ArtTrader Issue9

ArtTRADER
All About Trading

ATCs, Altered Art, Art Journals, Chunky Books & Creative Inspiration
m a g a z i n e
P UT T I NG T HE A RT I N T R A D E
I s s ue 9 - Wi nt er 2010
Cover art by Constance Taylor
ART I ST I C
JOURNEYS
c o p y r i g h t
Interviews with
Constance Taylor
& Renee Nault
Critique
C o r n e r
Chimerical
CREATURES
MAT C HB OX
s h r i n e s
FROM ATC
To Professional Art
Found
P O E T R Y m a g a z i n e
Table of Contents WINTER 2010
3
4
5
8
9
15
20
25
27
30
40
42
44
48
50
53
55
57
ArtTrader Contributors
Letter from the Editor
Gallery of Snow Kings and Queens
Spring Contest! Mixed Media Birds with Hats
Feature Interview: Constance Taylor
Diminutive Dioramas: Matchbox Shrines
Artistic Journeys: What Artists Need to Know
About Copyright
Gallery: Illustrations
Illustration Technique: Acrylic and Watercolor
Chimerical Critter Creation: Tutorial on Making
Mutants
Critique Corner
ATCs as Inspiration for Professional Art
The Art of Renee Nault
Gallery: Found Poetry
Incorporating Found Poetry into Mixed Media and
Collage Art
10 Minutes Walkthrough: Funky Intuituve
Watercolor Portraits
Online Workshop Calendar 2010
How to Contribute to ArtTrader Magazine
PUBLISHER
CHIEF EDITOR
COPY EDITORS
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS
ART DIRECTOR
ASSOCIATE DESIGNERS
Sal Scheibe
Dana Driscoll
Meran ni Cuill
Amy Sargent
Andrea Melione
Kat Launey
Dana Driscoll
Dina Haskins
Angela Kingston-Smith
Sal Scheibe
Brittany Noethen
Andrea Melione
ArtTRADER Magazine
www.arttradermag.com
Publisher: [email protected]
Advertising / Products: [email protected]
Editor: [email protected]
Art: [email protected]
Call for Entries: www.arttradermag.com
Page 25
Page 15
Page 50
Art TRADER m a g a z i n e
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Andrea Melione (AKA EraserQueen) has a B.S. in Arts Management and is doggedly
pursuing a Masters in Library Science. She has been involved in Mail Art for fve 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.
artpfunkcentral.blogspot.co m
www.fickr.com/photos/littleboot s
Dana Driscoll is an experimental artist working in a variety of media including watercolors,
mixed media, oils, clay, book arts, hand papermaking, jewelry making and altered art. She
recently completed painting her 78-card Tarot of Trees deck and also enjoys combining
her love of pottery and bookmaking. When not teaching university classes in writing and
rhetoric, she can be found frolicking in nearby forests or hanging out with her nerdy gamer
friends. Danas work can be found at her Tarot of Trees site (www.tarotoftrees.com) and at
her blog: artisticjourneys.blogspot.com. She can be reached at [email protected].
www.tarotoftrees.com

Contributors
Brittany Noethen is an artist living in a tech managers body. She would rather be
decapitated than give up making art, trading ATCs, or stop thinking that the phrase Muffns
or Bust is hilarious. She currently lives in Iowa with her partner Cat, her 12 year old pit bull,
Maggie, and shelves full of art supplies.
www.bnoethen.etsy.co m
arty-iowa-girl.vox.co m
www.fickr.com/photos/arty-ia-gir l
Meran niCuill 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 fnds therapeutic.
www.meran.etsy.co m
atcs2009.meran.fastmail.f m
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.slscheibe.co m
www.fickr.com/photos/ameras u
Amy L. Sargent is a poet, mixed-media artist, and writing professor living in Roseburg,
Oregon. She trades mail art under the artist ID amyfaerie at www.atcsforall.com. She
lives with her husband, their three cats, and an old, hand-me-down dog. When not writing,
making art, or teaching, she is most certainly at the post offce or at a thrift store.
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aaaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbbb
Letter from the Editor
Dana Driscoll
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With the New Year, mail artists often think
about fresh starts or pushing our art in
new directions. 2010 is a great time to try
out something youve been wanting to do
or push yourself in a new way. Perhaps
this means getting started with a unique
media or technique, or branching out into
themes or types of mail art. Part of trying
something new is being willing to take the
plunge and start as a beginner again. This
was something I recently experienced in
taking my frst classes with a new painting
media in this New Year.
This holiday season, I got started painting
in gouache. Although Ive been combining
acrylic and watercolor for years, I have
wanted to learn gouache for a long time.
I quickly learned that working with gouache meant leaving a lot of what I thought I knew about painting
behind! In fact, although I thought that learning gouache would be similar to my work with watercolor,
most of the techniques were the opposite. Painting dark to light instead of light to dark, for example, is
still something I am getting used to. Certainly my gouache painting efforts have a long way to go before
I see results I like, and I feel comfortable working with the media. But the important thing is that I keep
working at it! Mail art is a perfect way to explore a new media or technique without the stress of working
on a larger scale.
Speaking of new things to try, this issue is packed full of new galleries, mail art techniques, and eye
candy! Wed like to offer special congratulations to Amy Turner, who won our Snow Queens and Kings
competition with her Slumber of the Snows. You can see her work and many other great entries from
this contest on pages 5-7. Our contest for the spring issue, Mixed Media Birds and Hats, is featured on
page 8. We hope that many of you will consider entering!
We also have a great set of articles this issue for you to enjoy. Amy Sargent teaches us about incorporating
found poetry into our artwork, while Sal Schiebe shows us how to do a funky 10-minute watercolor
portrait. Angela Kingston-Smith describes how to dream chimerical creatures, and Dina Haskins teaches
us another great matchbox technique. We also have interviews with artists Rene Nault and Constance
Taylor.
We wish you the best in your artistic endeavors in this upcoming year!
--Dana Driscoll, Chief Editor, ArtTrader Magazine
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Snow Kings
& Queens
We received so many amazing
entries for this contest and
were thrilled with the variety of
art our readers sent in. Snow
kings and queens come in all
shapes and styles and it was
wonderful to see such a nice
variety of art.
Our grand prize winner is
Amy Turner who submitted
the wonderful image at right,
Slumber of the Snows.
CONTEST WINNER - Amy Turner
Slumber of the Snows
HONORABLE
MENTIONS
Ang Westermann
Ice Queen Bag
Sophie
Stephenson-Wright
Snow Queen Art Doll
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Sandra Christiansen Peggy Pilapil-Lasa Patricia Schafer
Amy Turner
Thiffany Belda Wilmouth Anita Endrezze Terri Fogerty
-7-
Kelly Bennett Veronica Werth Linda Tieu
Malin Walkeby Cheri Homaee
Nicollette Anderson Ang Westermann Lisa Mallette
-8-
SPRING 2010
CONTEST
Offcial Rules
1. Your piece should be mixed media with some
collage elements and should feature one or
more birds with a hat or crown. If youre more
of a drawer/painter, feel free to hand draw
some elements. It doesnt matter what size
paper you use - it can be an ATC, a postcard
or even a larger canvas or art doll.
2. We ask for original art only and no fan art.
Collage materials must be public domain or
otherwise copyright-free. We reserve the
right to remove entries that are not original.
3. This contest is open to everyone, worldwide,
age 18 or older.
4. Prizes must be accepted as is.
5. Please send your entry via email to
[email protected]. Entries must be at
least 200 DPI. You must fll out an Artwork
Release Form (on the ArtTrader Mag website)
otherwise your entry will not be accepted. We
will publish the top images in our next issue.
6. Entries must be received by 11:00 pm EDT on
March 10, 2010.
8. A grand prize winner will be announced in our
Spring 2010 issue available on April 1,
2010. Prizes will be sent via regular mail in
April 2010.
Funky bird art featured here is by Andrea Melione
Gr and Pr i z e !
Collage Art Supplies Package
Well fll a fat 9 x 14 padded envelope
with lots of collage goodies such as
vintage papers, decorated papers,
ribbons, and bits of ephemera. The
Collage Art Supplies Package should
keep our winner busy for a while!
Funky Mixed Media
Birds with Hats
Submit Entries by March 10, 2010
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Constance Taylor
Interview with Andrea Melione
Constance Taylor has a colorful and emotional approach to her multi-layered collage work. Her
colors are raw and harmonious and suggest other cultures, while her imagery blends well to form
vivid dreamscapes. Constance shares with us her creative journey, techniques and inspiration.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
CT: I am a painter at heart, a Midwestern New Yorker now living in the subtropics USA. Im
mother to one grown daughter who encouraged me to do my art when nobody else did. Now
partner with an old guy who loves to dance in the garage with me and also supports my art habit.
I am fnding my way again with my artwork after decades of doing other things. I love making art,
trying new techniques. These things make me happy most days

