Underloved ATC of the DAY

i made this card as part of the november monthly match up at iATC's. the idea is you sign up each month to be randomly paired up with one other person for whom you make an ATC based on themes they prefer. this card is a nick bantock inspired collaged with a bird for my partner fyrelyter. she has animals, with birds as a preference, as one of the themes she collects.

drawing like a fiend

as some of you know my mom is an amazing illustrator, and my brother is also not half bad. i, unfortunately, didn't inherit that particular gene though. BUT, i want to draw and i want to be good at it. i want to be able to have an image in my head and the ability to reproduce without having to search all over for an approximate image to collage. i want to create my vision, entirely myself, without adding other images.

here's the thing: drawing is fucking HARD! i look at some illustrations and i can't even fathom how the person did it--it confounds me. and when i try to do it, it doesn't look quite the same, lol. but, when i am in the process of drawing, i lose myself and that's a nice thing too. so. this weekend i challenged myself by drawing a hole heck of a lot. here are some of the results:

Quality Art

the issue of quality as it pertains to art has reared it's ugly head on one of my trading sites, www.atcsforall.com. the issue is a tricky one as people's feelings get hurt. and i seem to be always getting myself in trouble for opening my big mouth. i have firm ideas about the kind of art i like and whether i choose to keep art that doesn't fit into my collections.

let me say this 1st: i am not the goddess's gift to art and i know this. i struggle constantly with low self esteem, especially in terms of my hand drawn work. but i even doubt my collage work as well. i compare myself all the time to other artist's work, wanting to be able to do what so and so does. and i get a complex if folks don't comment on my art that's posted in online gallery's, thinking it must really suck and everyone hates it. sick isn't it?

that being said, i have definite ideas about the kind of art i want in my home. and i do have to make limits on what comes in as my space is rather small and overflowing. i have to climb over things, it's rather sad. so, with the encouragement of an artist friend, i have started throwing away ATC's (artist trading cards) i receive and just can't stand. anyone who trades gets them from time to time, that card that know matter how you hold it just makes you cringe. admit it, you've got them in your collection. and yes, i also admit that i am sure to have made some of these myself. so here's the deal: i want my collection to be full of beauty. i want to feel joy when i look at it, not disgust. and there is nothing wrong with that! but admitting that to sensitive artists types was probably a bad idea. you live and learn. for the most part if i hate a card but can still find some value in it i hold on to it and pass it on to someone else. my niece has received a couple of cards from me this way. but if i, in all my imperfections, can't find something likable about it, it goes in the trash. and you have my full permission to that to cards of mine you don't like. all's fair in love and art.

i'll leave you with a piece that i like, but in one of my gallery's has received no comments. so sad.