I reached my goal of 100 artist trading cards on Monday, and even went over by a few. There were days the creating came easily, and days it was choppy, but over all I am pleased with the final pieces. The 100 day project gave me the opportunity to try new techniques and use supplies in new ways. Now I can incorporate those into new courses and projects. I did not reach the bottom of my scrap boxes, not even close, but I made a valiant attempt. Now after a short break, I am gearing up to try something new!
Artist trading card in warm yellow scraps of text and music
I am moving andante these days, even when I try to pick up the pace it feels slow. As I close in on the 100 mark I can pat myself on the back for not missing a day in addition to trying some new techniques. Some days it has been just a sliver of time, a quick grasp at creativity at the end of the day. I think when I spread out all 100 I will be pleased with the results. What I will do with 100 artist trading cards I have yet to figure out.
Artist trading card with vintage stamps on old papers
The stamps in this piece are at least 60 years old, I am not sure where they came from, they were around when I was a kid. There’s a few letters and numbers missing, and maybe a couple characters too. But they are a fun item to work into a piece. Perfect for day 88 of 100 earlier this week, as I wanted to incorporate them into a vintage, comic page type of card. This meant using newspaper scraps from 2 years back and pattern paper that is 40 plus years old. I think the characters are Parry and Herbie, but I am unfamiliar with the comic they were in. Some of the stamps are related to the Dick Tracy comic, that I do know. Whatever comic strip they are from they add a nice bit of vintage pop art to pieces.
Artist trading card with vintage stamps on old papers
The stamps in this piece are at least 60 years old, I am not sure where they came from, they were around when I was a kid. There’s a few letters and numbers missing, and maybe a couple characters too. But they are a fun item to work into a piece. Perfect for day 88 of 100 earlier this week, as I wanted to incorporate them into a vintage, comic page type of card. This meant using newspaper scraps from 2 years back and pattern paper that is 40 plus years old. I think the characters are Parry and Herbie, but I am unfamiliar with the comic they were in. Some of the stamps are related to the Dick Tracy comic, that I do know. Whatever comic strip they are from they add a nice bit of vintage pop art to pieces.
Artist trading card with text in Japanese and Italian, and scrap of music.
This card nearly ended up,in the trash can. I was ‘done’ with it, but it didn’t quite work. So I set it aside to be revisited with fresh eyes. After adding a couple of different layers and some rubber stamped images it came together in a new way. Sometimes that is what has to be done, stepping away to break the process so it can be started again and go off in a new direction. As I have been doing the cards I have had just one that got tossed out, it just was a clunker. Pretty good success rate, only 1 out of 86 being beyond saving. There are just a couple weeks left in this project, it feels like it went from the first week to this week in a blink. I will use what I learned to develop new courses, I am not less sure what I will do with the 100 cards.
Research and choose, then adjust course as needed. I have found that is the best way to go. It is too easy to get caught in an endless research loop and never get beyond it to actually making a decision. Letting time pass with no course of action being put in motion. Many decisions are based on things that are finite, like vacation lodgings or restaurants, such decisions are not as weighty as buying a house or moving across the world. And even those can be undone given opportunity or the right set of circumstances. Missing the window of opportunity by dithering over the research can delay or add a layer of difficulty to your plans. I have been guilty of getting too deeply into the weeds of research, trying to find the perfect option to pursue to insure the perfect outcome. Which we all know is an impossible outcome to chase. Once I catch myself checking one more source or review, I stop and weigh what I have, the time being spent, and the actual importance of the plan. The I take a breath and make the decision, whether it is a yes or no.
Photographs of beautiful abandoned and decaying lost places from around the world. Urban Exploration and Dark Tourism blog, with galleries and portfolio.
Wild Bird Creative 