Hello everyone,

I am very excited to be your host for this ATC swap and the theme I have chosen is "Local Architecture" ....... any piece of achitecture, either in its entirety or any small part of it, that is within walking or bicycling distance of your home. It could be the whole or a part of your home or a neighbours, an interesting nearby business, a building with local history, or a broken down barn disintigrating nearby. If someone built it, it counts. If you choose for all of your cards to be drawn from the same building, that's just fine, as long as each card is from a different part or angle of the building. If you are like my husband and bicycle 60 km a day sometimes, you can go further afield! Of course, surrounding flora and fauna are fine, as long as the architecture is the focus. Feel free to include at least a short description of what you choose to share and possibly why you chose them. I won't even mind if you should choose to include some photos in this thread of the architecture you have drawn from!

Sign up starts today, September 15th and closes at about midnight, September 21st. Please do not ask for addresses to mail any cards before the end of the sign-up time - I will be away for part of sign-up, and we have a almost month after that to create them, post them in this thread, and mail them out by October 17th. Anyone is welcome to join and as you sign up, please pm to me your full postal address.

The trade will be restricted to a maximum of the first 20 participants to sign up. This will keep the number of cards we need to make manageable. That is one card for each participant minus yourself, so if we have a full trade that will be 19 cards we each need to make. Please only join a trade if you can finish that number of cards and mail them within the allotted time.

This is an art card exchange and you can work in any medium, with the exception of computer art or printouts. Art cards must be made the size of trading cards, which is 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches. Each card is an original miniature piece of artwork, created for the purpose of trading with others. If you would like to know more about ATC's, please visit this page: http://www.drawspace.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12494


I'm looking forward to this!
Shanna


The Players:

Shanna (Ladylee)
Gerald (Jazzmanian)
shadow2b63 (Angie)
Kay! (oliverandjazz)
Roxanne (dolphin-paradise)
Alex (Alxolex)
Steve (Songsparrow)
Sipsik
Sandy (ncgirl)
Sveta
Norma (mumwond)
Claudio (Claudio Pousa)
Gretchen (Frithy)

Ok, this is our final count - 13 people, and therefore 12 cards to create! Have fun!

Shanna - this sounds great ...........I have just joined 2 swaps on another site - will probably have 50 cards to do for those..........I think I will have to forego this one....regrettably, I know a great tumbledown cattle dip..............I'll keep an eye on it and see how I go.........I am fighting the ATC addict in me!

and me too

I'm totally in!! I love architecture I'm probably gonna have to go downtown Ottawa though that's where all the best architecture is. Theres nothing great in Orleans. I hope that's ok.

That sounds like a fun trade. Count me in !

Sue and Kay, I'm sorry to hear that you can't join, but obviously I understand, I sat out the last two trades myself. Sue, I don't want to ever find out which other art sites are doing ATC trades, 'cuz I don't want to be tempted!
Roxanne and Alex, welcome to this trade! And Shadow2b63 too, as you joined by pm; let me know if you want to go by your real name, or by Shadow.

I'm in.

I made it in I am off to look for buildings etc.. what if I live in the country with no barns I will find some thing.. If you do not hear from me in a few days come looking for me,,This town is strange My neighbor collects every thing and it is in his yard does that count.. Heeee heeee..Shadow2b/Angie..

I love draw buildings. I'm in.

Thanks for joining Steve and Sipsik. I love drawing buildings too, although it's been a while. I can't wait to see what everyone does. We live in a town with some really interesting buildings, but Jazz called dibs on them, so I have some other ideas up my sleeve.

no no, you misunderstood me shanna, I meant I am in too, Of course I am in the trade

LOL, sorry Kay, I am quite relieved! I'll put you in immediately! I guess just because your post was right after Sue's, it just seemed like you were out as well, eh. Glad you are in!

Kay, I thought you meant you were out too I was like what?! Glad to know your in.

Great theme Shana, I would love to join, but this month is my companies financial year end - the busiest month for me
I know that i won't be able to give it my 100%... Sowwy.

Enjoy it though

I'd love to join in - I live right at the centre of a very old city with eclectic styles from different eras and cultures. The only thing that makes me hesitate is the Postal services - I am a bit disappointed with them - I always send my cards on time and sometimes they seem to arrive with a big delay, just after I have made and sent more cards to the people who miss them.

sveta, we know you are very courteous hon, we have no worries with you as you always go above and beyond the call my dear. Please dont fret the silly system

Now, when you say architecture, does that mean only buildings, or do statues and what not fall into that category?

I am thinking about drawing all of maines lighthouses..we have so many

I'm in! I live in a wonderful place where nobody EVER tears a building down! The only things that destroy our buildings are fires and yankee infantry! Sometimes they both happened at the same time... Really it's nothing to be walking through the woods here and happen upon an abandoned house or barn - no roads or other sign of life anywhere nearby. And there are at least 3 antebellum homes within 5 miles of me - what fun this will be!

sveta - hope you join the swap regardless of the postal system. Your drawings are worth waiting for!

