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. 

Planets Artist Trading Cards

Planets ATCs by Phillip Hoyle 2017

I considered what I wanted to do with the topic planets and was sure of only one thing. I would use a stack of black mat boards (2.5 x 3.5 “) and begin by splatter painting them with water-thinned Titanium White acrylic paints. That step took little time and, of course, I had diluted too much paint. (I looked for more cards and used the left-over paint to wash them and then with a cloth wipe much of the paint away.) I waited until the next day to look at the results. It’s good to wait a day. The color changes. I was pleased with the star-studded results.

ATCs by Phillip Hoyle, 2017

I now had cards prepared and had decided I’d use a circles template. Just how, I didn’t yet know. I considered using a sponge roller to apply a rough surface with craters but was pretty sure I didn’t want to deal with the mess. So I got out my Gel pens, regular ones, Suffle ones, and more. With a Suffle white pen I drew a circle. Then? I was still unsure. I made marks slightly arced to suggest an orb. Then I did more with other colors, more lines, dots, and scrawls. Some I tinted with a different kind of gel.

ATCs Phillip Hoyle, 2017

I worked late in my studio listening to KUVO, a public radio jazz station, and realized how much the music affected what I was doing. When I finished 22 of these cards I decided to sign them. Each one is called 'Jazz Planet'. I don’t know what solar system they revolve in, but I was pleased to have them ready for the next workshop. I look forward to the trades and the new cards I'll make there. 

Buildings Artist Trading Cards

Buildings ATCs by Phillip Hoyle 2017

The topics of buildings and architecture and sculpture left some of us card makers seriously challenged. I went my own way by beginning with letters and numbers, some of which I have saved for years and years and had never used in collages. So for this trade I prepared nine "downtown" high rise buildings piecing together, drawing lines, and the like. They must have worked for I traded eight of them plus quite a few of the Aboriginal inspired designs shown in my past two posts. 

Of course I make no apology for the impracticality of the buildings. I only wanted to use letters, numbers, a few cut outs, and a large dose of imagination. 

ATCs Phillip Hoyle, 2017

ATCs Phillip Hoyle 2017

ATC Phillip Hoyle 2017

  I’m still playing around with the mixed media cards I wrote about and showed last week. I was so into the project I kept making more. Finally I have stopped on those and am turning my focus to our next topic. But I’m posting a few more of the Australian inspired theme. I hope you enjoy them.

ATC Phillip Hoyle 2017

A favorite ATC Phillilp Hoyle 2017

ATC Phillip Hoyle 2017

ATC Phillip Hoyle 2017

I'm not quite sure what happened with the spacing of these cards. At least you can see the designs. Why not try your own cards? Find another artist or crafter to trade them with. 

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

Artist Trading Cards at the Fair

Blue Ribbon and sheet of ATCs awarded
Phillip Hoyle 2017 Denver County Fair

I had a good time at the Denver County Fair after I found my way there by bus. I got lost downtown when I was taking my cards out to enter. I got lost when I tried to return there yesterday to see the art show and recover my trading cards. The bus I rode Thursday doesn’t run on weekends so I caught another one that would require I get off and walk for about ten minutes. I got off at the right place but none of the street names matched the descriptions from the notes I took from the computer. I followed my sense of things but took a turn on a street that used to lead to the Coliseum parking lot. Not anymore. That cost me about a mile of walking. What saved me knew that when I got there I’d see a ribbon on my work.

On the bus I had a voice message from my art friend Sue that I got a blue ribbon for the category and a purple, Judge’s choice ribbon as well. The only time I’d ever got a first was in high school when I was the only boy in my category in a vocal competition. This time the blue ribbon was hanging there. The purple ribbon too! Sadly I had forgotten to take my camera! Oh well.

One of my sheets of cards got lost. I was showered with many apologies by the staff. Somehow I was not bothered since I had gotten lost in so many ways already! 

I had a good time with several artist friends, saw a super art show, received a written critique of my work, and ate some rather fine food. I watched kids and their parents, usually to my delight. It seems my work in Artist Trading Cards the past four years is bearing fruit or at least recognition. I’m pleased.

I got a ride home so I didn’t get lost.

The sheet of ATCs, County Fair 2017

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.