Skull Munching Doll

Voodoo doll yarn colors:

• Pale brown, roughly ½ skein
• White or off-white scraps
• Chocolate brown for the stitches

Other supplies you will need:

• Hook 2-3 sizes smaller than the one
suggested for your yarn
• Stitch marker, e.g. a safety pin
• Embroidery needle
• Scissors
• Two mismatched buttons
• A sewing or tapestry needle and
thread, color of your choice

Abbreviations:

Ch = Chain
St=stitch
Sc = Single crochet
BLO = Back loops only (i.e. loops on the inside of the circle)
2sctog = 2 single crochet together, or a decrease

Head

Ch 2, 5sc in 2nd st from hook
1. 1 sc in next st. Place stitch marker. 1 sc in SAME st. 2 sc in each remaining sc around.
(10 total)
2. 2sc in each sc (20 total)
3. (1 sc next 3 st, 2 sc next st) x5 (25 total)
4. (1 sc next 4 st, 2 sc next st) x5 (30 total)
5. (1 sc next 5 st, 2 sc next st) x5 (35 total)
6. (1 sc next 6 st, 2 sc next st) x5 (40 total)
7-10. Sc around. (40 total st per row for 4 rows)
11. (1sc next 6 stitches, 2sctog) x5 (35 total)
12. (1sc next 5 stitches, 2sctog) x5 (30 total)
13. (1sc next 4 stitches, 2sctog) x5 (25 total)
14. (1sc next 3 stitches, 2sctog) x5 (20 total)
15. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for stitching the head to the body.
Stuff head firmly.

Body

Ch2, 5sc in 2nd st from hook
1. 2sc in each sc (10 total)
2. 2sc in each sc (20 total)
3. (1 sc next 3 st, 2 sc next st) around (25 total)
4-7. Sc around (25 total per row for 4 rows)
8. (1 sc next 3 st, 2 sc tog) x5 (20 total)
9-10. Sc around (20 total per row for 2 rows)
11. (1 sc next 2 st, 2 sctog) x5 (15 total)
12. Fasten off.
Stuff body firmly

Leg (make 2):

Stuffed Leg

Stuff leg roughly HALFWAY full. You will be pinching the top of the leg closed before sewing it to the body. See pic above.

Whole Arm (make 1):

Ch2, 5sc in 2nd stitch from hook
1. 2sc in each stitch (10 total)
2. BLO – sc around (10 total)
3-6. Sc around (10 total st for four rows)
7. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for stitching the whole arm to the body.
8. Stuff arm.

Torn Arm (make 1):

Ch2, 5sc in 2nd stitch from hook
1. 2sc in each stitch (10 total)
2. BLO – sc around (10 total)
3. Sc next 4sc.
4. Fasten off.

Torn Arm Stuffing:

Use white or off-white yarn
Ch2, 5sc in 2nd stitch from hook
1. 2sc in each stitch (10 total)
2. 3sc next stitch, 2sctog, 1sc next sc, Ch2, 1sc next sc, Ch3, sc next 3sc.
3. Fasten off, leaving a long tail.
4. Weave the tail through the stitches in Row 2, pulling the stuffing together so it bunches and
puckers.
5. Attach the stuffing securely to Torn Arm.

Assembling the Voodoo Doll

1. Set the head on top of the body and stitch the two together.
2. Pinch the top of the leg and stitch it closed.
3. Stitch the leg to the body at the base of the doll’s belly. Put another way, attach the leg in
such a way that the doll can sit upright unassisted. Repeat for the other leg.
4. Sew the whole arm to the left side of the body (your right, doll’s left).
5. Sew the torn arm to the right side of the body (your left, doll’s right).
6. Stitch the buttons onto the face using your sewing (or tapestry) needle and thread.
7. Add stitches as desired using scraps of dark brown thread.

Ann at Age 9

I learned to crochet when I was 9. In fact, I took private crocheting lessons, which sounds pretty fancy until I mention that I took my lessons in a basement filled with pink yarn and plastic baby dolls whose bodies doubled as blankets. My teacher treated me well; she didn’t rap my knuckles or stab me with embroidery needles or traumatize me with rust-and-avocado-colored Granny Squares. Even so, she did not manage to make me an avid, lifelong crocheter, mainly because I had no interest in a long lifetime of making scarves, blankets, and other forms of winter wear. It wasn’t until 30 years later, when I met a tattooed, pink-haired woman who told me I could crochet things like eyeballs and demonic squirrels, that I decided I might love the yarn arts after all.

The Missing Link

Ami Attacking Wine

According to my pink-haired friend, Sarah, I needed to look into “ami,” which was short for amigurumi, which turned out to be Japan’s way of saving all of us from death by winter wear. (And to Japan I say…domo arigato.) In brief, amigurumi are crocheted, stuffed dolls or toys. People create everything from sweet-natured girls in dresses to drooling zombies in business suits. Some dolls sit nicely in the palm of the hand; others prefer a couch, since they stand more than a foot tall. Ami of both sizes may or may not raid the liquor cabinet during the night.

