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Sunday 20 October 2019

The colours of autumn

Hello all!  We're back in the colours of autumn here today with a trio of ATCs.  (For those not in the know, ATC stands for Artist Trading Card - a piece of art 2.5 x 3.5 inches in size.)  It's been a busy old week one way or another, so I'm going to try to keep this post relatively low on the wordcount and mostly share some pretty pictures!


There were a couple of twists and changes of direction as I went along, and one blinding moment of inspiration which shifted me from being fairly "meh" about these ATCs into loving what was happening.  It's a small thing, and almost invisible in this main picture, but it made all the difference to me!





I started with some paper cut from Tim Holtz's Abandoned Paper Stash (with thanks - or not! - to Anna-Karin's recent gorgeous creations with it for this impulsive purchase).  I added some scraps of torn handmade paper and some punched leaves, but it wasn't quite doing it for me.













It was time to play with the Paper Dolls, and that made things a little better, but the really key moment was when I decided to add some cobweb stamping in my favourite Liquid Platinum embossing powder.














Suddenly I got excited.  The papers are gorgeous, but it was that tiny touch of added light-capturing detail which really got my ATCs motoring.

From there on, it was all much more fun.  I started to really enjoy fiddling around to get the layouts just right.
















The torn book page scraps help the Paper Dolls to stand out from the background.















And the individual characters of the three boys started to come through.
















Each of the boys found their "right" place in relation to the torn book page fragments...














... and each of them has a little bit of tissue tape to either sit or stand on (including the dog of course).









The leaves are punched from some of the same tags I was playing with the other day for my October Acorns.  And yes, I know you haven't yet seen the large leaves die-cut from one of those tags that I promised you...





Patience, patience!  They are coming, but you'll just have to wait until almost the end of the month for their special appearance.  But there are some touches of that golden shimmer on these tiny ones to keep you going until then. 





And speaking of shimmer, I'm just in love with those gleaming cobwebs hovering amidst the autumnal colours.  (You know by now that you can click on these little photos for a closer look.)





It's like they're glistening with morning dew, but then at other angles, you hardly notice their presence (which is exactly what the spiders want to happen if you're a fly!).







Some metallic cogs in autumnal copper add a bit of extra interest.















Each boy has his own particular cog.
















And I think each cog has ended up in the right place on the ATC to keep the eye moving.















And then of course there are the words...
















... some Small Talk stickers from one of the seasonal sets...














... but apart from this one, the ones I've chosen are flexible enough to use at other times too.















I used the blade of my scissors to roughen the edges of the paper...














... before mounting the ATCs onto some off-white card and scissor-blading that too.
















The word stickers are positioned so that when you look at the set as a whole, the eye again has to keep moving around... 

















... different heights, different sides of the ATCs.  Same thing with the book page fragments and Paper Dolls...

















... they shift from left to middle to centre to create a pleasing triptych grouping.  I do like working in threes.  (Shhh... don't tell the other two, but this one is probably my favourite!)










I worked on the trio this way round, with the boys at the outer edges, but it also works as a triptych if you flip the outer pair over, as I had them for the first picture in the post, which brings the boys closer together in the centre... you take your pick, but the middle chap has to stay in the middle!


Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I know I haven't managed much visiting in the last few days, but I'll try to do better in the coming week.  For now, happy Sunday everyone!

There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning and yearning.
Christopher Morley

Three things in human life are important.  The first is to be kind.  The second is to be kind.  And the third is to be kind.
Henry James

I'd like to enter this trio at ATCs Mit Herz where the theme this month is Herbst/Autumn
At Let's Craft and Create the challenge is Anything Goes with an Optional Twist of Colours of Fall
Moo Mania & More are playing with Die-Cuts and Punches - lots of punched leaves here
At the More Mixed Media Challenge this month Anything Goes with an Optional Twist of Orange
Anything Mixed Media Goes over at the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog
And at the Bleeding Art Challenge it's also the usual Anything Mixed Media Goes too
I'm just in time to join in with the Favourite Colour "Autumn" theme at PaperMinutes

37 comments:

My name is Erika. said...

Fabulous ATC's Alison. The string really makes a cool texture on feels very fall too. Enjoy the start of your new week. hugs-Erika

Helen said...

Fab atcs Alison!

froebelsternchen said...

I always adore your techniques Alison! You play like a master and it always looks sooo good! Style ♥♥♥ ! Mixed Media at its best!
And you can't imagine how much this entry is appreciated at Moo Mania & More!
Thank you so much for joining us!
We love it to see you at our challenge!

Big hugs, and have a great new week ahead!
Susi xxx

Rosie said...

Wow, Alison, your ATCs are absolutely gorgeous, love every detail on them.

Thank you for joining us at MOO MANIA & MORE

suzyb said...

Just wonderful little works of art Alison! Love them all and the colours for fall or autumn are perfect. Great job!!!

Cathy F said...

Always love your creations, my friend. Thanks for joining us at Bleeding Art!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Once again, you took us through a menagerie of beauty and autumn appeal in these three incredible ATCs. Of specific note was how you roughed up the ATC and background, how you altered the placement of each doll and background, and where you placed the leaves.

