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, October 30, 2011

Sixth Anniversary Project Announced

Open to Paper Traders Members Only


Sixth Anniversary Project
1-for-1 Altar Shrine exchange
All skill levels
Post photo in album no later than Dec 5, 2011; Mail to recipient no later than Dec 12, 2011
Hosted by: Beckie Holso

Our group is turning 6! Every year around this time, we honor our anniversary with a special group project. All Paper Traders Members are invited to participate.  This year, we'll be making altar shrines.  I created mine using a small wood block for the altar and attaching a taller chipboard piece to the back to make the shrine.  If you have a different or more creative way that you want to assemble yours, that's fine too as long as your altar shrine is approximately 7 inches tall by 3 inches wide.  This is a dimensional item and needs to include a little altar where you can display small tokens.  Please keep in mind that this is our sixth anniversary and try to include this element somewhere in your project - for example, I have six tokens on my altar and I also included a chipboard number 6 as well.  Be creative!  There is no additional "theme" to this project so have fun with it... Once you've completed your altar shrine, post a photo in the project album (on the Yahoo site) - your photo must be posted NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 5TH to be included in the exchange. On December 6th, we will randomize the names and assign a recipient to whom you will mail your completed project directly. They should be in the mail no later than December 12th. Have fun!

In case you need a little inspiration...
http://www.tentwostudios.com/autumnaltars/
http://www.tentwostudios.com/springaltars/
http://myartisticside.blogspot.com/2009/08/cowboy-shrine.html
http://www.etsy.com/listing/75442237/lady-gaga-on-a-half-shell-mixed-media
http://www.flickr.com/photos/orangehula/2673244140/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/katuragreetings/4727471947/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26413652@N08/2519191958/

2 comments:

Aimeslee Winans said...

I'm in. I just ordered my materials. I'm going to use basswood, birch blocks and chipboard...how exciting! I love your project, Beckie. It's beautiful! xoxo

artbeckons said...

Thanks, Aimes! Glad you're joining us - it'll be fun =)