If you follow the Tin Teddy Blog, Tin Teddy at Tumblr or Instagram then you will know that I really enjoy making ATCs (Artist trading cards). For today, the last day of Shriek Week, I am going to make some cheerful ATCs using the Tin Teddy Halloween Slides digital collage sheet and a simple, fun background technique.
If you don’t know what ATCs are, or would like to know more about them, check out my article – Introduction to ATCs – What are Artist Trading Cards?
First I cut out some rectangles of 300gsm Kraft card. They are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches which is the standard size for ATCs.
I painted one side with some metallic purple acrylic paint. This was cheap craft paint from Wilkos but looks sparkly and nice. Don’t worry if you can see any brushstrokes. I left these to dry overnight.
Next I stamped some random dots around the card using Seedless Preserves Distress Ink. This gives a nice “tone on tone” effect. The dot stamps is from the “Maggies Daisy” set by Stampendous.
Then I took some thin washi tape in bright orange and lime green colours. I laid a strip of each colour vertically along the card, and another horizontally. I wove the horizontal strips under and over the vertical ones to add a bit of interest. I really adore the Halloween colour combo of purple, orange and green. 
Next I put a blob of black poster paint onto my glass cutting mat and added some water until it was very runny. I loaded a small brush then held it over each card. I tapped the brush handle to make lots of tiny splats on the cards. This bit is messy, but a lot of fun.
Next I took some cheap plasterboard (drywall) mesh tape. This is available from DIY stores or Amazon (link below) and comes on a roll. It is sticky on one side. I cut some pieces then painted them with the black poster paint and when they were dry I stuck each one to the bottom of one of my ATCs. I wrapped the surplus around the back and added some sticky tape to ensure it stayed put. 
Finally I cut out some of the images from the Tin Teddy Halloween Slides digital collage sheet – I choose ones with pumpkins on. I added sticky foam pads to the reverse and then stuck them on the right side of the card. On the other side I glued some black and purple sequins (from Docrafts) using Ranger Multi Medium Matte. And finally a paper bat cut with my old Cuttlebug Halloween die. 
If you would like to know more about ATCs – Introduction To ATCs – What are Artist Trading Cards
