This is the ATC I made as part of the WOYWW Third Anniversary ATC swap. It's part of a range I'm calling Wordy Art. I'd really like to have a better name for it, but words have deserted me. Let me know if you can think of something better.
The process for this is pretty much the same process I use for all my wordy art.
- Sketch and doodle until I like what I have.
- Ink it in. I tend to keep the letters quite plain at this point.
- Trace the inked version so you have a nice, clean, inked copy on thin paper.
- Use a light box to trace the image onto watercolour paper. You're not trying to do an accurate trace; try to keep your lines fluid and don't worry if things change.
- Give your letters some character, thickening some bits and adding flourishes if you feel like it.
- Slap on some watercolour paint.
Yellow is not a big feature of my art, not on it's own like this anyway. I find it a really hard colour to use, almost as bad as white. But here it's a total saviour. The green and pink were fine on the words, but when I added the purple the whole thing died a bit. It was just too samey. Yellow and purple are complementary colours, so I figured that it would help brighten things up at bit. I think it's worked. It's nice to step outside my comfort zone and not get slapped in the face!
Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday yesterday. I didn't have my birthday lunch, but I did have a lovely dinner. What can I say, no work for weeks and then you suddenly have to be there asap!
Alas, it does mean I haven't visited anyone and gawped at their desk yet, but that's what the long weekend is for! That and catching up on sleep. I'm so tired! In fact, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. Goodnight.







