I started by adhering a road map to a piece of heavy cardstock, then used a Spellbinders Nestabilities circle die to cut four coins. I used an old gift card to scrape on a thin layer of white acrylic paint, which mutes the background so it doesn't compete too much with the focal images.
After fussy cutting the cars, I selected vintage postage stamps to coordinate with each one. Then I chose the stencil, which required some consideration due to the scale of these coins. Achieving a good composition can be tricky when working on such a small piece, especially when it's round. I settled on the Harlequin stencil by Tim Holtz and used distress inks to add the design to the background.
After adhering the cars, I stamped on some spatters and the text, added the postage stamps, then stamped on two types of faux postage cancellation marks: the wavy lines in gray and the round mark in red.
The "Fig. #" images are rub-ons that were the perfect size for these coins, and they helped to ground the cars so they don't look like they're floating in space. The final step on the front of the coins was sponging gathered twigs distress ink around the edges.
To finish the backs of the coins, I adhered patterned paper and a mini label with the name of the swap, my name, and the date. I like my art pieces to have a clean back, and the additional layer of paper made the coins a little sturdier.
Other than working with the small scale of these coins, the biggest challenge for me was with the shape. I've made a lot of really small collages, but most of them have been on substrates with straight edges. The curved edges of the coins was a new twist. Have you tried making artist trading coins? If so, what did you find most challenging about them? And if not, what are you waiting for?!
Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day.