Do you have an arts background? How did your passion for art begin?
CT: My artistic journey began with fber and fabric. Growing up I was fortunate to be surrounded
by very resourceful women who altered nearly everything from clothing to furniture to food
none of their creativity was considered art back then just necessity. My aunt taught me to sew
when I was 5 years old. I could not reach the sewing machine foot pedal, so sitting on her lap,
she let me choose fabric and guide it through the old Singer to make doll clothes. It was love at
frst tube dress. By the time I was in high school I was making my own coats and altering most
of my own clothing. It was the hippie era so it worked. My passion for color, pattern and creating
began back then. I went from fabric to clay, metal, glass and oil painting. After receiving my B.A.
in Studio Art from Bradley University in Peoria, IL, I decided to become a full-time painter. And
then I immediately got married, moved to NYC [New York City], had a family and took other
jobs in order to survive.
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NYC is an irresistible place for artists with a daily visual pace of shapes, colors, patterns emerging
constantly. I managed to take a few classes at the Art Students League, Sothebys Furniture
Studies, and various workshops. I had one show in NYC, but life quickly got in the way of my
art. Like most artists I found other outlets for my
creative bent. It has only been for about the last
year that I have been able to return to my artwork
full time. This is when I discovered mixed media
art.
Your mixed media is very layered; what are
some of your favorite materials to use?
CT: My self-taught mixed media method seems
to involve a lot of trial and error with a strong
brush of error. I like the merging of painterly
qualities with collage in my own work.
I hand color every clipped image with pencils,
paint, gesso, markers OR watercolor crayons.
I have my own favorite brands which probably
have something to do with what I began using
years ago. My most favorite colored pencils are
Bruynzeel, my favorite watercolor crayons are
Staedtler Karat Aquarell. I use acrylic paint in
collage, even though I love oils (the oil dry time is
too long for my collage work); I do use oil pastels
from time to time.
The variety of materials I use alone or together includes acrylic paint, watercolor crayons, colored
pencils, charcoal, gesso, rubber stamps, stencil, embossing powders, gold leaf, perhaps a gel
or acrylic transfer medium. Ive recently thrown some gauze into a piece. I like to EXPERIMENT.
Its only paper. Some of my favorite work came out of trying something new.
Do you have any tips or techniques youd like to share?
CT: A really easy, interesting layering technique is wax paper transfer, using ordinary kitchen wax
paper. Cut wax paper the same size as your printer paper and hand feed through your printer
(one image works best or it smears). Cut around printed waxed paper image, then glue or gel
the inked side to your collage paper. Another layering technique I like is to rubber stamp onto
dressmaker tissue and then cut and gel medium that over a portion of the piece.

-11-
How do you begin a piece? Do you have an idea in mind or do you create intuitively?
CT: I am most creative during the undisturbed quiet of the night; often I am working on a piece
all night if it is going well. Usually I start a piece with a single image and move it around the
page, trying out composition layouts. This single image must have interested me, jumped off the
page at meuse me, pick me, save me sort of thing. I fnd images everywhere, collage sheets,
ads, photos and magazines. I often view books upside down for color and areas of interest, not
the images themselves. Everyone probably already knows that Flickr is a wealth of old public
domain photos that are often copyright free to use in art.
My art rarely ends as I originally planned it at the beginning. As the piece moves along, something
happens that I get lost in. This sounds weird when I say it but sometimes I wonder, is this my
hand doing this or a Muse conducting my movements. So I create intuitively, not consciously
aware of where the piece will end. I am go with the fow simplistic; when I try to control too much,
the pieceits force, its life, its progressdoes not seem to develop as well.
A title will pop into my head at some point and I follow that direction from then on adding or
subtracting elements that support the new fnal idea.
What are your inspirations? (These can be art, music, nature, anything!)
CT: I thought mostly I am inspired by visual art. However, recently a few of my pieces have
strong issue overtones. I am a news junkie and realize my pieces are refecting recent news I
am thinking about, including animal rights, child abductions, and growing old. Whatever memory
flters are at work.
Who are your favorite artists? Whose work
inspires you?
CT: There are many amazing muses out
there. Although I dont journal, I am currently
reading all of Sabrina Ward Harrisons books.
I covet her honesty, raw emotion and mixture
of materials.
Artists I admire and fnd inspiring are Teesha
Moorea fabulous artist who reminds me to
think outside the box and look at things upside
down. Anahata Katkin for her color and mix
of drawing with other elements. Anne, Bulles
dores; although I do not read French, I am
inspired by her layered pieces. Alicia Pelln
Viola in Germany, who is another mixed media layering artist. The Internet has made it so much
easier to fnd artists to inspire, enjoy and learn from.
How did you fnd out about ATCs and Mail Art?
CT: Almost a year ago, I ran across an article about
artists trading art with other artists (artist trading cards
or ATCs), small pieces of art to share. That idea
intrigued me. Researching these ATCs I discovered
Swapbot and began my frst collages as ATCs. I was
addicted immediately. After that my collages grew in
size.
How has Mail Art affected you as an artist?
CT: My new work is richer, has more depth. I am in total
awe of how many great artists are out there. Mailart has
enabled me to work, share and learn with other artists
all over the world. My style has changed because I am
seeing more, experiencing more and that just makes
my work better.

-12-
-13-

Do you have any advice or suggestions to new collage
artists?
CT: Make time for your art. Train your eye by spending more time
looking at the good art in any media (art zines, museum websites
or galleries online are great). Examine work an inch at a time.
You will pick up ideas about color, composition, techniques. Then
you will instinctively see what is good and not so good when you
do blog surfng and your own intuition will kick in. Find your tribe
or group and join them to keep you inspireddo it online in your
pajamas if you want. There is some art group hosting a challenge
every day of the week.
TRADE WITH OTHER ARTISTSdont get so puffed up about
yourself that you stop being a part of the artist community. Mailart
is a little bit of heaven.

