If you have one . . . or two . . . or MAYBE a half-dozen very special people on your Christmas card list, these cards might be just what you are looking for. They are not quite presents, but they are certainly more than "just a card."
These are called "Art Cards" because, in all cases, the subject matter is an oil painting or at least a printed reproduction of an oil painting. The cards demonstrated feature angels because they seemed appropriate to the season, but the selection of themes and images is your choice. Once you start looking, you'll discover that printed pictures of paintings are everywhere. You can find many in stationery stores--on note cards, on calendars and in books of postcards. Your local library is another source, and certaithe Internet is a good place to find exactly what you are looking for.
Materials:
printed picture of an oil painting
scanner or color copy machine
artist canvas for ink-jet printers*
velour paper or other decorative textured paper
corrugated cardboard or mat board
felt, fleece or other soft padding
130 or 140 lb. watercolor paper
metallic pen - gold, copper or silver
deckle edge ruler or serrated edge knife
Stick & Hold or Peel n Stick
glue
*If you are unable to purchase the artist canvas for printers at your office supply store or art supply store, you can also use a piece of standard primed artist's canvas or paper canvas.
Steps:
- Scan or copy the picture to the exact measurements you wish it to be. Print out on artist canvas (figure A).
- Cut out the picture, leaving a one-inch to 1-1/2-inch border on all sides. Cut the extending border at an angle at each of the four corners, cutting just to the corner of the picture (figure B).
- Cut the corrugated cardboard just a fraction of an inch smaller than the picture. Pad one side with one or two pieces of felt or a layer of fleece. Glue to secure.
- Apply Stick & Hold or Peel n Stick to the extending borders of the picture. Position the picture on the padded side of cardboard, remove Stick & Hold one section at a time and secure to the underside of the cardboard (figure C). When all four sides have been attached, the picture should perfectly cover the cardboard.
- Make basic card from watercolor paper. Size will be determined by the size of the picture and how much of a border you desire. The picture demonstrated measured 3-1/8" x 5", and the folded card measured 6" x 8." When folding the heavy watercolor paper, be certain to score or crease before folding to ensure a crisp fold.
- To make the first mat, cut a piece of velour paper slightly smaller than the card and cut an opening in the middle of the velour slightly smaller than the picture. Glue to the card (figure D).
- To make the second mat, cut a piece of watercolor paper the size of the folded card. Cut an opening in the middle of the paper the exact size of the picture. Draw a light line around the opening about three-fourths of an inch away from the cutout. Paint around this line with water and a brush to soften the paper (figure E), then tear around this line using a deckle edged ruler or a serrated knife blade. If neither is available, you can use a standard ruler. The edge will not be quite as irregular.
- When the paper is dry, turn over and paint with a metallic paint pen. Use whatever is most compatible with the painting . . . gold, silver or copper. Attach this to the velour mat (figure F) using strips of adhesive backed foam tape so that it stands out in relief from the velour.
- Cut two matching pieces of adhesive-backed magnetic sheeting the size of the opening in the velour. Attach one to the opening in the top of the card and the other to the back of the picture. IMPORTANT: Before attaching the magnetic pieces, test them against each other so you have them each facing in the position where the magnetic fields are strongest between them.
- Place picture in position in the card (figure G).You will have a card worthy of being displayed on an easel, and after the holidays, the picture can be used as a decorative magnet on the refrigerator or any other metal surface.
Metal Punchout Cards
These dramatic looking cards are surprisingly easy to make.
Materials
commercial cards and envelopes or watercolor paper (#130)
tooling copper
Christmas tree hole punch
small lengths of silk ribbon or pieces of velvet in dark colors
dimensional paint to match fabric or ribbon
glue - hot glue, Cool Glue or thick white glue
optional: fine wire*
Magic Metal lightweight metal sheets in copper - optional
*The wire used was pulled from a length of wired ribbon.
Steps
- Punch out several tree shapes from the tooling copper. Smooth flat if necessary. Emboss by placing on a magazine and making squiggle lines with a ballpoint pen. This will be the back side. This step is optional.
- Cut a small length of the ribbon or fabric, and glue onto the front of the card. Outline with dimensional paint. This not only gives a finished look to the fabric but also prevents it from raveling.
- Glue one, two or more of the tree punchouts to the fabric.
Variation
Cut the metal around the negative portion of the punched out piece into a square or a triangle and use this as the decoration.
Resources Magic Metal, Magic Metal pen
ArtSeeds.com
Cortaro, AZ
Phone: 520-247-1325
E-mail:
vakosmon@aol.com
Website:
www.artseeds.commetal sheets - Pearl Art
Pearl Art and Craft Supply
Website:
www.pearlpaint.com
Velour Paper & Velour Posterboard
Hygloss Products Inc.
45 Hathaway St.
Wallington, NJ 07057
USA
Toll Free Phone: 800-444-9456
Fax: 973-458-1745
E-mail:
info@hygloss.com
Website:
www.hygloss.com
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