Layering in Mixed Media – ATCs with Collage – Rubber Dance Art Stamps Blog

Hi there, Susanne here sharing a mixed media tutorial. It’s all about layering and creating depth on a background. I am making a trio of ATCs using handmade Washi tape, stickers, inks, mark making and stamps from our Doodle Flowers 2 and Butterflies and Moths sets. Scroll down for the video.

As a base for the artist trading cards I am using some cardboard pieces. It’s a great way to upcycle old packaging. I make a collage with handmade Washi tape and stickers (video is linked below) to start the background. My goal is to create a lot of texture and depth! Once the collage is finished I cover the cards with transparent gesso. I also apply a little bit of heavy white gesso with a palette knife to bring in a different surface.
I let the ATCs dry before I ad some glazing on top with different acrylic inks. I used Prussian Blue and Raw Sienna from Liquitex and the Antilope Brown from FW (Daler Rowney).
Whilst this is drying I am preparing my focal points. I picked two images from Doodle Flowers 2 and one of Butterflies and Moths and embossed them in white to mix media paper. I colored them in loosely with watercolors and cut them out.
To bring dimension to the card backgrounds I used a number stamps and the word “SOUL” from Mix It Up 7 and stamped these randomly in black. I also added some marks with different Neocolor II crayons and made a few splatters in black and white.
To finish the ATCs I adhered the focal points and a title to each of them.