Artist Trading Card Collage Abstracts

ATC Abstracts, Phillip Hoyle 2018

I attended an ATC workshop on Thursday in which I made a group of collages from collected paper items. The company was fine, conversations sparkled, artwork seemed especially creative. The first trades were related to the evening's theme, insects. I brought prints of grape leaves with Japanese beetles busily eating holes in the leaves. 

ATC insects, Phillip Hoyle 2018

After that trade I started work on the abstracts using mostly magazine images from a folder of things torn or cut from old magazines. We had to work quickly since we were each aiming at making at least ten new cards in two hours.

Viewing all the completed work of the evening was like entering an art gallery for a diverse show from nine artists ranging in age from teens to eighties.

Phillip Hoyle 2018

Artist Trading Cards

ATCs made in workshop August 2016

Thursday night I participated in a workshop at make ATCs and was happy to complete a dozen in a couple of hours. They went black and white, abstractions from details of contrasting magazine cutouts. The trades were fun and the conversation engaging. 

ATCs from Workshop, Phillip Hoyle 2017
Sorry about the focus!

Part of the evening is to share food as well as conversation and the trade. Like usual the pickin's were fine. The tastes of the eleven people there were even more interesting. 

Australian Artist Trading Cards

ATCs evocative of Aboriginal artwork
Phillip Hoyle, 2017

Last week’s ATC workshop opened with a trade of cards on the theme Australia or New Zealand. I missed the opening trade but joined the group for the workshop. There I finished a few cards reflective of Australian Aboriginal designs and joined in the final trade of the night. So much fun.

Since then I’ve made more, some of which I’m showing here. I began by cutting four printing blocks with designs to use as a base for elaboration. Then I printed onto cards that I’d already bubble printed. From there I responded to lines of both printing approaches and some techniques of Aboriginal artists I found on line, some ancient petroglyph designs and some current aboriginal paintings. What a world they discovered in dream time.

I still have a dozen more to finish. I’m ready to trade them and others at our next trade at CORE New Art Space on the second Saturday of August (10 am to noon). Join the fun.

ATCs Phillip Hoyle, 201u

Bubbles Artist Trading Cards

Artist Trading Cards by Phillip Hoyle July 2017

Artist Trading Cards using Bubble and Ink Printing method
by Phillip Hoyle, July 2017

In an old book on nature prints I read about printing from bubbles and have begun my own experiments. I’ve been at it for a few days and all of a sudden have almost 100 prints (3.5 x 2.5”). Some are finished pieces, others grounds for further development. The idea was to use these prints as backgrounds for printing leaves and flowers. The process calls for 1” of clear mild liquid soap in a container. Add 1 tbsp of pen ink and mix with a straw. Blow bubbles (reminded me of blowing bubbles in milk back in my childhood) until they reach above the rim of the container and put paper on them to pick up the ink raised on the bubbles.

For grounds I’ve precut several kinds of paper (and unsuccessful paintings). I’ll not explain. You can look. In my experiments I’m most intrigued with the contrasts of the organic bubbles and mechanically drawn lines. The colors that appear also excite me. You know blue ink on yellow paper turns green. And like with clouds in a summer sky all the designs and figures that appear in these tiny pieces of art.

The fun of the project should keep me busy in my studio as I make larger and larger pieces and find new ways to pick up the paint. I’ve only just begun.

Back to Business

Artist Trading Cards, May 2017 by Phillip Hoyle

Finally after too many weeks with no posts, I'm back in business. I actually did make a few cards for trade but traded all of them and forgot to scan them. Now I'm better organized and hope to make regular postings of some of the cards, leaf prints, and other artwork I conspire to do and complete! 

Abstract designs and monoprints continue to keep my interest. I've been looking at other things too, but don't know when I will feel I know enough about printing to satisfy this current interest. 

Artist Trading Card, May 2017 by Phillip Hoyle

I made four sets of cards but have printed only three of them. Perhaps I'll show more next week--if I happen to remember.

Hope you are warming up in this interesting spring. Here in Denver we fluxuate between snow, rain, hail, and then some days in the 80s. We're courting summer like we're in a hurry. I do like walking around in milder weather. Also my studio is now warmer. I don't have to wear a muffler and my hands don't get so cold.

Artist Trading Card Abstracts

ATCs by Phillip Hoyle, January 2017

Finally I am back to work. Actually I've been making cards and planning a number of new prints, even doing some. I have had difficulty getting around to posting! 

Again, Happy New Year. It's almost one twelvth gone. Time flies. The last ATC workshop and swap I attended had the topic Abstract. I enjoyed the freedom and the required concentration. So I'm presenting some of them here. Prints and collages. I did enjoy the challenge. I hope next week to show something more from this week's efforts. 

Happy art in the new year.

ATC's by  Phillip Hoyle, January 2017

Artist Trading Cards: Geometric Shapes

Geometric Shape ATC
Phillip Hoyle 2016

I wasn’t present for the trade myself, yet I did send cards with my artist friend Sue to the Swap/Make/and Swap Artist Trading Card workshop last Thursday evening. As soon as I get back to town I’ll see what happened. Other participants can select one of my cards and then select one of their own in trade! I wanted to share some of the card images with you in this blog to give you an idea of the process. And I want to express how much fun the whole process is for me, both making and trading cards.

Geometric Shape ATC
Phillip Hoyle 2016

I don’t know what the next Swap’s theme is for the second Saturday in February, the one at CORE New Art Space, but I do hope to have some cards ready for then. In the meantime I hope your own art interests are proving inspiring, your projects engaging, and I hope, if you have an art blog, that you will let me know!

Geometric Shape ATC
Phillip Hoyle, 2016