Although some people make ami for children, plenty of other people make them for adults – or to add to their own collections, which can build up quickly. With free patterns abounding on the internet, anyone with a crochet hook can, for the price of some yarn, have an adorably sparkly mermaid, a Dr. Who doll, or a Dr. Who doll leaping into his crocheted TARDIS with an adorably sparkly mermaid.

Starting A Collection

Amigurumi make easy and accessible projects, even for beginners. I’ll explain some of key things about making ami, but be aware: Crocheting small, adorable critters can prove addictive.

• According to every ami expert everywhere, it’s essential to keep the white polyester stuffing on the inside of the doll from showing on the outside. Making tight stitches will help to achieve this goal, as will the selection of a hook at least two sizes smaller than the one recommended on the yarn label. (The author of the ami pattern may indicate what size hook s/he used, but unless you’re using the exact same yarn, that information will not necessarily be relevant. Check the back of the yarn, and size down twice.)

• Be sure to pick up a bag of that polyester stuffing I just mentioned, along with a stitch marker – but not the super-affordable round plastic stitch markers in the store. Those stitch markers are for knitters, which no one told me until I bought a package, took it home, and broke three of the little buggers in half, at which point, my mother-in-law said, “Ann, those are for knitters.” Anyway, just use one of the safety pins in the corner of the junk drawer. As an added bonus, they’re free.

• Ami are crocheted in the round, or in other words, in a circle, which is created by crocheting into the same stitch five or six times.

• Making ami involves a lot of counting, which is not to be confused with expressing algorithms or doing anything so complicated that it becomes impossible to drink wine while working. At the end of each row, the pattern provides the correct stitch count. As long as your count matches the pattern’s, huzzah!

• When the pattern says to “sew” or “stitch” the ami’s head to its body, there’s no need to go rummaging in the sewing basket for thread that matches the yarn. Instead, leave a length of yarn at the end, and use that yarn to sew the parts together. Well, that yarn and an embroidery needle.

• Some crochet patterns call for plastic eyes, which are available at many craft and hobby stores. Meanwhile, most ami patterns don’t call for a neck. Ami don’t tend to have them, which is part of the reason they are irresistibly cute.

What Kind of Crochet Skills Are Really Needed to Make Ami?

To follow an easy ami pattern, master these basic crochet moves, including:

• Chain stitch
• Single crochet
• Increase
• Decrease
• Fasten off

Excellent videos abound on YouTube, making it possible to watch as people demonstrate the exact stitch required. Put another way, it’s easy to learn all the fundamentals necessary for making ami just by using the internet.

Amigurumi Pattern: Voodoo Doll created by Ann D’Angelo

Let’s face it: Mixed media artists tend to be hoarders. Sure, we might not be as hardcore as the hoarders on TV, but we do have drawers and boxes overflowing with postcards, cabinet cards, playing cards, and book pages that house guests never get to see (the poor things). This Halloween, showcase that stash by creating spectacular art doll decorations that will dazzle friends, neighbors, and trick-or-treaters – and maybe even give them the shivers!

Project Supplies

• Images
• Scissors
• Adhesive
• Card stock (for backing)
• Small brads and a paper piercer or straight pin
• Markers, paints, or watercolor pencils for coloring images
• A white gel pen
• A black pen or marker for outlining (e.g. a Micron or Zig)
• Chalk ink for edging (optional)
• A computer, a scanner, and a printer (optional but helpful)
• Wooden toy blocks or the equivalent
• A very tall screw (for example, a 4-inch drywall screw) and a screwdriver
• Wire (the gauge isn’t particularly important)
• A standard hole punch

Face Facts

My favorite thing in the world to look at is a human face, or in some cases, a face that used to be human before its owner succumbed to a vampire, the zombie apocalypse, an infestation of plague rats, or those pesky old body snatchers from the ‘70s. Of course, most of us don’t have old photos of vamps and body snatchers hanging around, which means we get to dig for photos of ordinary people and alter them. What fun!

Although it’s possible to use actual photographs in this project, creating a copy with the scanner creates options of scale (e.g. making a big face small, or the other way around). After scanning, crop the images and size them as desired.

Cabinet Card 4 - Cropped

Cabinet Card 4 - Enlarged Face

There are several ways to make an ordinary person appear ghoulish, most of which are fairly obvious. Here are just a couple of tips:

• When adding sutures, scrapes, bruises, veins, and gray circles, try to work with, not against, the hairstyle and facial structure of the person in the photograph. The same applies to the existing lights and shadows.
• That said, don’t feel tied to the exact positions of eyelids and lips. Those things can easily be altered – to great effect!
• Be sparing in initial applications of color, beginning with light shades of gray, green, yellow, red, and blue. It’s easy to add color but difficult to take it away, and no one wants a zombie that looks like an angry zucchini!
• There is no right way to alter a photo, so play around a little. Print two or three copies of the same image, and see what happens.
• After applying color, adhere the image to cardstock and cut it out. Go over the black outline one last time with the black pen or marker and chalk the edges with ink as desired.

