Fairy Mixed Media Trading Card

I'm back with another project inspired by my last post, mini projects. This is a mixed media mini project done on an artist trading card. I like the idea of making miniature pieces of work that can be easily traded with other artists, and store. These miniature pieces of work can be collected in a binder and later used as inspiration for pieces of work of your own. So let's get started. 

The first step of this project was to take an artist trading card, any brand is fine, and create a background using watercolors. I started out with a Strathmore Textured trading card and an inexpensive set of watercolors. I began laying down different shades of blues and greens. I figured these colors would allow for more creation and inspiration as I went on with the work. When you are done laying down your color, let the work dry or use a heat gun to dry it. If the paper warps, paint the back with just water and let it dry again. This should make it mostly flat.  

This step I used my Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils 36 pack. From this pack  I chose to use Grass Green and True Blue to intensify the border and add depth to the piece. This part of the project will also have to dry before moving on. What ever color you used on your piece, choose darker variations of your pencils to create the border with. Don't worry about messy colors or runny colors, this will be painted over again.  

Now that your pencils have dried, I decided to use Twinks to add color and sparkle to the page. Again, use colors slightly darker or even brighter than before to bring out the depth of the piece. The center should be a light highlight to the piece. For the Twinks, I used Lemongrass, Moss Agate, and Mediterranean Blue. Add water to the paints and then paint with them. Let this dry or use a heat gun here also.  

At this point I chose an image that I felt fit the colors perfectly, a fairy. Choose any image you would like and transfer it lightly onto the page. I used a printed image, scribbled all over the back in pencil, and placed this over the trading card. Then I traced over the fairy. Lifting up the paper, the image was transferred. How ever you prefer to transfer images is fine, this was my preferred method. 

Next, outline your image with a black micro or ultra fine tip sharpie. Watch to make sure all lines are drawn in. I chose to draw the whole fairy, but as inspiration kicked in, you'll see why you only need to outline the image. 

This is why I said only to outline the image. I jumped into the groove of things and decided to fill in my fairy with Titanium White acrylic paint. This needed to be done with a very fine tip brush. Make sure to cover the entire body of the fairy (excluding the wings) with the white so little to no background color shows through. Let this color dry or use a heat gun to speed up the process. 

Now re-outline the image with black sharpie. Here is where I begin to fill in the wings. I went back and searched through a pile of Twinks and found the perfect color. This color is called Iridescent Blue and does what it says, as you move the image the blue appears and disappears based upon the light it reflects. I found this the perfect color because it allows for the transparency I wanted in the wings. 

  

Now was the time to decide what to do about the body, so I looked through more Twinks and found an Iridescent Gold. This was the perfect color because it kept most of the white and left a gold flicker on the body. When I finished painting the body and the wings, I let them dry. Then I when back over the black again with a sharpie to redefine the lines. But then I found an Iridescent Green, that color was perfect for the background, adding just the right amount of shimmer in the light. So I added this color, let it dry again, and then continued. 

So then I went back to my Prismacolor, except this time they were just the plain old colored pencils. In the pack I received, there was a bonus art stick (mine was in blue obviously) so I decided to use it because it was the perfect color. I love the idea of a border around a piece of work, so this is what I used this for. The texture and color came through wonderfully. 

Then I decided to open my new Royal Langnickel pastel pencils and sticks. With these pastels, I added a bit more blue and green to the border and shaded this in. Then I took a very bright green and added this to the back ground and shaded in for a bit more color variation. Lastly, I took the light blue pastel and lined the outer edges of the wings with it and blended in. And then used the dark blue at the tips of the wings and blended in. I love the look this gave to the wings and the dimension it created. 

  

The last thing I did was decided on a word that described my piece of work: imagine. Then I added a little dragon fly off of it. This was done with the ultra fine tip sharpie and a micron. Then I used a Gelly Roll in Clear Star to outline the word, the dragon fly, the fairy, and put a border line around the entire work. Then I sprayed the piece with Krylon Workable Fixatift and let dry. 

To finish off an artist trading card, when the piece is dry and has had time to set, turn the card over and sign it, add your contact information or even business information if you own a business. If the card still tends to warp instead of staying flat, place it under a book, or between pages of a book. Hope you enjoyed this project.