ArtTrader Mag Contest 2011

Contest open: August 1, 2011 – October 15, 2011. Winner announced on October 31, 2011.

We’re having a MAIL ART CONTAINER contest in celebration of the new site launch and we want you to enter! It’s easy. Create an artsy MAIL ART CONTAINER with the words “mail art” appearing somewhere on your container. So what is a mail art container? Well, it could be anything really. In our tutorial below we’ve used a wooden box but you could make your container out of anything – jars, fabric, illustration board, shoebox, etc. Anything that is a container and that can be painted or covered in paper to create a work of art (that is also a container!). The idea is that the container can hold your mail art supplies like stamps, labels, pens, notebooks, etc. See the sample below.

Here’s the official deal:

1. Create an artsy MAIL ART CONTAINER with the words “mail art” appearing somewhere on your container. So what is a mail art container? Well, it could be anything really. In our tutorial below we’ve used a wooden box but you could make your container out of anything – jars, fabric, illustration board, shoebox, etc. Anything that is a container and that can be painted or covered in paper to create a work of art (that is also a container!). The idea is that the container can hold your mail art supplies like stamps, labels, pens, notebooks, etc.
2. Decorate your container using whatever you want – paint, thread, beads, markers, collage, mixed media, etc. We’re easy. Just make sure the words “mail art” appear somewhere on your container.
3. Do not send us images of containers you have previously made. Your entry must be made NEW for this contest.
4. Contest is open to anyone worldwide over the age of 18 at the time of signing Release Form.
5. Entries must be emailed to art@arttradermag.com in JPG format (200 DPI / High Res) by October 15th, 2011 at 11:59 EDT. Winners will be chosen on October 31, 2011 and announced on our website the same day. ArtTrader Mag will contact winners via email on October 31, 2011.
6. You MUST fill out an artwork release form otherwise your entry will be void. Artwork Release form is online: Release Form
7. Prizes must be accepted as is. Prizes will be mailed during the month of November 2011 via regular post.

Here are the delicious prizes!

Grand Prize: Sakura KOI Watercolor Set of 12 tubes, Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils Set of 24, Hardcover 9 x 6 sketchbook	Runner Up: Super cool art made by Sarah Trumpp (6 x 6 mixed media canvas) and naughty little voodoo doll made by Ann D’Angelo	Runner Up: Mail Art box from the tutorial plus some mail art supplies – pens, notebook, labels and some loose stamps!

Mail Art Container Tutorial

Here’s a tutorial for a Mail Art Container using a wooden box and collage images. You don’t have to make a container out of the same materials to enter this contest. We’re simply providing a sample “how-to” so you have an idea of how to make something useful, and cool!

Mail Art Container: Step 1	Mail Art Container: Step 2
Step 1: Find a container to use. I purchased some wooden boxes at a craft supply outlet. You will need to sand them down a little to get rid of rough edges and splinters.	Step 2: I chose old book pages to cover my box. My paste is a mixture of UHU acid free clear glue, gel medium matte and a bit of water so it’s nice and smooth.
Mail Art Container: Step 3	Mail Art Container: Step 4
Step 3: I used whole sheets to cover my box. You could rip up pieces and glue them intuitively as well. Make sure you smooth things out as much as possible and get rid of any air bubbles. You might end up with creases here and there. I did. Old paper is often thin and crumbly so you have to treat it carefully. Cover the top with glue mix too and let it dry.	Step 4: Paint the inside of your box. I used an inexpensive acrylic craft paint though you could use artist grade paints if you’re rich! Or paper the inside too, or some sort of drawing or painting. Whatever works for you.
Mail Art Container: Step 5	Mail Art Container: Step 6
Step 5: I used different colors of acrylic craft paint and applied them with a paper towel to that the effect would be transparent and the colors would be smoothed into each other. I wanted a multi-color look so my container would be colorful and fun. Let it dry.	Step 6: Choose your collage images. My theme was simply a happy, zetti like grouping of mail art heads and signs. Because this was a personal project, I wasn’t exactly careful with the images I used and mainly cut them out of magazines. If you’re creating a box for commercial sale or submission, make sure all collage images you use are free for use.
Mail Art Container: Step 7	Mail Art Container: Step 8
Step 7: Test your collage pieces before you start gluing away. You want to find out what works first before diving in headfirst. Sometimes it’s hard to lift glued images so take a few minutes to do some position testing before you start gluing.	Step 8: Glue the main parts of your collage down using the glue mixture noted above (or your own version of it). Ensure that you’ve smoothed out all of the creases and air bubbles. You might need to do this more than once as things can pop a little as they dry.
Mail Art Container: Step 9	Mail Art Container: Step 10
Step 9: I used colored pencils to start the shading on the ladies (make-up) as well as around each being to help them stand out from the background. I chose similar colors. You could also try using markers though they sometimes have a rough go of it over glue mixtures.	Step 10: I added in my sign posts with some black and white striping and continued using colored pencils to unify the image (through color and shading).
Mail Art Container: Step 11	Mail Art Container: Final Box
Step 11: My final step was to stamp a few stars and swirls here and there. I also used inking pens to outline some areas as well as draw in various bubbles and hairs to unify and integrate the various elements.	Final Box: Here’s a pic of the final container, all nice and pink and fun.
Final: Back of box	Final: Front of box