The ICAD (Index-Card-a-Day) challenge over at Daisy Yellow is on again. Tammy challenges her readers to create something on an index card for 61 days in a row. I participate for the second time and use this as an opportunity to try new media, techniques and styles and to work with colors I usually avoid. Therefore you’ll get to see a wide variety and probably some creations you wouldn’t have expected. Well, even I was amazed by some of my ICADs and by how much I like the abstract ones. So far I haven’t followed any of the optional prompts this year. I often started without a specific plan and painted or collaged a background first, hoping I would come up with an idea afterwards. It somehow worked. :)
I’ve grouped my ICADs in terms of colors and themes for this post, so they are not in chronological order.
Acrylic paints, vintage book page, handpainted papers, stamps, white gel pen, black crayon.
Acrylic paints, vintage book page, handpainted papers, stamps, white gel pen, black crayon, bingo card number.
I had some fun creating Lucy, the deer lady and the giraffe with and an ostrich head. You know that I like weird and quirky. :) Both heads as well as the giraffe body are parts of vintage images from The Graphics Fairy. I turned the second ICAD into a birthday card for a 12 year old girl.
Vintage book page, acrylic paints and clothes labels.
Vintage book page and ticket, handmade paper, acrylic paints, thread.
Handmade paper, acrylic paints, thread.
Vintage book page and map, back of an envelope, handpainted papers, polyester organza melted with a heat gun.
Acrylic paints, ink, thread.
Handpainted papers, acrylic paints, thread.
Acrylic paints, black crayon.
A piece of an old t-shirt that I used to clean my brushes, ripped into strips and sewn randomly together with a zigzag stitch directly onto the index card.
Vintage book pages and other papers, acrylic paints, black and white crayon, ink, stamp.
Vintage book pages, corrugated and other recycled papers, handpainted paper, acrylic paints, black crayon.
The corrugated papers and pieces of vintage book pages sewn together and then used left side up provide interesting textures.
Vintage sewing pattern, book page and other vintage papers, scissors image from The Graphics Fairy, stamp, black crayon, thread.
Vintage book pages, handwritten letter, used sandpaper, corrugated and other recycled papers, acrylic paints, black crayon, stamps, thread. Rubbing a black crayon over a textured background gives a nice effect. I used that technique on several cards.
Acrylic paints, markers, white gel pen.
Acrylic paints, white gel pen.
Acrylic paints. Stamped with corrugated cardboard, bubble wrap and a bottle cap.
Markers only.
Just threads and a printed quote.
Watercolors, fabrics, threads.
My first attempt was a failure. I glued lots of different green littel rectangles onto and index card. Then I free machine stitched pokey lines to look like grass. After I had appliquéd the blossoms and machine stitched the stems and some vines it looked too busy. I cut out the flowers and glued them to a watercolor background with some curvy stitched lines. I’m still not too happy with it though.
Acrylic paints, corrugated paper, Japanese snippet.
Vintage book page, acrylic paints, white gel pen, black crayon.
Assorted used sandpaper, corrugated paper, parts of vintage book spines, bingo card number.
Crayons (melted with a heat gun, then rubbed with a paper towel) and a leftover piece of a vintage book page.
I like to thank Tammy for all the work she puts into the challenge. I enjoyed it so far and it is a great exercise but to be honest, I feel a bit exhausted. Just while I’m writing this, I have decided not to continue. We have high temperatures here and no A/C. These hot summer days and nights without enough sleep drain energy out of me. I rather like to spend that what’s left on my favorite subjects and create new fabric/fiber art and found object sculptures. I wouldn’t want to miss the challenge though. It’s good to leave the comfort zone for a while and try some new media and techniques.
My cards will show up at these great parties: