Journals & Collaborative Projects

Below you will find a sampling our members' work from previous collaborative projects.  Click on images to view them larger. We hope this will inspire you to come and play with us! If you are interested in joining our group, please visit us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/

Tutorials & Techniques

Below are some of our favorite tricks for adding depth and dimension to your art.  We hope you have fun giving these a try!

Current Group Swaps & Projects

Below is a list of current swaps and projects available to group members. If you are interested in joining our group and participating in these projects, please visit us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/.  

For existing group members, you can sign up to participate  in these projects here: Swaps & Current Projects.  

We look forward to swapping with you.  Happy Arting!

Member Gallery for Group Swaps
 
Below you will find a sampling our members' work from previous group swaps and projects.  Click on images to view them larger. We hope this will inspire you to come and play with us! If you are interested in joining our group, please visit us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/.
 
Come play with us... Join today!

Paper Traders is a friendly online community of artists from around the world. We nurture and value creativity, embrace new ideas, products, and techniques yet also value tried and true methods of artistic expression. Our projects consist primarily of paper arts, mixed media collage, artist trading cards, altered art, assemblages, collaborative journals, mail art, and more.

We are interested in creative individuals of varied skill levels who wish to challenge themselves artistically and help build a supportive community. We are at our best when we can share our creative efforts as well as techniques, resources, feedback, and insights. We encourage conversation about art, the art process, and what it means to be an artist.

Paper Traders is hosted on Yahoo Groups at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/.
We hope you will consider joining us on an artistic journey!

In order to prevent spammers and to insure that all applicants are actual persons interested in creating art, a questionnaire will be sent to all potential members. When applying, please submit digital examples of your work or direct us to a website where we can view your art. The intent of the questionnaire is not to judge the merits of your art but to safeguard the integrity of our community.

Free Images for Download

Below you will find images that are owned by our group members and offered for your personal use as well as images found in the public domain. Images may be freely used in your personal artwork but may not be used for commercial purposes of any kind without written permission of the owner. No images may be used to create collage sheets or image collections for resale.

To download, follow the link provided. In some cases, you may be able to just click on the image to enlarge it, then right-click and select "save image as". Content changes frequently and many images are available for a limited time.  Please check back often for newly posted images to use in your art journey.

Open Art Challenges !

We're changing things up here at Paper Traders. Instead of the monthly challenges of the past, we'll now be hosting special challenges that might feature a specific technique or product and will be rewarded with actual prizes sponsored by our group members.

Our new challenge for 2013 is a year long word prompt journaling project/challenge. Each specific challenge will be open for one month and all art bloggers can participate, whether you are a Paper Traders member or not. Each artist will comment with a link to their blog post that features the artwork for that particular challenge. For each challenge, a winner will be selected whose art best exemplifies the challenge. The winning artist will be featured here and get a "Trader Treasure" blog button to display on their own blog. They also will receive one chance for each entry for the end of the year prize drawing. Watch this page for more details and challenge announcements.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

New Swap: Twelve Days of Christmas ATC Books

This project is for Paper Traders members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.


Twelve Days of Christmas ATC Books
Sign up by: October 31st
Cards due IN HAND by December 10th
Skill Level: 2 - Budding

ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, my true love gave to me... We all know and love this traditional song, so lets make an ATC book about it! The "12 Days of Christmas" begin on December 26th and last until January 6th, so this swap will give you that after-the-holiday lift into the new year. Consider this a holiday art treasure with a vintage feel. This swap will have 12 artists each make 12 ATCs of one of the days. Sign up will be on a first-come, first-choice of day basis. Since we need to have 12 artists sign up for this swap, it will NOT be made official until we have all 12 days filled! I will make the covers and bind the ATCs into books.

All type of art accepted (except cute little stickers) - even digital (high resolution printouts; NO pixels!). The ATCs need to have texture, lace or fibers, and embellishments; dangles and overlaps are encouraged, but no thicker than about 1/4-inch and none on the left side of the ATC so I can bind. The backs of the ATCs need to have nice festive papers and not to be left blank since this will be a book.

All ATCs are due in my hands on December 10th. PLEASE include an address label and $6 return postage. International postage will be around $12.

For your creative muse, please feel free to use any of the images in my Pinterest "12 Days of Christmas" board.

2) BUDDING: Participants will be open to trying new ideas and materials, without necessarily being competent yet with their applications. Swap Hosts are encouraged to add the requirement of a technique or process such as creating texture, using crackle paint, doing photo transfers, painting with watercolor, etc.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

New Swap: Trick-or-Treat Halloween ATCs

This project is for Paper Traders members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.