Find Constance on the web:
Flickr: http://www.fickr.com/photos/atcbycandlelight2009/
ETSY: http://www.etsy.com/shop/constancet
ON L I N E WOR K S H OP S E R I E S
Art Journals: Creative Exploration
Start Date January 12, 2010
8 week program presented by Dana Driscoll & Sal Scheibe
(start anytime between January 12 - February 28)
Fee $95 US per person
Art Level: novice to professional!
About the Art Journals Workshop! In our Art Journals workshop, we will cover a variety of artistic
techniques to begin or deepen your art journaling journey. This eight-module course will include four
modules of artistic techniques and four modules of writing techniques to help you combing art with various
writing practices. The workshop begins by discussing how to fnd, alter, or create your own art journal and
what kinds of themes and topics work best for art journals. Well talk about nature journals, travel journals,
family journals, collaborative art journals, daily journals, and so much more! Well cover various techniques
for art including mixed media backgrounds, painted backgrounds, found poetry, watercolor/sketching,
combining words and images, and more. Well also spend time on written techniques: freewriting, guided
writing, poetry writing, refective writing, daily journaling, and using quotes. The workshop will end with
each person submitting a journal page to be included in a collaborative art journal. Your instructors are
Sal Schiebe, a professional graphic designer and illustrator and Dana Driscoll, a writing professor and
artist, both of whom are avid art journalers!
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Week 1: Choosing or Constructing a Journal
Week 2: Journal Topics, Themes, and Purposes
Week 3: Mixed Media Pages and Backgrounds
Week 4: Finding Inspiration and Committing to a Journal
Week 5: Book Pages and Found Poetry
Week 6: Poetry Writing, Responsive Writing
Week 7: Drawing, Painting, and Sketching
Week 8: Refective Journaling Practices
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Diminutive Dioramas: Matchbox Shrines By Dina Haskins
One of my favorite art projects is making matchbox shrines. By altering a thirty-two-count
matchbox, I can create a personal, portable work of art. These little treasures can be hidden in a
drawer or purse, or be used as an ornament by adding a hanger. Matchbox shrines make great
gifts and can be personalized to match the recipient. This article will walk you through a sample
ornament-style shrine called Time Traveler. You can modify these directions to make all kinds
of collage-style matchbox shrines.
The frst thing you need to do is gather all of your materials and tools. I generally go through my
various stashes until something inspires me. The small metal fndings that resemble gears did it
for me this time. I decided to make a steampunk-themed shrine.
You will need the following tools:
A clear multi-purpose glue (I like the UHU brand)
An awl or something similar to make holes
Eyelet setting tools, scissors
Black ink pen (such as Micron)
Small clamps
Brad fasteners (I used brass for this project)
Wire
Brass or gold colored paint or metallic paint pen
Clear acrylic spray (optional)
Papers for collage
Assorted odds and ends for collage
-16-
You will need these specifc collage materials to
create the Time Traveler shrine:
Clockwork themed scrapbook paper
A Time themed transparency sheet (I used one from the
Narrative series by Karen Russell)
Black and green corrugated card stock
Vintage photos
Paint chip samples
An assortment of metal charms, beads and
buttons.
Try to stick to a set color scheme. I chose
black, browns, dark green, burgundy
and brass.
Instructions
Step 1: Punching Holes
Using the awl, punch two holes in one
end of the box and one hole in the
opposite end, as shown in the picture.
These are for the hanger and the
drawer pull.
Step 2: Decorating the Inside of
the Box
Cut a piece of the scrapbook paper
to ft the bottom of the box. Make it
long enough to cover both ends. Glue
it in place, and paint all remaining
surfaces with the gold or brass paint
pen or acrylic paint.
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Step 3: Choosing Your Photo
Decide which photo you will use for the
centerpiece of your collage. I chose a
vintage schoolboy. Cut out the boys
head, and cut a helmet from a paint
chip or other paper.
Step 4: Adding Goggles
I found small metal fndings which I used
for goggles (pictured). You can add a
drop of clear glue or diamond glaze the
in the center of the goggles to create the
appearance of lenses.
Step 5: Collaging, Part I
Glue the boy and a square of the green
cardstock on the top of the box, as
shown. I use the small clamps to hold
things in place until they are dry. This
takes about 5 minutes if you are using
UHU glue.
Step 6: Collaging, Part II
Cut one of the small clock faces from the
transparency sheet. Place the clock face
on the green background, as shown.
Glue the hand charm, brass fasteners,
two beads and a gold button to form his
arm.
Step 9:Drawer Pull
Add a small loop of wire through the
single hole for the drawer pull, as
shown.
Step 10: Decorate the Back
Cut a clock face from the transparency
sheet to ft the back of the outer sleeve.
Make the clock hands from bent wire
Use one of the brass fasteners to attach
the entire piece to the back. If you like,
you can spray the shrine with a thin coat
of the acrylic spray to seal it.
-18-
Step 7: Adding a Hanger
Loop the wire through the two top holes
in the drawer. Twist the wire together on
the inside as shown, and add a drop of
glue to seal the connection.
Step 8: Decorating Inside of the Box
Gather everything for the inside of the
box. Cut a piece of the black card stock to
ft snugly in the drawer. I also decided to
add a small metal stencil and some metal
gears and fndings. These I attached to
the black backing with the brass fasteners
and glue. Once everything dries, glue the
whole assemblage into the drawer.
-19-
Finishing the Shrine
Part of the fun of creating these shrines is using found items to create unique art pieces. Now Ill
describe how to make the three charms added to the Time Traveler shrine.
I made this charm out of a metal jewelry
fnding that resembled a tiny pocket
watch. I drew the face on paper using
a .01 Micron pen, cut it out, and glued
it in place.
This charm was made from a small
puzzle piece covered with some of the
clockwork paper. I added an eyelet
and sealed it with the clear glue (gel
medium or acrylic sealer would also
work).
The third charm is a spiral shaped metal fnding.
To add the charms, you can place all the charms on
a short chain, wire, or thread and hang them from
the bottom loop. For Time Traveler, I used an old
luggage tag chain.
Conclusion
I have found inspiration for my shrines in books,
songs, fortune cookies, movies, and color schemes.
I once made shrines for all of my co-workers as
stocking stuffers. They are a cool alternative to a
greeting card if mailed in a bubble envelope. Now
its up to you. How many different ideas can you
come up with?
-20-
Artistic Journeys: What Artists Need to Know About Copyright

by Dana Driscoll
Many mail artists dabble in a variety of media, including collage and digital manipulation. Other
mail artists are interested in knowing how they can protect their original work that is posted
online. This article walks you through guidelines for copyright and fair use from an artists
perspective. Topics covered in this article will include: copyrights, fair use, the public domain,
creative commons and copyleft philosophies.
Please note: this article is written and researched primarily from a United States perspective with
some discussion of international copyright laws. Copyright laws do vary from country to country
and you should check individual laws accordingly.
Copyrights

A copyright is a legal term referring to right of an author or artist of an original work to reproduce,
cell, distribute, or adapt that work as he or she sees ft. A copyright holder may sell or give the
copyrights to another (such as a company seeking to use the artwork for mass reproduction).
US Copyright law currently protects works published after 1923.
What this means for artists who create original artwork: You automatically own the rights to
all of your original artwork unless you decide to give those rights to another. Even if you trade
your work, sell your work to someone else, or post it online, you retain the copyright to that work.
If you decide to try to publish your artwork in a book or magazine, it is likely that you will be asked
to sign a form that grants the magazine full copyright of your work.
What this means for artists who want to use others work in their own: Generally, you
should not be using any recognizable work that is copyrighted without the express permission
of the author (well talk about some of those permissions in a little while). You should be aware
that if you are using someone elses artwork (such as in a collage), you might be subject to legal
ramifcations.
Some limitations on copyright exist. Works that were published before 1923 fall into the Public
Domain (see Public Domain below). Additionally, all works created after January 1st, 1978,
have copyright protections that last for the artists life + 70 years. Additionally, the principle of fair
use allows small portions of copyrighted work to be used (see Fair Use below).
For answers to common questions on copyright, see the US Copyright Offces Frequently Asked
Questions at http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html.
-21-
Fair Use
The term fair use originated as part of US Copyright law. It grants individuals the ability to use
very limited amounts of copyrighted material for certain purposes, such as teaching, research,
scholarship, criticism or satire, and reporting. US Copyright Law recognizes four provisions that
must be in place for fair use:
1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature
or is for nonproft educational purposes;
2. The nature of the copyrighted work;
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a
whole; and
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. (From
the Copyright Act of 1976)
Notice that these guidelines hardly tell an artist what she can and cant do with a copyrighted
work. An article by Tim Wu in Slate Magazine gives a more useful defnition: fair use aids
secondary creativity, or creativity that builds on an original. In both cases, the key here is that
an artist is building on, altering, and substantially changing the original work.
What this means for artists who create original work: Be aware that copyright does not
guarantee that 100% of your work is free from others use. Fair use does allow for some use of
copyrighted images, although the language and lines are very unclear. Legal action is generally
required to enforce copyright law.
What this means for artists who want to use others work in their own: Ive seen a number
of suggestions to artists concerning fair use and images. The best suggestion I can give is to
not use copyrighted images because if the original owner of the copyright disagrees with your
fair use of their image, you may be in for a legal battle. However, many other options exist for
using images in your work, including images in the Public Domain and images under a Creative
Commons license (described below).
What About Fan Art?
Fan art inhabits the murky waters of fair use and is considered a derivative work or even a
parody. Some companies and artists encourage fan art (such as Neil Gaiman or J.K. Rowling)
while others send out cease and desist letters and engage in lawsuits (such as Disney). When
you create fan art, little is certain. However, the fact that so much fan art exists and is produced
indicates that most copyright holders of such work do not see it as a threat provided that you are
not attempting to proft from it in any way.

