By: Linda Selymes, Artistic Guide

 Finished Card size 5.5" x 8.5"
Fits an A9 Envelope 

I have to be totally honest and tell you that when I first saw the theme for this month, "ATC Transformers", I didn't even know what it meant.  Being a new designer and all, I didn't want to expose my ignorance right away, so I did a google search on ATC Transformers.  I came up with a list of corporations that deal in electronic components, and magnetics and a whole bunch of other scientific jargon that I don't even begin to understand.  I thought, "uh oh, that can't be it."  So, I swallowed my pride and sent an email to a more experienced buddy assigned to me and asked her.   As soon as she said "Artist Trading Cards," I knew what she was talking about.   I had never actually made one (yet), but I had been given a few of them at different stamp conventions.    So I went on another google search, this time on Artist Trading Cards, and I found out a whole bunch of stuff about them.  Artists from all over the world are creating these tiny art gems.  There are a myriad of mediums used and almost any subject or style you can think of.    Also, there are some rules.  Here are a few of them: 

1. They are all a standard size, which is 3.5" x 2.5", the size of sports trading cards or many playing cards, but the corners can be rounded if you like.
2. It's not polite to cut up or otherwise deface a trading card for collage or whatever, that you receive from another artist.  They may have spent a lot of time making them, and you are supposed to keep and treasure them.  However, you can do whatever you want with your own trading cards.  Maybe you made too many, or you didn't like the way they turned out.  You can cut them up and collage a new ATC, put them on a card, cover a box with them, the sky is the limit.  (I liked that rule the best,  lol.)
3. There is a purist group that says you can't buy or sell them like baseball cards, you can only trade them; but not everybody believes this.
4. There were other rules also, but those are the basics.  The most important thing I found out, after making a few myself, is they are addictive, and can be very quick and easy to make.

So, having said all that, I figured what I needed to do was make  some ATCs, and turn them into something else.  I started out by making about a dozen ATCs, all very similar.  The next photo is that of the ATCs left over after I chose the four that are on the card pictured above. 

The idea for this particular card came from a cyber friend on one of my yahoo groups who did a series of ATCs representing the four seasons.  Thanks, Trish!   Here are directions for the four ATCs and the card. 

Supplies
Stamps:
All stamps by Stampscapes:
     Lakeside Cabin - 147F
     Cloud Rising Moon - 197E
     Water Pattern (small) 231C
     Oak Branch - 203G
     Leafless Limbs Lg. - 053 F
     Migrating Birds - 152D
     Gulls - 302A
     Flock inH2O - 225D
     Wading Fisherman - 186B
     Solo Canoeist - 159A
     Row Boat - 166A
     Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall - Sentiment Sheet 6 - Skies/Seasons
Paper:
Matte White Card Stock (Neenah Classic Crest)
Metallic Gold Card Stock (Unknown)
Glossy White Card Stock (Kromecoat CIS 10 pt. by Mohawk)
Matte Black Card Stock (Unknown)
Inks:
Black Memories dye ink pad (Stewart Superior)
Marvy Matchable ink pads: (Uchida)
     #29 Prussian Blue
     #10 Lt. Blue
     #60 Salvia Blue
     #52 Yellow Green
     #4 Green
     #16 Pale Orange
     #1 Ochre
Summer Sky Memento ink pad (Tsukineko)
Shell Pink Adirondack Lights ink pad (Ranger)
Platinum Pigment Colorbox ink pad (Clearsnap)
Other Supplies:
Tombow Dual brush markers: (Penwa)
     Light Brown
     Brown
     Light Grey
     Green 
Gel pens (Uniball by Signo)
     Orchid
     White
Ultrafine Pearlescent Glitter: (Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter)
     Pearl
     Spruce
     Pink Cadillac
     Tang
     Duck Tail
Zig or other Glue Pen (Kuretake Co. Ltd)
Clear Embossing Powder (Judikins)
Heat Tool (Milwaukee)
Scoring Board (Martha Stewart)
Paper cutter (Fiskars)
Colorbox Stylus tool and several foam tips (Clearsnap), or foam cosmetic sponges
Double sided adhesive (Glue glider Pro)
Corner punch - optional  (unknown)
Acrylic Stamp Block  (Apple Pie from Joanns) 