Trick-or-Treat Halloween ATC swap
3 for 3 ATCs
Skills Level: 2 - Budding
Due by IN HAND by October 16th
Hosted By: Nikki Smith

I'm super excited to announce this new spooky swap: "Trick-or-Treat Halloween" ATCs! For this swap you will need to make 3 ATCs. Each card should be Halloween themed... spooky, witches, vintage Halloween, pumpkins, and goblins are just a few ideas. For an added element, please add a word to your card like Boo, Scary, Bat, Cat, or any Halloween-related word.

A link to Pinterest for ideas can be found here.

Details:

  • 3-for-3 ATC
  • Please include an address label and $2 for return postage; international postage $3.
  • Please have them to me by October 16th. Cards should be IN HAND by then so can they be enjoyed before Halloween.


2) BUDDING - Participants will be open to trying new ideas and materials, without necessarily being competent yet with their applications. Swap Hosts are encouraged to add the requirement of a technique or process such as creating texture, using crackle paint, doing photo transfers, painting with watercolor and etc.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

September Freebie: Seasonal Images

It's time for another freebie courtesy of your Paper Traders Moderators. A great big THANK YOU to Connie Holso for preparing this terrific offering for your personal use. Please use the link BELOW the photo to download the high resolution file. Enjoy!
Download HERE:

Friday, September 4, 2015

By The Numbers Art Journaling Challenge "EIGHT"

This project is for Paper Traders members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.


"EIGHT" - our eighth By The Numbers Art Journaling Challenge

Skill Level: 2 - Budding

The eighth challenge for our monthly art journaling project is to try an monoprinting technique on your pages. This can be done in several ways - using gelli plates, plastic bag printing, reverse stencil printing, and more. There are several helpful links on my Pinterest board here:
https://www.pinterest.com/artbeckons/art-journaling/

Don't forget to do some journaling on your page by writing down your thoughts using an idiom for the number "eight". You can find a list of idioms here:
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/eight
Just pick one that inspires your thought process and journal about it. I think the number theme of this project can add a fun element to your pages... you might want to use the respective number prominently in decorating your pages. Don't stop with a simple saying - that's just a prompt to get you started. Let the creativity continue to flow as you journal and decorate your pages.

You have the entire month to complete your pages for this challenge. Please post images of your journal pages in the “2015 By the Numbers Art Journaling Challenge" album on the Gallery site.

We won’t be swapping or mailing pages – you will keep the journal you create for your own. Please sign up in the database if you plan to participate so that I can keep track of who is playing.

Here are some idioms for "EIGHT" to get you going...

  • behind the eight ball
  • the eighty-eight
  • 800-pound gorilla
  • eighty-six it


Don't forget... As a little incentive for this project, the moderators are offering the opportunity to win a prize for participating.

For each challenge in which you participate (there will be a total of 10), you will earn one entry into the random drawing to be held when the project is complete. The more entries you earn, the bigger the potential prize:

1-3 entries = prize value of $5
4-6 entries = prize value of $10
7-9 entries = prize value of $15
10 entries = prize value of $20

One lucky person will win a gift card to their favorite local craft store up to the value for which they qualified.  More participation >> More chances to win >> Bigger potential prize!  Plus... it will be lots of fun, too.

Skill Level: 2) BUDDING - Participants will be open to trying new ideas and materials, without necessarily being competent yet with their applications. Swap Hosts are encouraged to add the requirement of a technique or process such as creating texture, using crackle paint, doing photo transfers, painting with watercolor, etc.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Speed Swap: Over/Under

This project is for Paper Traders members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.

Time for ATC Speed Swap #16!



This month's theme: Over/Under
Sign-up dates Sept 1st - Sept 15th.
Partner Mailing list announced Sept. 16th.
Skill level – All

Our Over/Under theme will require you to create a colorful first layer on your ATC with paint, markers, gelli plate print, etc. Then you will cover that first layer with a solid color (black, white or any color you choose), leaving an area open that creates, or leaves behind, a shape, figure or word.

Each month on the 1st, we will announce a theme or technique for your ATCs. Anyone interested will have until the 15th to sign up. The list will be randomized, announced on the 16th, and you will mail one ATC directly to each of the next two people on the list. A total of two ATCs each month for the speed swaps. You don't have to sign up every month, just when you feel like it or like the theme or have the time.

We'll have brand new creative excitement each month and this will keep postage for each of us to a minimum as long as you don't make bulky ATCs. But of course that will be your choice. It's approximately $1.20 to mail internationally for one ATC in a note card envelope. You must be able to mail internationally to participate in this swap.

Skill Level: 1) SPROUTING - Geared toward the artist who has recently begun their journey into mixed media, these swaps are open to all group members, regardless of experience. Participation is the key - caring and sharing in the spirit of friendship and fun. Every artist needs to understand that contributors to these projects can be of any level of artistic experience.