Frankenbeauty - Cabinet Card 4

Zombie Beauty - Cabinet Card Four

Rock that Body

To decorate my own house, I built several dolls from anatomical parts, or more accurately, from illustrations of anatomical parts in textbooks, of which I have several, all rescued from thrift stores for three dollars or less. Anatomy textbooks make great fodder for art dolls because they contain every body part imaginable, although of course, anatomy books are not necessary for completing this project. It’s not even necessary to be literal about the trunk and limbs of an art doll. A rectangular poison label would make a fantastic Halloween-themed body, as would a toe tag or a tombstone.

A Canadian nurse gave me this toe tag, which (though morbid) makes a great body for a zombie!

After selecting the body, attach the head with adhesive (if a stationary head is the goal) or use a paper piercer and a brad to give the head some evil mobility.

With that accomplished, start embellishing. Give the doll a hat, arms, wings made from finger bones, a broom made from the spine and head of a beauty queen – whatever! Have fun using items from those drawers full of stuff!

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Screw in block

The finishing touch for these art dolls is the stand, which elevates them – literally – to a whole new level of sophistication.

To make the stand, follow these steps:

Back of Doll

• Screw the tall screw into the wooden block. (It isn’t necessary to drill a pilot hole because the wood used in children’s blocks is generally cheap and soft.)

• Cut two lengths of wire between two and three inches (5.1 to 7.6 centimeters) in length.

• Cut a strip of cardstock roughly ½ inch high (1.3 centimeters) and slightly narrower than the width of the doll’s body.

Two Wires Twisted Around Screw

• Mentally divide the strip into three equal parts. Using the hole punch, put a hole on the line between the first and second parts, and a second hole on the line between the second and third parts. Apply glue or other adhesive to the far edges of the strip, and adhere the strip to the doll, reinforcing with tape as necessary. The result should look something like the photo.

Prongs through Holes

• Wrap one end of one wire around the top of the screw, then bring the wire forward and bend it up to create distance between the doll and the screw. The end of the wire should be able to slip into the hole in the strip of cardstock. Repeat with the second piece of wire.

• Adjust the wire as necessary until the doll is positioned just right.• If desired paint the block to enhance the overall look.

The finished art dolls look fantastic on a buffet, windowsill, or shelf. They also make great party favors!

Art Dolls – FInished

Written by Abi Aldrich
This article originally appeared in ArtTrader Magazine, Spring 2008 Issue 2

Oil pastels are a wonderful material medium when you are looking to blend colors and build layers. The smooth, creamy nature of oil pastels lends them to blending easily. If you find that your oil pastels are waxy or are not blending well, it may be one of two general problems. The first is easy to check for: Simply try applying more pressure to the oil pastels. This should give a smoother layer of color. If you find that even with more pressure your oil pastels are still waxy, it is probably because they have dried out. The remedy for this problem is to replace your oil pastels.

Many times the messy process has kept people from using oil pastels. I have a few tricks that I use to keep my area and myself a little neater. I always put a regular piece of clean white paper under my work area. This provides an area for the mess created by oil pastels to end up. As you work through a project with oil pastels, you will find small bead-like rolls of oil pastel built up on your paper.

Simply lift up your work and gently brush the beads off with your finger. In addition, as you change colors you will notice that the oil pastels are picking up other colors on the pastel’s surface. I use my white work area paper to simply make a mark with the oil pastel, which removes any excess colors and restores the oil pastel to its original color. As for keeping myself neater, I love to use disinfectant wipes to keep my fingers clean and if my mess spreads off my work area paper, to clean my work surface. These wipes cut through the oil, unlike trying to simply use a paper towel. The other solution would be soap and water, which can be inconvenient in the middle of working, but still doable.

My last trick to oil pastels is to break them, yes, break them. By breaking your oil pastels, it gives you get clean sharp edges which can be used to add fine details. Without further ado, here are the steps I use to create an oil pastel Artist Trading Card (ATC). All in all, I put on about 35 layers, but I tried to pick out layers that showed what was happening and were easy to follow.

