Blog: Neopets Trading Cards

Creating a mixed media painting is a lot of fun, particularly when the opportunity to incorporate sentimental items is involved. This is also a great opportunity to introduce recycling lessons, routines, and practices into your household. Ask children, friends, and family to participate in this project with you to further enhance the creative experience.

Materials:

• Christmas cards, either that have been received or that are left over from sending them out
• Stretched canvas, any size you choose
• Scissors
• Gel medium
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrushes, a variety of sizes
• Small containers of water
• Christmas themed scrapbook embellishments
• Christmas themed ephemera
• Glitter, a variety of colors

Instructions:

1. Create a color wash over the entire surface of the canvas using the acrylic paint. This can be one solid color, or a mottled mix of many different colors. Be sure no white is showing through from the canvas. Allow the paint to dry completely before adding anything to its surface.
2. Gather Christmas cards for this project, and cut out as many interesting images as possible. If there is interesting text, cut that out as well.
3. Use the gel medium to affix the cut-out images, Christmas themed scrapbook embellishments, and Christmas themed ephemera to the canvas in a collage style.
4. Paint the edge of the canvas using black or brown acrylic paint to create a framed look.
5. Add further details and decorations using a fine tipped paintbrush and more acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on to the next step.
6. Seal over the entire piece with one or two layers of gel medium, allowing each layer to dry completely before applying the next. Dust glitter over the entire piece before the gel medium dries completely.

Variations:

• Leave the cards intact, and add them directly to the canvas using gel medium, embellishing the areas surrounding it to give the painting an interactive element.
• Add handmade envelopes to the painting, and tuck in the Christmas themed cut-outs to, again, give this painting an interactive element. This will also provide opportunities for inspiration for future projects.
• Rather than working on canvas, create this project in an art journal or an altered book. You could also turn these greeting cards into books.
• Paint a picture on the canvas first, and then embellish it further using the Christmas card cut-out’s, Christmas themed scrapbook materials, and Christmas themed ephemera.

There is a lot that can be done with Christmas cards once the holiday season has passed. These projects make excellent thank you gifts, as well as decorations for future holidays, or keep them up year-round.

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