Guest DT Halak: All about ATCs

Bonjour Crafters!! What's up?
Today in our Teaching and Learning Program we would be focusing on ATCs Cards. Our Guest DT Halak, will teach you with endless tips on how to make ATC cards.

Over to you Halak

Hello! I'm Halak, My style is usually CAS with a bit of whimsy thrown in. I also enjoy making miniature Mixed Media pieces like ATC and Art tiles. Today we'll be discussing ATCs. 

What are ATCs, you ask?

Well, they are miniature pieces of art created and exchanged by artists all over the world! While there are no specific restrictions to making an ATC, sometimes, themes are set to maintain uniformity.

One important factor to keep in mind while creating ATCs is their size. The ATC has to be 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches.

Here are some ATCs that I created : 

The making of each of these three ATCs involves a different technique and I also have quite a few tips to share so let's get started! :)

Foil Technique with ATC #1

Products Used :

Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Scribbles

Distress Inks (Ranger),
Altenew Ink - Coral Berry

So Suzy Stamps - Be

Martha Stewart 3 in 1 butterfly punch

Nuvo Glue Pen (Medium)
Big Shot machine
Decofoil by Thermoweb - Champagne

Here's the finished ATC.

TIP : Using sentiment stamps as a focal point in an ATC is easier when you pair it with a stencil.

First I created background using distress inks with scribbles stencil.

Stamped sentiment using Altenew ink.

Now comes the fun bit! Using foil.

I took my Nuvo glue pen and drew some random lines on the top and bottom of the ATC.

Then cut two strips of Champagne foil and placed them over the glued area.

After this, I took a piece of cardstock, scored it, and placed the ATC inside it.

Keeping all tabs closed on the multipurpose platform of my Big Shot, I sandwiched this between the acrylic plates and ran it once through the machine.

Note :  What the machine does is, it applies pressure to the bits covered wih foil. This leads to foil adhering perfectly to the project.
Have a look :

Now all that was left to do was peel the foil.

And there you have it! A fun way to add foil to projects

Here's another picture from a different angle to show you how amazing the foil looks :

I punched out a butterfly using the Martha Stewart paper punch, inked it using Coral Berry ink by Altenew and added a bit of glitter to it.

Adhered butterfly and sequins + added a bit of glitter to the word Be and matted the ATC onto red cardstock.

Watercoloring with ATC #2

Products Used :
The Ton Stamps - Happiest of Peonies
So Suzy Stamps - Hello Friend
49 and Market Stamps - Gabi's Line Stitch

Archival Ink by Ranger (Jet Black)

Staedtler Luna Color Pencils (Set of 12)
Water brush (Sakura) Size - Medium
Ken Oliver Color Burst (Violet)

For this, I first began by creating the background.

Once I created the background using the color burst, I set it aside to dry and began work on my watercolored flower.

c

I stamped the image from the Happies of Peonies stamp set by The Ton in archival ink onto watercolor cardstock, fussy-cut it and colored it using Staedtler color pencils.

Tip : When you watercolor, it is always a good idea to stamp the image onto watercolor paper. Watercolor paper is stronger than the generic cardstock and helps in building up color easily.

Adhered flower to background and then I took the Hello Friend stamp by So Suzy Stamps, masked the word friend using washi tape and stamped Hello.

To add interest to project, I stamped a couple of images around the bottom using Gabi's Stitched Line.

Lastly, added a few glitter highlights on the flower, adhered some sequins and matted onto black cardstock.

Now comes the final project.

Using stamps to create background with ATC #3
Products Used :
Archival Ink (Ranger)

Distress Ink - Twisted Citron
So Suzy Stamps - Reindeer
So Suzy Stamps - Don't Give Up
So Suzy Stamps - Fairy Dust

This ATC has the reindeer completely covered in black glitter.
Have a look :

Here's how I made it :

I stamped the Fairy Dust stamp using Twisted Citron distress ink in the background.

Tip : I've used first, second and third generation stamping to create the background. If it's a geometric design and you are using a stamp to create background, generation stamping adds a fun look + interest to the project.

After this, I stamped the sentiment and the reindeer stamp using archival ink.

Next, I trimmed the ATC and adhered purple paper tape.

Took some pva glue (fevicol) and added black glitter to the reindeer using a paint brush.

Finally, adhered some sequins and matted it onto black cardstock.

This brings me to an end of this post. I am truly honored to be featured over at Rainbow Craftykari as a guest designer and I hope you enjoyed reading it and learnt something new! Above listed products can be order on Rainbow Craftykari Store Or you can call those on Pre-Orders. the So Suzy stamps are exclusively available on Rainbow Craftykari Store in India.

Have a wonderful day! *Hugs*