Oil Pastel Sets, gently used

Image 1	Image 2
Image 1 is the initial drawing and can be done in pencil or with any sketching material you feel comfortable using. For my initial drawing I used purple oil pastel.	Image 2 shows the first layer, in which I laid down white oil pastel over the initial sketch. Generally white should go under all the other colors to make them more luminous, as well as it allows you to go back down to white if you make a mistake. I have used other colors as a base, but generally they are light colors first as it is easier to add darker colors and then move back down to the lighter colors for details and highlights.
Image 3	Image 4
Image 3 is the first layer of real color. I generally tend to do the background first. At this point I am not very concerned with staying off my drawing lines as I can use my toothpick to find and clean up the lines again.	Image 4 is about one quarter of the way through the application of background layers. If the image is looking waxy, use more pressure when applying the oil pastels to create a smooth, buttery feeling.
Image 5	Image 6
Image 5 is almost done with the background layers.	Image 6 is the finished background. It shows where I have used my trusty toothpick and found the original shape of the octopus again by gently scraping back though to the white layer of oil pastel.
Image 7	Image 8
Image 7 is the first layer of color for the octopus. I used peach as my base color.	Image 8 is the third layer. I used red and dark pink as the middle values.
Image 9	Image 10
Image 9 is the fifth layer, dealing with the shading.	Image 10 is the removal of excess octopus. I have gone in with the toothpick and gently scraped the octopus color off where I went into the background.
Image 11	Image 12
Image 11 is the repair of the background after dealing with the excess octopus in the previous step.	Image 12 Using a white oil pastel I have added highlights to contrast the shading where I went into the background.
Image 13	Image 14
Image 13 is the first layer of text, which I created by using my toothpick to write through the colored layers to expose the white pastel layer beneath. The text I used was ‘come on in, the water’s fine’. I repeated this multiple times in cursive on a diagonal line.	Image 14 shows the backside of the card. Personally I like to leave the backs of my cards this way with the spots because it reminds me of the process, and it makes it unique. Before trading this card I will include my personal information, signature, date and the title of the piece on the back of the card.

Come on in, the water’s fine…

Finished Oil Pastel ATC

Note to our WONDERFUL readers: ArtTrader Magazine is closing up shop for now! We will be back on March 1, 2013 with a special closing issue featuring many cool articles from our various workshops and that will be the last of ArtTrader Magazine for a while. Maybe it will be a short hiatus, maybe we will close the zine completely. But for now, we need a break.

ArtTrader Magazine is a free web based publication (in PDF format) focused on mail art for trade such as ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), ACEOs, art journals, chunky books, altered art and altered art books.

ArtTrader Mag back issues are all available for FREE download. Here they are! Download and happy arting!