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The Public Domain

The Public Domain refers to artwork (or other materials) that
are copyright-free. These materials are public property
in the sense that they are owned by everyone and freely
available to use for anythingcreative pursuits, commercial
purists, etc. Most often, works fall into the public domain
after a set number of years determined by law.
Currently in United States law, any work published before
1923 is considered in the public domain. Works published
after 1923 may still be in the public domain, although many
exceptions apply. You might now realize the connection
between beautiful vintage images and photographs in the
Mail Art worldyes, the vintage images are all in the public
domain, and therefore are free for anyone to use in their
art.
An artist may also choose to give up his or her copyright to
the work and allow it to enter the pubic domain. However,
this means that by giving up all rights to the work, someone
else can proft from it. An alternative to the Public Domain
exists for artists who want to allow others to use and modify
their work but put some stipulations on that use. This
alternative is called Creative Commons and is described
below.
What this means for artists who create original work:
Assuming you havent created any artwork or photos before
1923, the public domain only applies to original work if you
have chosen to allow your images to become part of the
public domain. Be aware that public domain images can
be used for anythingincluding commercial purposes. I
suggest instead that you consider a Creative Commons
license on your work that can keep people from profting
from it (but not using your images or photos in their own
work).
What this means for artists who want to use others
images in their own: Public domain images are exactly
what you should be using to avoid any legal troubles.
Millions of beautiful images exist that you can work with. If
you use images from the public domain in your work, you
can sell, trade, or otherwise alter it as you see ft.
Public Domain Resources
There are many great places
where you can fnd public
domain images. Here are a
few:
Publicdomainpictures.net:
www.publicdomainpictures.net
Public Domain Images:
www.public-domain-image.com
Karens Whimsy Public
Domain Image Library:
karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-
images/
Antique Clipart and Vintage
Images (sells larger ones, but
smaller ones suitable for ATC-
size are free):
www.antiqueclipart.com/
-23-
Creative Commons and Copyleft Philosophy
With the advent of the Internet, the idea of collaboration
and sharing took on a whole new meaning. But traditional
notions of copyright, fair use, and the public domain
made such collaborations of new work diffcult. And thus,
Creative Commons (www.creativecommons.org) was born.
Creative Commons is a non-proft organization that helps
people license their work freely and promotes sharing
and collaborating with others while being consistent with
copyright law. They operate under a copyleft philosophy
that works to liberate a work from the stringent nature of
copyright law while requiring that subsequent versions of
the work continue to have the same freedoms.
What this means for artists who create original work:
If you have art you want to share but prevent people
from profting from it, you can use a Creative Commons
license with a Non-Commercial stipulation. You might
also be interested in a Creative Commons license with
an Attribution or No Derivations stipulation. Attribution
means that people are free to use it as long as they give
you credit. No Derivations means that people can use
the image, but not alter it in any way. Here is the Creative
Commons site that walks you through the licensing process:
http://creativecommons.org/choose/
Flickr.com also has built-in creative commons licensing for
your images.
What this means for artists who want to use others
images in their own: Creative Commons images are
another excellent way that you can get fantastic images
for your own work. Be aware that creative commons
has a wide range of stipulations, so you should read the
license attached to the work carefully before using it. You
may be able to use it for trading, but not for selling (i.e.
Non-Commercial Licenses) or you may be required to give
credit for the original photographer or artist who created the
image.
Creative Commons Images
for Your Use:
Collage ImagesFlickr Group:
www.fickr.com/groups/collageimages/
Textures for All Creative
CommonsFlickr Group: www.
fickr.com/groups/texturesforall/
Flickrs Creative Commons
Search Page:
www.fickr.com/creativecommons/
Creative Commons Search
Portal:
search.creativecommons.org/
-24-
Conclusion
Fair use, copyrights, and the Public Domain are
generally quite complicated, legal issues. This
article has only scratched the surface of what
these issues mean for artists. This article is not
considered legal advice, and we suggest that you
seek legal advice out if necessary.
To summarize:
You can safely use images or works
produced before 1923
You can safely use images that are in the
public domain (which may include images
after 1923 that are specifcally marked
Public Domain)
You can safely use images that have a
Creative Commons license on them (check
the individual license for stipulations)
You should not use images that are
copyrighted (with some very limited
exceptions under fair use)
Under no circumstances should you sell
work that contains copyrighted images
Resources for more information:
Rights for Artists:
http://www.rightsforartists.com/copyright.html
Copyrights and Fair Use
Misconceptions
Here are some common misconceptions
on Fair Use and Copyright:
By acknowledging the source, I
am within the bounds of fair use.
Wrong! If you copy an image from
another artist and use it unaltered
in your collage, even if you give
credit to the artist, that is not fair use.
If the work doesnt have a copyright
on it, I can use it. Incorrect! In the US
and in many countries internationally,
creating the work itself automatically
gives a person access to a copyright.
Unless you are certain it is listed in
the public domain, has a creative
commons license, or you have explicit
permission, it is likely not fair use.
Non-commercial use is fair use. Nope!
Just because you are making art to
trade does not immediately mean that
your use of the work falls under fair use.