Meggymay said...

Fabulous ATC set Alison, I do love how you add the details.
Yvonne xx

craftytrog said...

A fabulous trio! x

Conny said...

Wow, this is really awesome!
Thanks for joining us at ATC`s mit Herz!

Hugs,
Conny

Redanne said...

Beautiful ATCs Alison, the backgrounds are gorgeous with the splatters and the book pages and cobweb really bring them to life. Beautiful little works of art! Anne xx

Dorthe said...

Dear Alison, I agree, the cobweb is looking gorgeous there, and I love how the papers make the men stand forward and giving interest to them. Beautiful fall colors of faded green and rust , - they are so wonderful.
Hugs, Dorthe

Marci said...

Lovely fall tags.

Katie Kleber said...

Gorgeous ATCs.

Princess Judy Palmer said...

Great job. I didn't even notice the cobweb until you pointed it out. It does add that little bit of something something... kind of makes me think of leaf veins too.

Chrissy said...

Awesome ATC's Alison..I LOVE Autumn and your Autumn colours and those little leaves and of course I adore paint splatters..FABulous.

luv CHRISSYxx

Sue said...

These are fabulous Alison, it's amazing isn't it what can turn something from 'just ok' to fabulous. I really like the pieces of the torn bookpage they really do make the figures stand out from the background. Have a very happy week, Sue xx

pinky said...

You are so so talented! I love all the attention to detail here!

Michele said...

such gorgeous vintage autumn cards! each is perfectly delightful! xo

Margaret said...

Such beautiful autumnal colors, and I love the bit of texture the string brings to them. While I generally dislike spiders, I do love admiring their wonderfully intricate webs, especially with morning dew sparkles! You've captured that perfectly!!

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

So loving the ATCs and the paper dolls which reminds me that I must get mine out. Angela xXx

Ina G said...

Fabulous ATC's Alison. Loved seeing your detailed photos and how these amazing little pieces of art came together so beautifully.

Heidi said...

Wow, was für tolle und aufwändige ATCs sind da entstanden, ich bin begeistert!
Danke, dass du sie bei Paperminutes zeigst.

Liebe Grüße -
Heidi.

Patty O'Malley said...

Awesome ATCs, Alison.

Mac Mable said...

I always love your attention to detail and the pop of embossed platinum sure is the key to your fabulous ATC's ....And yes the middle boy has to stay in the middle x Wonderful inspiration Alison x.

Roosterhead Designs said...

Hello Alison. Well, completely enchanting ATC's!! I'm enthralled. I must tell you (again) that I learn something creative every time I visit~
Loving the ripped book page background to set off the dolls, and I will always remember how you use the darker paper to (properly :) 'seat' the figures you use and ground them. The golden rusty T.H. back paper is beautiful! as well as your webby silver. Very Cool. Love these! I like most anything 'distressed', so I'm very much in favor of the white base having been scraped to a vintage state~ Thank you for sharing! Really enjoyed my visit to see your ATC Art. Hugs, karen o

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

Oh these are a delight, and I so understand the blah to ah moment when just one thing is added, and the cobwebs were a great addition! LOVE the bits of string and leaves...so wonderful!

Neet said...

I love the cobwebs and can imagine that they look even more special in real life. I love how you used the ripped paper to form the backcloth for the Tim Holtz boys and I cannot understand why your addition of the tissue tape looks so right, yet when I add it it looks just like that - an addition!
All three ATC's are beautiful little works of art, each one having such a story to tell and so much work in them.
Thank you for sharing them and the process with us.
Hugs, Neet 7 xx

Margaret Mifsud said...

These ATCs are absolutely amazing Alison! Embossing the cobwebs is such a brilliant idea .. creates a whole new dimension on those gorgeous autumnal papers .. and each little collage is simply stunning! Love, love, love these!! hugs xx

Let's Art Journal said...

Wow, such beautiful ATCs! You created so much detail and I loved following along to see how they came together 😀. This autumnal design trio are stunning! Wishing you a Happy Friday and Weekend! Hugs, Jo x

Sabina said...

Thank you for entering your card at Let's Craft and Create this month.
Sabina DT

Anke said...

Wunderschöne Werke, liebe Alison. Und die vielen Details sind einmalig.

Herzliche Grüße
von Anek

Mrs.B said...

A fabulous set of ATCs, love the added threads giving the feeling of the swirling leaves.
Avril xx

Cocofolies said...

I love to bits this new trio of ATCs, so gorgeous!!!
Hugs, Coco xx

pearshapedcrafting said...

Wow! What fabulous inspiration - I want to go and make some ATCs right now...but I shan't...I'll continue with my catch up then go to bed!! I love every one of these Alison and they really do look great as a set! Hmm! Must stop gazing! Hugs, Chrisx

sarascloset said...

I obviously read through your last three posts, and then had to come back an comment on each! This ones a real stunner for me! I'm loving how you've complimented those gorgeous Abandoned papers (yay, Anna-Karin for wooing you!) with your silky, glistening cobwebs--just the right amount of spookiness on these ATC's. Love this trio!

Zoe B said...

Fab ATC's. Thanks for playing at Bleeding Art Challenge