Issue 20: Fall 2012 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue20.PDF Halloween Door Art Vintage Acrylic Portraits Musings of a Self-Trained Artist: A Laywoman’s Laycolumn Reactive Metal Painting Collage Art Text Talk Interview with Brian Rubenacker The Art of Andrea Melione
Issue 19: Summer 2012 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue19.PDF Marker Art: Blend it Baby! Gallery of Artful Fish Musings of a Self-Trained Artist: A Laywoman’s Laycolumn Working with Acrylics: Glazing on Black The Art of Crystal Meaux Blind Drawing: The Solution to Everything Gallery of Blind Drawing ATCs From Blah to Bold! Short Attention Span Theater: Muslin Monster The Art of Kathy Stanion
Issue 18: Spring 2012 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue18.PDF Galleries of ATCs! Working with pre-defined color palettes Paper fabric Complementary colors Musings of a Self-Trained Artist: A Laywoman’s Laycolumn 10 Minute ATCs Column Creating fantastic feet!
Issue 17: Winter 2012 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue17.PDF Wire Mail Art displays 10 Minute ATCs Ornament Displays Needle Felting Musings of a Self-Trained Artist: A Laywoman’s Laycolumn Interview with Ann D’Angelo
Issue 16: Fall 2011 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue16.PDF HALLOWEEN + Art DOLL Issue! Assemblage Art Dolls: An Introduction An Interview with Angela Oliver (aka Lemurkat) 10 Minute Art Dolls: Voodoo Dolls Secret Confessions: I Play with Dolls! Witchy Witches Polymer Clay Day of the Dead Dolls Fabric Art Dolls: Tuned In! Paper Art Dolls for Halloween Amigurumi: Mini Voodoo Doll Art Doll Templates for Printing Embellished Paper Bead Mandrels Gallery of Art Dolls, many mediums!
Issue 15: Summer 2011 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue15.PDF The Art of Carolyn Brady (on the cover) 10 Minute ATCs: Smilie Faces Secret Confessions Sources of Inspiration: The Colors of Degas Guerilla Screen Printing Interview with Amy Turner Art Collectives Musings of a Self-Trained Artist: A Laywoman’s Laycolumn Gallery of Ridiculously Cute Birds
Issue 14: Spring 2011 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue14.PDF The Art of Nadine Thome Artist’s Block: Help is here! In Search of the Perfect White Pen Exploring Inchies Reinventing Jewelry: Junkie Necklaces Feature Mail Artist: Kati Barrett CONTEST! Summer Hats Galleries of wonderful art
Issue 13: Winter 2011 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue13.PDF The Art of Gary Reef Art Fuel – What’s Yours? Swap Guidelines for Participants The Extraordinary Matt Hughes Polymer Clay Beads Walk-Through: Colored Pencils & Markers
Issue 12: Fall 2010 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue12.PDF Interview with Sheila Arthurs Interview with Sara Dudenhoeffer Collage Design Integrating Collage Elements Collage Terminology Gothic Arches Altered Women Packing Tape Transfers
Issue 11: Summer 2010 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue11.PDF Interview with illustrator, Aleta Wynn Yarrow Interview with long time mail artist DeWiit Young (aka obviousfront) Illustrated Portraits: A Guide Abstract Art with Gel Medium Design 911 with Andrea Melione Chubby Mermaid ATCs ArtTrekker: Red Deer, Alberta Galleries of wonderful art!
Issue 10: Spring 2010 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue10.PDF Interview with mixed media artist, Dmitri Arbacauskas Interview with art trader & deco maker, Elina Lundahl Altered Book Basics: How to Choose the Right Book to Alter Artistic Journeys: Art on the Go! Design 911 with Andrea Melione 10 Minute Acrylic Impressionism Thru a Lens Dimly: Eye Issues & Art ArtforAll Conference 2010 in Rochester NY
Issue 9: Winter 2010 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue9.PDF Interview with illustrator, Renee Nault Interview with mixed media artist, Constance Taylor Matchbox Shrines Artistic Journeys: Copyright for Artists Critique Corner with Andrea Melione Illustration Technique: Acrylics & Watercolors Found Poetry in Mixed Media Art From ATCs to Professional Art Chimerical Creatures: Creating Mutants 10 Minute Funky & Intuitive Portraits
Issue 8: Fall 2009 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue8.PDF FEATURE: Interviews with Irina Pertseva, and member artist, Cynthia Couch Metal Manipulations Artistic Journeys: Artful Aprons Walk-Through Art: Fine Art Pears Art for All 2009 – Art Weekend Highlights Critique Corner with Andrea Melione Design 911 Creating Mixed-Media Paper Beads An Introduction to Art Markers Portrait Art with Markers: Blending for Faces
Issue 7: Summer 2009 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue7.PDF FEATURE: Interviews with Paul Bozzo and Tanya Whitley Color Me Green: Balancing Art and Environment Artistic Journeys: Creating Art for Healing Walk-Through Art: Markers & Pencils How to use Wax to create ATC’s with Texture Critique Corner with Andrea Melione Make Matboard Pencil Holders Swap Hosting 101! Part II: Swapping & Mailing Cards Petite Artiste: Katherine Armet
Issue 6: Spring 2009 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue6.PDF FEATURE: Interviews with Karen Cattoire and Shelli Heinemann Presenting Your Artwork on the Web: Scanning Fabric Arts 101 Watercolor Pencils In the Artist’s Studio with Amy Sargent Beginner’s Mixed Media & Collage: Backgrounds Critique Corner with Andrea Melione Whimsy Art – What is it?
Issue 5: Winter 2009 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue5.PDF FEATURE: Interviews with Suzan Buckner, Randi Marx and Tracie Rozario In Search of the Even Black Line: Pen Possibilities Altered Art 101 Walk-Through Art Critique Corner Composition 911! Plus much more!
Issue 4: Autumn 2008 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue4.PDF FEATURE: Interview with Tabitha Ladin Handmade Paper and Silk Art Paper Whimsy Art for Beginners Threadpainting ATCs Wax Art Techniques Composition 911! Plus much more!
Issue 3: Summer 2008 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue3.PDF FEATURE: Interviews with Sarah Zamora & Dan Casado Overcoming Artist’s Block Coloring with Kat! Reduction Block Printing Soldering Made Simple Vintage Digital Collage Plus much more!
Issue 2: Spring 2008 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue2.PDF FEATURE: An interview with artist & illustrator, Joel Armstrong ATCs – All about! Accordion books for ATCs How to design illustrated scenes Assemblage art charms Glass ATCs Plus much more!
Issue 1: Winter 2008 DOWNLOAD ArtTrader_Issue1.PDF FEATURE: An interview with mixed media artist, Marla Tomlinson Creating a creative space How to set up live trading groups ATC gallery: Beauty of India Fun mixed media faces Paintover and collage techniques Plus much more!

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.

Mail Art Supply container - create your own to enter!

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

As an artist I am always seeking out new ways of creating my art with the materials I have at hand. What will happen if I use a beat-up brush this way? Or, what if I combine these two materials that way?

Frankly, I am impatient when it comes to art. I think this may actually be the fault of ATCs, where I am able to achieve instant gratification due to the small scale; it takes less time to paint an ATC than it does to paint an 18” x 24” canvas. In addition to this, I am also a cheapskate when it comes to art supplies. I am always armed with coupons whenever I walk into an art store, and I balk at paying $12.00 for a small jar of acrylic paint. So, the new technique I demonstrate in this article was developed from a combination of extreme impatience and a lack of funds.