Everything on the Internet or found in
an image search is in the public domain.
Everything on the Internet is not public
domainin fact, most of it is copyrighted.
This means that a google image search
will likely bring up nothing but copyrighted
imagesso use some of the alternative
methods described in this article.
If an image doesnt have a watermark
or copyright symbol, it is not copyrighted.
This is incorrect. Most images, especially
those found through a Google image
search, are copyrighted.
-25-
A T C
Illustrations
From the Pencil & Paint artists on
www.IllustratedATCs.com
AMY TURNER
CYNTHIA COUCH
ASHLEY GARCIA
ALEXANDRA HOSE
-26-
OBLIRO
ANDREA MELIONE
SUVITUULI PAAJANEN
ELINA LUNDAHL
-27-
As an artist I am always seeking out new ways of creating my art with the materials I have at
hand. What will happen if I use a beat-up brush this way? Or, what if I combine these two
materials that way?
Frankly, I am impatient when it comes to art. I think this may actually be the fault of ATCs, where
I am able to achieve instant gratifcation due to the small scale; it takes less time to paint an
ATC than it does to paint an 18 x 24 canvas. In addition to this, I am also a cheapskate when it
comes to art supplies. I am always armed with coupons whenever I walk into an art store, and I
balk at paying $12.00 for a small jar of acrylic paint. So, the new technique I demonstrate in this
article was developed from a combination of extreme impatience and a lack of funds.
My quandary was this: how could I create a piece of art that was rich with color, yet wasnt
something I spent hours blending and laboring over with oils, or acrylics and a bottle of extender
medium (to lengthen drying time)? The answer to this arose from a happy accident, when I
spilled watercolor on a 4x4 chunky book page that I had already painted with craft-grade acrylic
paint. The watercolor stuck to the matte acrylic paint and created some great effects. I began to
experiment and refne the process, and I am pleased to share the results with you here.
Before you begin experimenting at home, I would like to make a few suggestions on the types
of paint to use.
For the acrylics, I recommend using either Folk Art acrylic paint by Plaid or Ceramcoat acrylic
by Delta Creative. These two paints have a higher pigment-to-binder ratio than other craft-
grade acrylic paint companies. In addition, you cannot use Liqitex or Golden (or other artist-
grade acrylics) because they dry with a semi-gloss fnish and will resist the watercolor applied
over the top.
For watercolors, I recommend anything with high pigment content; therefore, Crayola and
other low-end art products are not a good choice. You can use either opaque or transparent
watercolor for this technique.
Illustration Technique:
Acrylic and Watercolor
By Andrea Melione
-28-
Additionally, since this technique is heavy on water media, I recommend
using mat board (used for framing artwork) or illustration board. Both
will support the media. Canvas is not a good choice as it is not smooth
enough.
Image 1)
First I begin by painting a layer of yellow acrylic over an inked drawing.
If the paint is too opaque, I thin it down with a little water. Not much,
though, because I want to faintly see my inked drawing underneath.
In this example, my paint smudged the ink, but that is okay.
Image 2)
Now I have taken some light turquoise acrylic paint and applied it
around my two drawn fgures. I could have used any two colors, but
I chose analogous colors because I didnt want the background color
to stand out too much. I also took the light turquoise and splattered
it around for some interesting texture
and color interaction.
Image 3)
At this point I re-inked my drawing. I
could have also used this opportunity to make corrections or fx
anything I didnt like about my original drawing.
Image 4)
At this stage I took watercolor to color in the fgures. I started
with a wash of light brown and daubed in a few experimental
colors. The great thing about this technique is that I can erase
my watercolor at any point. The watercolor sits on the acrylic
paint and can be lifted off with a clean brush or Q-tip. If I were
doing this on watercolor paper, the paint would become almost
permanently soaked into the fbers.
-29-
Image 5)
I have now decided exactly what colors I want to use and layered
colors over one another. If I let each layer dry completely, I can
layer new watercolor over the top. I am careful, however, not to
make scrubbing motions or apply too much pressure with the brush.
Doing so will lift off the previous layers of color, even if they have
dried.
Image 6)
This is the fnal image. I have applied more ink to areas where many
paint layers have dulled the ink (as in this image I want visible black
ink outlines showing.) I also lifted any unwated watercolor paint and
added white detailing and highlights with a white gel pen.
Below are more examples created by myself using this technique!
Visit Andrea Melione on the Web:
Blog: http://artpfunkcentral.blogspot.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/EraserqueenStudio
In addition to her writing and graphic design for ArtTrader
Magazine, Andrea also teaches online workshops (also at
ArtTrader) and is co-administrator of www.IllustratedATCs.com
-30-
Chimerical Critter Creation
A Tutorial on Making Mutants
by Angela Kingston-Smith
What is a Chimera?
In Greek mythology, a Chimera is a twisted hybrid of lion, goat
and snake. But biologically speaking, Chimera is applied to any
organism consisting of two or more tissues of different genetical
compostion, produced as a result of genetic engineering or
surgery (grafting and transplants). It is also a monster made out of grotesquely disparage parts.
In other words, a mutant hybrid freak.
One of my favorite personal challenges was to ask the intended recepient what their two or three
favorite animals were and combine them into one, weird but not too adnormal, specimen. I have
also hosted a number of swaps in this theme, where six or seven people each nominate their
animals and then interpret each others hybrids as they see ft. It provides an interesting range of
results, and also provides something of an artistic challenge.
So youve gotten yourself into one of these groups and now youre stuckwhere do you begin?
Well, luckily Im here to help. Just remember the one and only Chimerical rulethere are no right
nor wrong ways to hybridise two completely unrelated species. This tutorial is designed as an
inspiration and guide, not the Chimerical Creation Rules.
For this tutorial, I shall show you how I conceptualise and design a bird/mammal hybrid, where
the bird is a Crowned Crane and the mammal is a Kinkajou.
Step One: Choosing your creatures
What animals you select to make up your chimera may be decided by you, or may be dictated by
someone else in your swap group if youve joined such a swap. There are some important factors
to consider before making your choice. Choosing two animals that are similar in appearance
are diffcult to hybridise (see the challenges section below) and do not produce nearly as
interesting results. I have found that it is the most fun to choose one animal with rather dramatic
appearance, the other fairly straightforward. Selecting from different animal classesfor example
bird/mammal, reptile/bird, fsh/mammal also leads to more interesting results. Some animals are
also rather more popular than others. In the four chimera swaps I have hosted, the most popular
species are: panda, peacock, tiger, cat, horse and lemur (although the latter is probably my fault).
Whether you choose to go with the popular or the weird and wonderful, is entirely up to you.
Of course, if youre participating in a hosted swap, you have little choice on what you will be
combining.
-31-
Step Two: Conceptualising
Youve been given the names of two completely different animal species but you cant even
imagine what the freakish offspring might look like. Its time to start conceptualising and see
where the imagination takes you. Here are a few tips on directions you might like to go:
The Species:Species Ratio
How much of each species should you use?
Chimeras can range from a funny-coloured individual of one species, to a
complex, multi-headed monstrosity.
Unnatural Coloration
This is probably the simplest option. If one of your animals has particularly
distinctive coloration, whereas the other is monocolored, you might like to
take this option. Simply take one animal and color it as though it were the
other. Its almost too easy.
Pairing: Elephant/Gouldian Finch
Just Add Wings
Another simple optionif youve been given a bird and a mammal, its
simple - just add wings, and maybe funkify up the colouration a little. This
also works for insect/mammal, bird/reptile or if one of the options is bat. If
one species has a particularly distinctive featurea
long striped tail, a crest of feathers etc, this method
can be utilised as well.
Pairing: Pig/Any bird species
The Gryphon (aka cut n splice)
To put it simply, take the front half of one animal and combine it with the
back half of the other. Tradtionally this works best between bird/mammal
pairings but can be utilised for many other pairings as well. It also works
well for creating Mer-creatures.
Pairing: Bluejay/Red Panda
Traditional Chimera
The mythological two or three (in this case) headed creature. The
body can have legs from each of the different species too.
Pairing: Goat/lion/serpent
-32-
True Blend Amalgamation
These are probably the trickiest to conceptualise. They involve taking features from the two
species and combining them into weird and wild random creations. The following tutorial is
designed to help you create something where the division isif not naturalat least not the cut
n splice method.
Pairings above: Panda/Peacock, Toucan/Lobster, Peacock/Turtle
Step Three: Determining Key Features
One of the frst things you should do whenever you are given an artistic challenge is to fnd
reference images. Hunt down several interesting photographs (NOT other artists interpretations)
of the selected species. It is best to fnd at least one headshot and one that shows the full body.
The bigger the better!
Examine the reference photographs and take note
of the features that stand out for that creature. You
need to make it distinctly obvious what animals
your mutant is based on.
Kinkajou:
round bear-like face, small neat ears, big eyes
prehensile tail
stocky streamlined golden body
