When you’re short on time, there is nothing like getting your craft-on to create some fun and fast ATCs (Artist Trading Cards). I have a friend who is crazy about Halloween so I decided to make this little series for her.<\/p>\n

<\/a>I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Dusty Concord, Mowed Lawn and Spiced Marmalade and “smooshed” them onto some wet 140 lb Strathmore water color paper that I had cut down to ATC size (2.5″ x 3.5″). Then I inked the edges of each card with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Black Soot along with some Versafine Onyx Black to get a deep dark edge border.<\/p>\n

With a little stamping from a Hampton Art and Recollections Halloween stamps (sorry neither set seems to have a name), doodling with a black Uniball ink pen, a grounding of torn and layered washi to create a floor for the witches’ boots to stand on, and some coloring with some metallic gelly roll pens, the ATCs started to get some visual depth. Lastly, to add some dimension, I added painted wood veneer stars and skull to the black cat ATC, orange and champagne colored gems to and sparkle around the witches boots, and magical purple star gems to the witch with her cauldron.<\/p>\n

The following is a share of the ATCs and a short process on how to make the watercolor backgrounds with Distress Inks:<\/p>\n