My quandary was this: how could I create a piece of art that was rich with color, yet wasn’t something I spent hours blending and laboring over with oils, or acrylics and a bottle of extender medium (to lengthen drying time)? The answer to this arose from a happy accident, when I spilled watercolor on a 4×4 chunky book page that I had already painted with craft-grade acrylic paint. The watercolor stuck to the matte acrylic paint and created some great effects. I began to experiment and refine the process, and I am pleased to share the results with you here.

Before you begin experimenting at home, I would like to make a few suggestions on the types of paint to use.

For the acrylics, I recommend using either Folk Art acrylic paint by Plaid® or Ceramcoat acrylic by Delta Creative™. These two paints have a higher pigment-to-binder ratio than other craft-grade acrylic paint companies. In addition, you cannot use Liqitex® or Golden® (or other artist-grade acrylics) because they dry with a semi-gloss finish and will resist the watercolor applied over the top.

Image 1

For watercolors, I recommend anything with high pigment content; therefore, Crayola® and other low-end art products are not a good choice. You can use either opaque or transparent watercolor for this technique.

Additionally, since this technique is heavy on water media, I recommend using mat board (used for framing artwork) or illustration board. Both will support the media. Canvas is not a good choice as it is not smooth enough.

Image 2

Image 1: First I begin by painting a layer of yellow acrylic over an inked drawing. If the paint is too opaque, I thin it down with a little water. Not much, though, because I want to faintly see my inked drawing underneath. In this example, my paint smudged the ink, but that is okay.

Image 2: Now I have taken some light turquoise acrylic paint and applied it around my two drawn figures. I could have used any two colors, but I chose analogous colors because I didn’t want the background color to stand out too much. I also took the light turquoise and splattered it around for some interesting texture and color interaction.

Image 3

Image 3: At this point I re-inked my drawing. I could have also used this opportunity to make corrections or fix anything I didn’t like about my original drawing.

Image 4

Image 4: At this stage I took watercolor to color in the figures. I started with a wash of light brown and daubed in a few experimental colors. The great thing about this technique is that I can “erase” my watercolor at any point. The watercolor sits on the acrylic paint and can be lifted off with a clean brush or Q-tip. If I were doing this on watercolor paper, the paint would become almost permanently soaked into the fibers.

Image 5

Image 5: I have now decided exactly what colors I want to use and layered colors over one another. If I let each layer dry completely, I can layer new watercolor over the top. I am careful, however, not to make scrubbing motions or apply too much pressure with the brush. Doing so will lift off the previous layers of color, even if they have dried.

Image 6

Image 6: This is the final image. I have applied more ink to areas where many paint layers have dulled the ink (as in this image I want visible black ink outlines showing.) I also lifted any unwanted watercolor paint and added white detailing and highlights with a white gel pen.

Below are more examples created by myself using this technique!

Mary by Andrea Melione

Angel by Andrea Melione

Gallery of Matchbox Shrines, Dina Haskins

One of my favorite art projects is making matchbox shrines. By altering a thirty-two-count matchbox, I can create a personal, portable work of art. These little treasures can be hidden in a drawer or purse, or be used as an ornament by adding a hanger. Matchbox shrines make great gifts and can be personalized to match the recipient. This article will walk you through a sample ornament-style shrine called “Time Traveler.” You can modify these directions to make all kinds of collage-style matchbox shrines.

The first thing you need to do is gather all of your materials and tools. I generally go through my various stashes until something inspires me. The small metal findings that resemble gears did it for me this time. I decided to make a steampunk-themed shrine.

Matchbox Shrines, Materials A

You will need the following tools:

• A clear multi-purpose glue (I like the UHU brand)
• An awl or something similar to make holes
• Eyelet setting tools, scissors
• Black ink pen (such as Micron)
• Small clamps
• Brad fasteners (I used brass for this project)
• Wire
• Brass or gold colored paint or metallic paint pen
• Clear acrylic spray (optional)
• Papers for collage
• Assorted odds and ends for collage

Matchbox Shrines, Materials B

You will need these specific collage materials to create the “Time Traveler” shrine:

• Clockwork themed scrapbook paper
• A “Time” themed transparency sheet (I used one from the “Narrative” series by Karen Russell)
• Black and green corrugated card stock
• Vintage photos
• Paint chip samples
• An assortment of metal charms, beads and buttons.

Try to stick to a set color scheme. I chose black, browns, dark green, burgundy and brass.

Step 1: Punching Holes

Using the awl, punch two holes in one end of the box and one hole in the opposite end, as shown in the picture. These are for the hanger and the drawer pull.

Step 2: Decorating the Inside of the Box

Cut a piece of the scrapbook paper to fit the bottom of the box. Make it long enough to cover both ends. Glue it in place, and paint all remaining surfaces with the gold or brass paint pen or acrylic paint.

Matchbox Shrines, Step 1 & 2

Step 3: Choosing Your Photo

Decide which photo you will use for the centerpiece of your collage. I chose a vintage schoolboy. Cut out the boy’s head, and cut a “helmet” from a paint chip or other paper.

Step 4: Adding Goggles

I found small metal findings which I used for goggles (pictured). You can add a drop of clear glue or diamond glaze the in the center of the goggles to create the appearance of lenses.

Matchbox Shrines, Steps 3 & 4

Step 5: Collaging, Part I

Glue the boy and a square of the green cardstock on the top of the box, as shown. I use the small clamps to hold things in place until they are dry. This takes about 5 minutes if you are using UHU glue.

Step 6: Collaging, Part II

Cut one of the small clock faces from the transparency sheet. Place the clock face on the green background, as shown. Glue the hand charm, brass fasteners, two beads and a gold button to form his arm.

Matchbox Shrines, Steps 5 & 6

Step 7: Adding a Hanger

Loop the wire through the two top holes in the drawer. Twist the wire together on the inside as shown, and add a drop of glue to seal the connection.

Step 8: Decorating Inside of the Box

Gather everything for the inside of the box. Cut a piece of the black card stock to fit snugly in the drawer. I also decided to add a small metal stencil and some metal gears and findings. These I attached to the black backing with the brass fasteners and glue. Once everything dries, glue the whole assemblage into the drawer.

Matchbox Shrines, Steps 7 & 8

Step 9: Drawer Pull

Add a small loop of wire through the single hole for the drawer pull, as shown.
Step 10: Decorate the Back

Cut a clock face from the transparency sheet to fit the back of the outer sleeve. Make the clock hands from bent wire Use one of the brass fasteners to attach the entire piece to the back. If you like, you can spray the shrine with a thin coat of the acrylic spray to seal it.

Matchbox Shrines, Step 9

Finishing the Shrine

Part of the fun of creating these shrines is using found items to create unique art pieces. Now I’ll describe how to make the three charms added to the Time Traveler shrine.

Finishing the Matchbox Shrine

I made this charm (above right) out of a metal jewelry finding that resembled a tiny pocket watch. I drew the face on paper using a .01 Micron pen, cut it out, and glued it in place. The other charm (above right) was made from a small puzzle piece covered with some of the clockwork paper. I added an eyelet and sealed it with the clear glue (gel medium or acrylic sealer would also work). The third charm (see in finished image below) is a spiral shaped metal finding.

To add the charms, you can place all the charms on a short chain, wire, or thread and hang them from the bottom loop. For “Time Traveler,” I used an old luggage tag chain.

Matchbox Shrines, Complete

Conclusion

I have found inspiration for my shrines in books, songs, fortune cookies, movies, and color schemes. I once made shrines for all of my co-workers as stocking stuffers. They are a cool alternative to a greeting card if mailed in a bubble envelope. Now it’s up to you. How many different ideas can you come up with?

Amy Sargent

The Internet is full of pages that discuss how to alter books and photographs that show off what completed altered book projects look like, but there are very few resources that help someone new to altering books to choose the “right” kind of book to begin their project. That’s where I think sharing a little basic information on book construction can bolster the inspiration and guidelines that the fledgling altered-book artists can locate in many other venues.

This article will cover that very first step of the process—how to find the best book, so that you’re not starting a project that could literally fall apart halfway through the process.

Frankly, I am relatively new to altered books myself. I have only been doing it for a little over a year, and most of what I’ve learned is through trial and error, as well as by spending far too much time drooling over the completed altered books I’ve found on Flickr and through Internet searches.

However, despite my newbie status as an altered book enthusiast and artist, I’ve discovered a gap in most instructions I’ve found for “how to” alter books. Due to a community bookbinding course I took in the early 1990s, and because my MFA in creative writing includes a certificate/specialization in small press operation, I’ve found that I might have a little more knowledge of basic book construction than the average art hobbyist. And it’s been quite handy when trying to bridge the gap between an altered book’s instructions and the final project.

Altered books are a true labor of love, and even the most basic altered book project takes a significant investment of time. In my opinion, it only makes sense, then, to select a book at the outset of the project that will be inexpensive, durable, and attractive, as well as responsive to an artist’s selected medium.

Cost and Availability

First, purchasing a book does not have to be a daunting task, because virtually everywhere, many books wait to be altered. I prefer hardback books with sewn bindings, but these books needn’t be vintage or antique (or expensive). A few great places to find books for around one dollar each are:

• Library book sales
• Secondhand stores
• Dollar stores
• Flea markets
• Garage sales
• The clearance section of your local bookstore

Many bookstores have a box of free books at the doorstep—a perfect place to treasure hunt, because the bookstore owners are thrilled to get rid of them!

And, frankly, you can scan your own bookshelves for a book or two you’re willing to deconstruct. The wonderful thing about altering books is that no one cares if the book is a Reader’s Digest condensed novel, or a cheesy self-help book, or an old algebra textbook. You don’t have to concern yourself with content, which makes purchasing and recycling an inexpensive, “worthless” book a painless procedure.

