage circus girl with bells.
After the exchange, we made spontaneous trading cards. It nurtures our creativity to make things on the spot out whatever we have available, not to mention we have a lot of fun!
The theme for the next artists trading swap exchange is circus. I did a clown. I did a bunch of clowns, from an antique rubber stamp set.
A couple of weeks ago I was standing in Joann’s thinking I should buy some nice card stock, I’m running low and need them to make artist trading cards. I thought to myself, what is the theme for this month, it might influence the color I buy. Oh, yeah, recycling. So much for buying new paper. I was pretty sure I could find something to use up. I used newspaper and old cardboard.
The subject for this month’s set of Artist Trading Cards is leather and lace. I immediately thought of shoes.
This month the theme for atc’s is tropical, I thought of mixed drinks. Hence, these are my offerings. A couple of close ups, then a group shot.
I added some silver artists’ trading cards to go with these gold ones. I’m trading them tonight!
The theme for the next round of trading cards is science. Not having gone very far in the field, it makes me think of the giant periodic table in an elementary school classroom. I decided to pay homage to the prettiest element.
Tonight I ran our artists’ trading card meeting, and I had everyone work on skulls! First, there were paper mache skulls on lollipop sticks for folks to decorate!
Flower skull and bloody skull
A much coveted golden skull
Lover skulls
The rare ruffled skull
Then I rubber stamped cards with a skull image I had carved, and everyone got to decorate those.
Beautiful sequins
What beautiful eyes you have
Bling skull
Mardi gras skull
Sophisticated skull
Beautiful background
It is a great group, you can give them any silly stuff and they are happy to work away at it.
Everyone working hard on the skulls
Art is very serious stuff!
Me with my faithful assistant