iHanna's Annual Postcard Swap

 

For the eleventh year in a row, iHanna of Studio iHanna is running her postcard swap and this is the first year I have participated. It was so much fun and I already have ideas for next year! We each made ten mixed media post cards and iHanna sent us each a mailing list. This is one of the post cards I made and sent. I learned some things along the way.

Two of my cards were neurotangled. The first one was drawn then colored with Ecoline Brush Pens. The second was watercolored, then drawn. 

All ten of mine were made on the Nostalgie Postcards from Hahnemühle. Smooth surface and perfect for mixed media. The next eight of my cards were all monoprinted with my Gelli Arts' printing plate, then textured using a variety of methods. 

I got some really great prints using my gel printing plate. Almost hated doing anything with these two. All of them have black Archival ink smudged along the edges. 

And there they are all completed. I used stamps, collage images, sentiments, acrylics for spatters, Winsor & Newton inks for even cooler spatters, pen work, white accents with the Sharpie paint pen, white ink pad and black ink pad and probably even more bits of various media I have on hand. What I learned. Clear gesso over these cards really dulled down the color. iHanna wanted us to mail the postcards as is, not in plastic sleeves, so I wanted to be sure nothing fell off the cards in transit. Hence the clear gesso. Next year my cards will probably all be more similar to the first two and perhaps some of the painted flowers I have been learning. That way I don't have to worry about bits falling off along the way. Overall it was a great learning experience for me and I have already received two of the ten postcards I should receive in trade - and they are great! Want to get involved next year? Start following iHanna's blog by clicking here and you will be notified in a post when it is time to start getting ready. Me? I will probably start now. Hahahaha! AND the Hahnemühle Nostalgie postcards are the perfect way to get started!

Nostalgie Postcards from Hahnemühle can be purchased here.