feet that somewhat resemble hands
Image courtesy of Margaret E. Poggio
http://www.fickr.com/photos/26021073@N03/
-33-
Crowned Crane:
tall and stately
striking facial mask with wattles
impressive crown/crest of feathers
large, powerful wings
Step Four: Basic Anatomy
What you have here is a bird/mammal hybrid. It would
be very easy to use the cut and splice method to create
a gryphon. This would make for an impressive set of
forequarters, but the hindquaters
would be fairly nondescript, aside
from the feet and the tail. A kinkajous
face is too cute to just ignore
besides, the hindlegs are a bit short.
Another option would be to use a combination of the unnatural colours and
just add wingstaking the basic shape of a kinkajou and adding on the
crown of the crane and the striking facial mask.
However, if you want to go for a True Blend the
frst step is choose which animal you want the
basic anatomy to most closely resemble. This
is important if you want the animal to look plausible, not ridiculous. If
you want something that looks rather over-the-top and silly, it is also
quite possible to combine all the distinct features into one:
But if you want something that looks
kinda like one animal, kinda like the other, you might like to use
this means instead.
1. Select the animal that you wish to base the body-type on.
Are you tending towards the stocky and streamlined or the tall
and stately?
2. Decide on a pose. Static standing there poses are all well
and good, but lack dynamics. What you really want is some
sort of action pose. If youre focussing on the bird aspects, you
might like to use references of the bird in fight. Or you could
highlight the monkey-like aspects of the Kinkajou and go for an
arboreal stance.
Image courtesy of Dane Lykins
http://macropus-rufus.deviantart.com
-34-
3. Card orientation is also important. I often tend towards a portrait (vertical) alignment for my
cards, which speaks more towards the tall and stately whereas you might prefer to work in a
landscape (horizontal) format, in which case the mammal form would ft the structure better.
Now that youve determined which species is the dominant, body wise, sketch it up lightly. Were
about to mutate it!
Step Five: Crossing Species
Now comes the fun part. Take some of the noteable features
from the other animal and apply it to your sketch. Be careful not
to overdo it!
Here are some useful techniques:
Characteristic features: these should always
be included. For example: cranes crown and
the kinkajous tail.
Distinctive markings: these can lead to instant species recognitionsuch things as a tigers
stripes, a pandas patches, or a crowned cranes facial mask.
Mismatched limbs: if the specimen has four limbs, you can base the forelegs on one species,
and the hindlegs on the other. Note that wings are forelimbs. Whilst you can give your
chimera three sets of limbs, this does lead to a less natural pairing. Not that there is anything
wrong with that!
Eyes: some animalslike the crowned crane, have very pale eyes, whereas kinkajous have
much darker. Swapping eyes between species can be effective.
Pseudowings: if one creation has wings but you dont want to create a third pair of limbs, you
can create the illusion of wings by adding on a frilled cape, not unlike that found in a colubus
monkey. This is particularly useful for the crowned crane, which has a frill-like edge to its
primary feathers.
Once youve created a passable hybrid, its time to
ink your sketch and proceed to Step Six.
As you can see, these two pictures contain all
roughly the same elements, whilst also looking
rather disimilar. Note the crowned cranes lanky
legs mutate into a kinkajous fuzzy paws. And the
Kinkjaou now sports a fne feather-frill mane and
cape. Other options would have been switching
beak for muzzle and vice versa. But this lends a
rather more unnatural look.
-35-
Step Six: Applying Color
It is very important when applying color to take both species into consideration but also to make
use of your own artistic knowledge. Some color combinations work better than others, some clash
or look distinctly unnatural. In the Kinkajou/Crowned Crane pairing I have chosen one animal that
is all a pure color (honey-gold) and another that has a multitude of colors. Thus we shall focus
on the colors of the Crowned Crane
for the most part. Much of his body
coloration is a sort of steely blue-grey,
offset by the stark black and white of
his wings. Fortunately, blue and gold
work most awesomely together.
For the Kinkajou-based piece I
have made the majority of the body
the honey-gold color. This is partly
because not a lot of his actual body is
visible (merely front paws, belly and
tail). Also as his face and frills are quite
dramatic, I do not want to distract from
them with too much color. His mane I
colored like the Crowned Cranes, but
I took some liberties with his cape. Having the frills change from blue to white gives a smoother
change from the blue of the ruff to the white of the last frills. If I had coloured them all in the light
blue/white it would have looked too stark.
For the Crowned Crane-based piece I have used a classic division technique. Many animals
have a different colored belly from upper quarters, and the majority have a paler belly. As the blue
and gold work nicely together, this looks quite natural and I have continued it onto the tail and
lower fanks where the gold dominates. Although the legs are rather bizarre (being half bird/half
mammal) because of the color distribution it looks almost natural - like hes wearing really fuffy
Ug boots.
As these pieces are rather bigger than the regular ATC, I have utilized the circle cut-out for
my background. This is a technique I like to employ for my larger pieces, allowing me to give a
detailed background that was not cluttered nor detracted from the main image. This moves us
onto the next step.
Step Seven: Adding a Background
The frst thing to take into consideration here is what is the animals natural habitat likely to
be? To answer this, you need to look at where the base animals live and take into consideration
whether your creature could still survive in that environment. In the case of my two critters, both
are still pretty well suited to their original habitats.
-36-
The above is how others have interpreted this same theme:
From left to right: Angela Brereton, Sal Scheibe, Tabitha Ladin, Margaret Baxter, and Nadine Thome
Crowned Crane are found in the dry savannah
of Africa but choose to nest near water. With
his long legs and neck, our elegant chap is
still well suited to this habitat. Although his
large feet may make more of a splash when
he wades! His prehensile tail would serve little
purpose, except perhaps to help him balance
should he choose to roost. So swampy
grassland will suit him just fne.
Kinkajou are arboreal and found in the
South American rainforests. As my wee
fellow is an over-embellished kinkajou, lets
add some tree trunks and orchids into his
background.
-37-
Challenges
The mammal/bird hybrid is a fairly straight forward one. But what about more tricksy combinations?
Here are some trouble-shooting tips:
Where the two animals are very similar
You may be given two animals that look
very much alikefor example: a ringtailed
lemur and a house cat. These creatures
share a similar body shape, the ringtailed
lemur is even known as Lemur catta. In this
situation you need to study your subjects
closely. Look for distinctive markings and
typical features of those animals. The tail of
the lemur, for example, or the variable coat
patterns, lengths and colours of the cat.
Pinpoint the trademark characteristics.
Compare the facial structure. Cats have
round muzzles and their ears are placed
high on their head, whereas lemurs have a narrower, more foxy, snout and their ears are much
lower down. The eyes are distinctly different. And dont forget the hands and feet!
Hybridising three animals
This is not much harder than hybridising two creatures,
except that is becomes much easier to lose one of the
animals. Choose the animal with the least distinctive
markings as the base animal. For example, in my
Sloth/Chameleon/Toucan combination the bodyshape is
based on the Sloth. Now select the two most distinctive
characteristics for each animal and work them into the
picture. Then move onto the lesser ones. The eyes,
hands, feet and tail are all good to alterjust make
sure that you leave in enough of the base animal for
it still to be recognisable.
Pairing: Toucan/Sloth/Chameleon
-38-
Combining fora and fauna
This is actually quite a simple combination
probaby even easier than an animal/
animal hybridhowever likely harder
to conceptualise. Use the animal as the
base, and study the various parts of the
plant: the leaves, the fowers, the seeds.
Work out how to incorporate them into your
creature. Perhaps it could have leaves or
fowers sprouting randomly from its body?
For example, it could have a ruff around
its neck or a mane of foliage. Consider
covering the body in bark or adding a
small amount of armor.
Pairing: Coyote/Lichen
The creation just looks silly
Sometimes it is just impossible to make
the animal look realistic or natural. In
which case, remember the one and
only rule for making Chimerasthere
is no wrong or right way. Whatever you
conceive of is correct. And try to embrace
the inner silliness!
If, however, you just cant seem to get
it looking right, try changing the base
species or adjusting the pose. It took me several sketches to get this fellow looking vaguely
passable. Dont give up! And if you really just cant make it workfall back to the frst three
techniques discussed above.
Pairing: Tiger/Lionfsh/Monarch Butterfy
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Now go forth and MUTATE!
Whimsical Mermaids
Workshop!
Two Week 35$ USD Program
videos and PDF books
include:
Designing Your Mermaids
Anatomy, textures, colors and
brainstorming!
Media Techniques
acrylics
colored pencils
watercolor and ink
Step by Step projects
including Mermaid ATCs
www.arttradermagazine.com
For more information and to sign up, go to:
Welcome to the underwater world of whimsical
mermaids; fat, funky, ethereal and bizarre!
Full-color workbooks are flled with
inspirational artwork and instructions for
creative design and brainstorming, and
step by-step images of projects. Videos
show techniques in slow motion and real
time to help you draw your designs and learn
various rendering techniques to create your
own personal mermaid art!
S
t
a
r
t
s