Durability

Once you settle on a book, don’t just slap down your dollar bill and walk away with your soon-to-become treasure. Take a few minutes to look the book over and determine its durability. Is the binding still strong? Are the covers still in relatively good condition? If the book is ready to fall out of its cover, or if the stitching of the binding appears loose, pass on that book and find another. Altering a book does put stress on a book’s spine—and if you’re already dealing with a delicate binding, you could break the binding halfway through the project, ruining the book.

Take a potential book and hold it by a cover, allowing the pages to hang free. If the binding is strong, the book’s spine will retain its shape [figure 1]. If the binding is weak or broken, a gap will appear between the spine and cover of the book [figure 2]. Put back that book with the weak binding—it’s going to fall apart under the strain of altering.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Also, it is best to choose a book that is comprised of stitched signatures. If you look at the top of the book’s spine [figure 1], you should see a series of little folded booklets—the signatures—that have been then stacked and sewn into the fatter book. Additionally, you want to double-check that these signatures are indeed sewn together. Open the book to the center of one of the signatures, and you should be able to see the stitches at the fold [figure 3]. This binding process holds up to altering in a way that newer, cheaper binding methods (such as thermally activated—or glued—bindings) cannot. In figure 5, you can see how selecting a book with a strong binding allowed me to successfully complete an altered book journal with no worry of the book coming apart.

So, once you locate a book that has a sewn binding comprised of signatures, and a spine and binding that is tight and feels secure, then you’re ready to move on to other considerations.

Aesthetic Appeal

Once you start searching, you will find that the number of inexpensive books with strong bindings is almost astronomical. So, you can start being a little choosier with your purchases—looking at the titles of the books should be part of the thrill of the hunt. Look for titles that take on a new meaning when added to an altered book project, and the possibilities become addictive [figure 4]. I found this little book from the 1950s titled L’Amour at a secondhand shop for 55 cents. The cover is beautifully illustrated—and the inside is full of quotes about love, which I can incorporate into my altered book project.

Figure 4

Figure 5

Also of some importance is the size of the book—in terms of both shape and thickness [figure 5]. You may want to select a thin book of 100 pages or less, especially for a first-time project. Once you begin altering the book, the result might be only 25 pages of art space, which can be quite portable for travel and can be filled quite quickly with art. It’s also satisfying sometimes to choose a book of 300 or more pages and see how the altering process transforms the book into a substantial, impressive brick of altered art.

Responsiveness to Artist Mediums

Frankly, there isn’t much that the altered book artist can do about the pages in a book . . . you’re not going to find a book that was printed on watercolor paper or on Bristol. However, it pays to become familiar with a book’s paper’s tooth, that is, its texture. An older book will have pages with more tooth. Vintage and antique printers didn’t use acid-free paper, so books that are more than 20 years old or so will begin to show some yellowing (or foxing). This older paper will also have more bleed when using markers and paint. Paper in antique books can crumble over time, so the older the book, the more delicate and brittle the pages will be. I try to avoid books that are old enough to have brittle pages.

In contemporary books, paper is usually acid-free. Novels are currently still printed on paper that’s largely wood pulp, so the bleed might still be high, but the yellowing will not be present, and the paper will generally be stiffer and more durable.

However, in many contemporary books, like textbooks, home improvement books, and cookbooks, the paper is glossy finish, which will not work well with colored pencil or markers, but can be much more appealing to a painter armed with a jar of gesso. Glossy pages also work well with some mixed-media techniques, because paint and gesso can be applied and then selectively removed from glossy paper, allowing the book’s original text and images to peek through intentionally.

When purchasing a book with the intent to alter, always flip through the pages, and put your hands on the paper. Feel it. Think about what you plan to add to the book, and determine whether or not the paper’s going to be a good fit. If it isn’t, then walk away.

Figure 6

Final Thoughts

I recently bought a soft cover home décor book at a Dollar Tree written by Brini Maxwell [figure 6]. While it was soft cover, it has thick glossy pages as well as a sewn, signature binding and a great square shape, so I couldn’t pass it up. It’s full of retro images and it’s not too thick . . . I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it, but I know it will be altered eventually.

The three books pictured here came from my local Salvation Army [figure 7]. I splurged—they were 1.75 apiece. I live in a small town, and the book section is not large . . . but on one day, in about fifteen minutes of browsing, I found all three of them. I’m stocked up on books for a while, but all three were great finds! The bindings are like new, the paper quality is perfect, and most exciting part is right on the cover—The Art of Real Happiness, The Big Die and The Birth of Mischief. I couldn’t have asked for better titles!

I keep a little mental checklist when I’m looking at books—price, durability, aesthetic appeal and the tooth of the paper—and the rest is just serendipity. I really hope that these tips help to make book hunting a little easier—and altering those books less frustrating—for you, too.

Figure 7