Directions: 

1. Using glossy card stock cut four pieces to 2.25" x 3.25".  For the winter scene, using Prussian Blue dye ink, stamp the cabin in the center, the moon at the top and water pattern across the bottom.  
2. Sponge in Salvia Blue followed by Light Blue in the water and sky, keeping the darkest part in the corners.
3. Stamp just the tips of Leafless Limbs Lg in the lower right corner two times.
4. Color the cabin with the brown Tombow marker.
5. With a glue pen, add glue to the bare branches, the roof, the land in front of the cabin and dot it on the trees.  Add Pearl glitter and shake off excess.  (You will probably need to do this in two steps to keep the glue from drying before you sprinkle the glitter).  Return excess glitter to container.  
6. Use corner punch if desired.  At this point, this completes the scene.  If you are going to turn it into an ATC adhere it to a piece of 3.5" x 2.5" black card stock.  If for the card, set aside and continue.   Below is a closeup of the ATC. 

    

7. For the spring ATC, on the second 2.25" x 3.25" glossy card stock, stamp the cabin in the center in black, and the moon and water pattern as before, only stamp in Salvia Blue ink.  (Be sure you clean your stamps first.)
8. Stamp just the tops of Oak Branch in black ink in the  lower right corner two times. 
9. With a clean sponge, sponge a little shell pink in the sky over the trees, and a little summer sky and salvia blue over the rest of the sky and the water.  Since this is spring, keep the sly and water fairly light. 
10. Stamp the gulls in black ink in the sky and the rowboat in the water.
11. Color the cabin in lighter brown marker and the rocks in grey.  Lightly color the trees in green marker.
12. With gel pens in orchid and white, dot in color in the bushes surrounding the cabin to simulate flowers.
13. Using the glue pen and pink cadillac, dot in color in the lower right corner to simulate spring flowers. Repeat with spruce glitter to simulate foliage.   Punch the corners if desired.  This completes this scene. 

     

14. The summer scene is almost identical, except that the bushes in front of the cabin are colored in green marker,  the glitter in lower right corner is only in spruce, and you substitute ducks in H2O and Solo canoeist for the rowboat.  The ducks are only partially stamped in the lower left corner.  Clean your stamps and get ready for "Fall". 

     

15. On glossy card stock, stamp the cabin in the center as before in black ink.  Stamp the sky and water in Pale Orange.  Using another clean sponge, lightly sponge in some more pale orange, and ochre inks in the sky and water, again keeping the darker color at the edges. 
16. Stamp the oak branch two times in lower right, the migrating birds in the sky, and the wading fisherman in the water, all in black. 
17. Color the cabins and rocks in brown marker.
18.  Using the glue pen and tang, ducktail and spruce glitter one at a time, simulate turning foliage in the lower right corner.  Punch the corners if desired. 

     

19. Now to assemble the card.  Score an 8.5" x 11.0" piece of matte white card stock at 5.5" to make a card that measures 8.5" x 5.5".
20. Cut a piece of black matte card stock to 8.375X  x 5.375" and adhere to the card front.
21. Matt each of the four scenes in gold metalic card stock cut to 3.375" x 2.375" and adhere in an offset manner as shown on the card pictured at the top. 
22. The sentiment stamps are currently only available unmounted.  Using a 2" x 2" acrylic stamp block, stamp the four sentiments as shown in the picture in Platinum pigment ink.   Sprinkle with clear embossing powder and heat set.  Your card is finished.  Don't forget to sign it.

Here are more cards I made with some of the ATC's not used and scrap paper.  They are 3. 375" x 4.875", note card size, and fit an A1 envelope.  The "Thank you" stamp is by Stampendous.

I know I will be making more ATCs in the future.  They are lots of fun. 

If you have further interest in scenic stamping, visit one of our sponsors, www.stampscapes.com for wonderful galleries and online lessons and videos.  

There is also a wonderful yahoo group: 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stampscapes/ 

which you can join and learn lots more from very talented stamp artists, participate in swaps, and share your artwork.  A lot of what I know comes from help from this wonderful group of artists.  

See you next time.