F
e
b

1
6
t
h
!
-39-
-40-
Critique Corner
with Andrea Melione
For this issue of critique corner, Corrie Manning sent me a lovely mixed media still life. Frankly,
I was a little puzzled as to how I would approach this piece, because when I look at submitted
art, not only do I try to identify strong points, I also seek out ways to strengthen or improve the
piece. In this work however, I felt that most of the
elements of a strong artwork were present. So I
will use Corries piece to illustrate the defnitions
of concepts that are the hallmark of a successful
work.
The following pointers are also something you can
keep in mid if you are applying to a juried art show,
trading site or submitting work for commercial
gallery consideration. Many of those looking at
your work will be using the following objectives
below to analyze your artwork. If you are successful
in all but one or so of these areas, you will have a
higher likelihood of being accepted.
Drawing ability:
Drawing ability only applies to drawn work of
course, but it does apply in the case of Corries
work here. It is important to look at drawn work
objectively. A great deal of drawn art submitted
to art juries is in a kind of limbo stage; it is not
technically advanced enough for realism, nor
is it developed and consentient enough to be
considered stylized. Corrie has obviously studied apples and branches, which are well drawn
and painted with watercolor and colored pencils. The leaves are possibly the only minor weak
spot of the entire work. The shapes of the leaves look a little too regular, as though one shape
were made different in size, but basically repeated throughout. Creating leaves of varying shape
(perhaps folded, wrinkled or showing the underside) would help the foliage to look slightly more
varied.
Corrie Manning
-41-
Composition: The composition in nicely asymmetrical. While the apple is, in fact, almost dead
center (a composition choice usually to be avoided), this is softened by the placement of branches
and leaves which are primarily on the upper right
side of the composition.
Color: Many beginning artists are tempted to keep
red apples red and green leaves green, but Corrie
takes colors beyond assumptions and interjects
splashes of blue on the green leaves, and subtle
orange and yellow on the apple. These colors are
good choices because blue is analogous to green
and yellow and orange are analogous to red. In
real life, surfaces will absorb and even blend the
colors refected around them. Keep this in mind
when you are coloring your work.
Contrast: Corrie has created wonderful contrast
between the deep color of the fruit and foliage with
the misty ethereal white of the background. Instead of leaving her background a plain fat color,
she has layered whites over text to create a sense of depth and texture. Careful attention to the
background of your work is important when trying to create contrast; make sure it compliments
your foreground elements. I cannot stress the importance of this enough: jurors will pay just as
much consideration to your background as to the main elements of your artwork, so pay equal
attention to both.
Rendering: The ability to use media (or render) effectively is important in your art. Understand
the paints, mediums, papers, pens and glues you use. This isnt to say dont experiment, but dont
submit experiments you may be unsure of to a panel of judges. Corrie has a clear understanding
of her media; she knows how to manipulate, blend and layer without creating muddy color (easy
to do when working with red, yellow and blue!)
Thanks for your submission, Corrie! This column exists because of our readers. Keep submitting
your artwork! You can email your images to [email protected]

-42-
ATCs as Inspirations for Professional Art
by Kathryn B. Launey
The ATC community is one that often inspires unexpected,
yet welcome, opportunities for artistic exploration. The
themes of ATC swaps, open communication with other
artists, and frequent exposure to new techniques are among
the benefts of belonging to a large group of generously
supportive and friendly artists.
Last year I created this ATC of an underwater reef using mixed
media collage (right). The card was made in preparation for
an ATC swap I hosted with the theme of Water. Fellow
artists encouraged me to use that card as the inspiration for
larger pieces. First,
I created a series
of 5 x 7 collages,
including the work
pictured (left).
Positive reactions to
the resulting series of
5 x 7 artwork further
encouraged me to challenge myself to tackle an even
larger project.
By that time, I learned enlarging an image was not simply
a one-to-one ratio. Patterns in a piece of paper in an
ATC collage can create a powerful impact, but the same
pattern is lost in a larger work. Pen work that provided
cohesiveness to the original ATC needed to be greatly
increased in the larger piece. I started the new creation
with a basic shape for the reef made out of handmade
paper from Bangladesh. Then working with other specialty
papers, I drew the individual elements. I hoped that if a real reef could grow one cell at a time,
then so could an artistic representation. The photo (page 43, upper left) shows a close-up of
several collage elements that I drew and cut out to include in this artwork.
-43-
The backgrounds water effect in this artwork was created using
watercolor pencils and acid-free markers. This combination of
techniques is one I was exposed to at the 2009 Art for All conference
hosted Indianapolis, Indiana
by the web site www.atcsforall.
com.
Next, I started arranging the
elements on the reef (pictured
right). At this stage, the collage
became a collaboration of
sorts. I believe that there is a
point at which art stops being a
one-way activity and becomes
a conversation between the art
and the artist. The composition starts singing or begs for more
color; elements either work together or are rejected by the
emerging, cohesive image.
Throughout the collage process, the
conversation continued until both the art
and the artist were satisfed with the result;
the fnished artwork is pictured (lower
left). The fnish coat on the collage is
created with a dimensional glue that was
recommended by another ATC artist.
The artistic process that began with my
connection to the ATC community resulted
in winning second place in the annual
show of the Fine Arts League of Cary, in
North Carolina.
After this experience, I encourage you to
reexamine your favorite ATC creations.
They may be calling you to new artistic
explorations.

Underwater World
20 x 16 Mixed-Media Collage
Rene Nault is a professional illustrator in Canada, and she has found a passion in the no-
pressure world of creating and collecting ATCs. Her watercolor technique is fresh, colorful and a
little fanciful. Rene takes time from her busy schedule to discuss her art and infuences.
Youre a professional Illustrator. Can you tell us a little about your background?
RN: I grew up in Vancouver and later Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. Then I attended
Sheridan college in Oakville, Ontario, for a 3 year illustration program. I do illustration for things
like newspapers, magazines, advertising, books, and CD covers.
What is your favorite media to use in your work and what drew you to it?
RN: I love watercolor because it can be so spontaneous and unpredictable, especially the way I
like to use it, which is very wet and blobby. You cant really control it, you can just kind of guide
it and then see what it does and work with that. Its fun!
The Art of
Rene Nault
Interview by Andrea Melione
-44-
Have you any watercolor tips or techniques
youd like to share?
RN: Dont be afraid to let watercolors do their
own thing! The mistakes, like drips, blobs,
and halos are the best part.
Have you any advice for someone who has
never worked with watercolor before?
RN: The most common mistake for artists
who are brand new to watercolor is to get
nervous and smudge it around too much.
You can do that with oils or acrylics, but with
watercoloronce the paint is down you have
to just leave it and let it dry, or else you just
end up with a muddy mess.
That can be really frustrating at frst, but once you
embrace the no going back rule, it can be very
liberating!
Deer and trees show up in your work a lot; do
they have any symbolic meaning for you?
RN: The short answer is yes! Trees and antlers
both start small and concealed and then grow
upwards, branching out and reaching up. They
also mirror the shape of organic support structures
like roots and veins. Theres something very
resonant to me about that imagery.
What do you fnd inspiring in art, music, and
nature?
RN: Forests, underwater landscapes, dreams,
mythology, fairy tales, all kinds of music, flm,
fashion, history, travel, ephemera.
Some of Renes
Favorite books
I love books and have a pretty big
library, most of which I would have
a hard time parting with. A few art
books that Im referring back to a lot
lately are...
Beardsleys Illustrations For Le
Morte DArthur
The Hokusai Sketchbooks
Little Nemo, by Windsor McCay,
1905-1914
Le Petit Prince by Antoine De Saint-
Exupery
Ertes Fashion Designs, 218
illustrations for Harpers Bazaar,
1918-1932
-45-
-46-
What other artists do you admire?
RN: Wow, it would take forever to list all the artists I admire!
Plus Im sure I would accidentally offend a few people by
leaving them out
Sticking to artists whove directly infuenced my worka
lot of great illustrators like Aubrey Beardsley, Kay Neilsen,
Alphonse Mucha, Erte, Edward DuLac, Arthur Rackham,
Windsor McCay. Also, Ukiyo-e artists like Hokusai and
Hiroshige.
How did you fnd out about Mailart and ATCs?
RN: Back in college I saw a little blurb about mail art in
some kind of flm we were watching. It looked fun, but I
certainly didnt have time for it then! I came back to it when
I saw people trading online and wanted to join in.
What themes do you enjoy collecting?
RN: The most important thing is that they refect the artists own personal artistic style.
I love references to kitsch, ephemera, and low art like comic books, pulp novels, B movies,
advertising. I also love all kinds of fairy tales and mythology, especially if approached in an
original or unexpected way. I love animals. I love fashion, current and past. I can always be
tempted by anything French, anything Japanese, anything 1920s related, or anything with a
satyr, faun, or horned/antlered person of any kind.
-47-
As a professional artist, how have ATCs affected
your work?
RN: Theyre really fun and relaxing.
The style I work in involves a lot of waiting, because I use
very wet washes of color and they have to dry completely
before I can continue work on the piece. So while my
larger works are drying, Ill cut some scrap watercolor
paper down to ATC sizes and work on those for awhile.
Theyre great because theres no pressure. I also get to
try out new techniques, or different styles that dont quite
ft with my body of professional work.
Find Rene on the web:
website: www.reneenault.com
art blog: www.reneenault.com/blog
Etsy: www.reneenault.etsy.com
-48-
Gallery of Found Poetry Art
From the arti sts of ATCsForAl l . com
Dar Mariano
Greer Gschwind
Ann DAngelo
Carolyn Streeter
Cheryl Duncan-Molloy
Dar Mariano
-49-
Dar Mariano
Katie Vlasov
Robin Panzer
Greer Gschwind
Carolyn Streeter
-50-
Incorporating Found Poetry into
Mixed Media and Collage Art
by Amy L. Sargent
Found poetry has been around for decadesmost sources
indicate that the genre was created in the late 1960s or
early 1970s. The Academy of American Poets offers the
following defnition:
Found poems take existing texts and refashion them,
reorder them, and present them as poems. The literary
equivalent of a collage, found poetry is often made from
newspaper articles, street signs, graffti, speeches,
letters, or even other poems. A pure found poem consists
exclusively of outside texts.
The technique is used by many writers as an exercise that
requires them to reexamine their vocabulary and expand
the language they regularly use in their work. It often can
reinvigorate our love of language and demonstrate the malleability of words meanings.
Similarly, artists may fnd that incorporating found poems into collage can expand an artworks
meaning or mystery. Found poetry can add a binding layer to a simple paper collage, or it can be
used as merely one component of a layered mixed media work.
The key to found poetry is to allow oneself to remain open to the possibilities of a random page of
text. I will select a single page from
a vintage text, without scanning
the page for potential words I
might want to use. I actively enjoy
the thrill of fnding the unexpected,
or of making do with the banal,
once I sit down with my scissors to
begin creating.
When I work, I typically have a few
collage/mixed media ATCs ready.
Sometimes, these are cards that
are complete, but just seem a little
too boring or are missing a little
something to make them pop.
-51-
I pull a few pages from a vintage book or from my drawer of loose pages. [Figure 1]
For the card Im making here, I used a page from the book The Bobbsey Twinss Secret. I dont
look for phrases, but I cut words that I know Ill needa few defnite articles, a few pronouns,
and a few verbs. Then, I look for words that appeal to meon this page, I found Daddy and
shuffing and noises, among others. [Figure 2]
After cutting twenty-fve or thirty words, Ill take a look at what I have, and Ill rearrange them into
a series of phrases to create my found poem [Figure 3]. I
ended up using all but about fve of the words I clipped.
Often, Ill fnd that my found poem is too long for a single
card. In this case, Ill often break the poem over two cards, so
that I can use the entire creation. Glue is important because
I dont want words sloughing off of my cards. I embed my
words in Rangers Matte Accents or Glossy Accents most
often, so that theyre protected and permanently adhered.
Ive added my resulting poem on two separate cards.
And by using about twenty words from a single page of a
Bobbsey Twins novel, two ATCs have gained a mysterious
narrative that ultimately refocuses and deepens the collage
on which the words are fxed. Im delighted with the creepy
undertone the poem hasespecially considering it came
from a childrens book.
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3
-52-
The concept of deconstructing an original text in order to create something new can be daunting
but I believe its important to move beyond the original meaning of the text. What I mean is, if I
take a page from a 1950s romance novel, I work to create something entirely new, avoiding the
temptation to create a found poem that is romantic in nature. The exercise is about challenge:
taking a page from the same romance novel and creating a poem about something completely
unexpected, like the virtues of solitude, is my goal.
Found poems can, as the name suggests, be found anywhere from medical textbooks and fashion
magazines to tourist pamphlets and vintage handwritten letters. I hope that the accompanying
ATCs that incorporate or feature found poetry can inspire you to create some found poems of
your own.
-53-
10 Minute Art Walkthrough
Funky Intuitive Watercolor Portraits
By Sal Scheibe
These fun little ATC watercolors shouldnt take more than
10 to 15 minutes each. Theyre quick and easy to create,
even for fairly new painters. The trick is to not worry about
getting things perfect. You need to paint intuitively, which
means you should be more interested in plopping down
some shapes and shadows to suggest facial features
rather than painting in actual features.
Start with a wet watercolor board or paper that you have
and plop on your paints to form a very basic facial shadow.
This should take about 20 seconds. Let dry and contine
with another shadow/shape layer, slowing forming into
a face. Each layer should take no more than a minute.
Youre painting intuitively here, not realistically. Once you
have a shape youre happy with, take your ink pen and
outline some features. Add funky lines and bubbles but
dont spend a lot of time making things perfect.These
little ATCs are 10-minute bits of fun!
-54-
Funky Intuitive Watercolor
Portraits
10 minute time limit!
Workshop
Calendar
2010
ArtTrader offers many fantsatic online workshops
for our readers. We hope you can join us! Please
check the ArtTrader Mag website for details and
registration.
* January 12
Art Journals (8 week program)
* February 8
Whimsy Workshop Level 1 (4 weeks)
* February 16
Whimsical Mermaids (2 week program)
* March 8
Whimsy Workshop Level 2 (4 weeks)
* March 23
Altered Dominoes (2 week program)
* April 6
Whimsical Goddesses (2 week program)
* April 20
To be announced (2 week program)
* May 17
Mixed Media Gothic Art (2 week program)
* May 31
Color Exploration (2 week program)
* June 14
Colorful Funky Ladies (2 week program)
* June 28
Calligraphy (2 week program)
* July 12
Handmade / Recyled Paper (2 weeks)
* July 26
Mixed Media Canvases - Whimsical
Fantasy Art (4 week program)
* August 23
Artistic Expressions & Styles (4 weeks)
* Sept 20
Whimsical Mermaids (2 week program)
* Oct 4
Altered Dominoes (2 week program)
* Oct 18
Whimsical Goddesses (2 week program)
* Nov 8
Art Journals (8 week program)

-55-
Colorful Funky Ladies
June 14, 2010
Color Exploration
May 31, 2010
Art Journals
January 12, 2010
Whimsy
Level I
Feb 8, 2010
-56-
Art TRADER
Advertising. Product Reviews
& Partnership Inquiries
Sal Scheibe, Publisher
[email protected]
Article Submissions
Dana Driscoll, Editor
[email protected]
Artwork Submissions
Sal Scheibe, Art Director
[email protected]
Critique Corner
Andrea Melione
[email protected]
For additional details on our
submission and artwork guidelines,
please visit our website:
Call for Articles and Artwork
Thank you for your interest in contributing to ArtTrader Magazine.
ArtTrader Magazine is a web-based publication (in PDF format) focused
on Mail Art 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. We are
interested in techniques that can be applied to any mail art. These
include illustrative techniques, and also works in fabric, digital, collage,
mixed media, and more.
Articles on artistic journeys or experiences. Do you have an interesting
story that you would like to share? We would like to hear it.
Artist Spotlight/Profle. Do you have a body of work you would like
share? We would love to feature you in our artist spotlight.
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. These types of articles
usually have a small bit of background accompanying them but primarily
are visual in nature.
Product and Book Reviews. If you are interested in writing a review of
a new product or book that is connected to the Mail Art world, we would
enjoy hearing about it.
Submissions of Artwork
Almost all of our articles require artwork submissions. You might also want
to submit artwork to appear in our webzine galleries. Our call for artwork
is always open and we welcome your submissions of ATCs, ACEOs, art
journals, chunky pages or altered books. Everyone is welcome to submit
their art. You do not need to be a member of IllustratedATCs.com to
submit artwork.
You must submit your work to us in digital format.
300-400 DPI is suffcient. Do not submit artwork lower than 300 DPI.
Acceptable formats include: JPG, BMP, TIF. Do not submit GIF fles.
Any submitted artwork should be at least 500 pixels wide and high
(they can be much larger than this, of course!) Cone Flowers
ATC by Sal Scheibe
-57-

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