I have pencils sharpened and am ready to go! Good theme ladylee!

I'm sorry to hear that you have to do number crunching Tania! Welcome Sandy! And TSveta, I really hope that you join, it sounds like you have lots of material to choose from, and your cards are always so lovely. Please don't feel bad about the cards arriving later than some. All of the ones that travel a long distance seem to take a while. And I think that everyone should realize that while there is an end date for posting, it will still take several weeks after that to recieve many of the cards! If you do join, don't rush to replace ones that are taking their time, just sit back and wait to see what happens!

Kay, good question. Now I did say if someone built it, it counts, but I think that statues are created as art, rather than "built". However, a good gargoyle on a building is also art, and yet part of a building. I am going to leave it up to everyone's discretion as to what they feel is "architecture", and see what interesting things we may come up with. I am going to be using buildings from the University that my husband and I attended, which my son now attends for high school. I may include one of the fancy signs there, since someone designed and built it.
Just remember to keep it local - walking or biking distance from your home!

It's such a wonderful idea. Thank you all for encouraging me. I'm joining in.

Shanna sweetie, I live in the woods, there is no architecture within 10 miles of me..LOL..well there is a general store about 3 miles down the road. are gas pumps considered architecture? heck its a mile just to get out of my driveway..

Lol, I'm sorry to hear that you are homeless, Kay! I envy you living out in the woods, rather than a goldfish bowl like so many of us. I was thinking about it, and although I said man-made in my hint last week, it occured to me that humans are not the only beings that employ architecture. I was hoping though, that we could find beauty or fascination in things that surround us on an everyday basis, not just in the great architecture of the world. I was talking to a student at my son's high school the other day who was taking a photo of a drain spout for photography class, and I realized what a great composition a person could actually come up with from something that simple. But how about we extend the distance for people who live in the woods, etc, if you are unable to find any buildings! Maybe places you drive every day?

you r so funny shanna, I can draw my own home from different angles I suppose, but I was thinking 'bigger' , historical ya know,
but my own house will work if no one minds that is, ..

I would love that myself. I'm hoping that lots of people put something of themselves into it, and let us know why it means something to them. If you are only after really interesting, out of the ordinary types of buildings, that is fine too.

Hang on! I've seen your house. It's only got two walls!

Hello every one!
I have to go to town tomorrow and I am taking my camera. I hope to find architecture some where It is an old town I really have never looked I have never liked my town I am sorry to say! I had to move back because of my fathers failing health..I am in a photo scavenger hunt so I can look for things on my list as well. I live in a town that has Amish in it..There is even a place at wal-mart for the horse and buggies to be tied up. I want to get a picture of it but each time I see one I do not have my camera or I have my camera and there or no horse and buggy..I am off to work on my art..shadow2b

I'm going to take Sunday off from homeworks and will go out with my sketchbook and hot tea. It's pretty cold outside already. Interesting, is it possible to draw in gloves?

it makes perspective easier..

Lmao!

It's already getting cold here too. I'll try to go out tomorrow and walk around and see the nice houses in the area. It won't be anything on my street because all the houses look the same. Maybe i'll do my house just for the fun of it. We'll see.

So we're at 9 cards to make right now? Just checking if that's correct.

I'm counting 9 cards too, for now.
I went around my work this week with my camera and took a bunch of pics. There's a lot of cool-looking buildings around there cuz I work across the street from McGill University in Montreal, Qc, Canada. Some of the buildings are over 100 years old, right in the middle of downtown Montreal !
Next stop will be around my place. I live pretty close to a crazy turnpike (Échangeur Turcot, if you care to look it up) which should yield interesting pics

I'm just back from visiting my son in N.Yorkshire and have just read this. Can I join in - pretty please!

My House is that old!

norma of course you can join sign up doesnt end for 2 days..

my farm house up north that we sold was like 120 yrs old..and believe me you could feel the age of it, and it was very scary to be in alone. the place was sooo huge and i rattled around in it all by myself, my hair at times would stand on end!!

I wish I lived close to my dad's house - it was built right after the Civil War and would be great fun to include in the swap. It's a lot like your house Kay - shows its age sometimes. Some years back the rocks that the house sat on (!) began to crack and sag (imagine that) and the entire house had to be jacked up and a real foundation put underneath. For years, my dad would tippy-toe through the front parlor and rattle the windows - that's how creaky the house was! Of course, he probably still rattles the windows, he's a pretty big guy!

I think I'm going to concentrate more on the "folkitechture" we have here - those wonderful little structures that farmers built without much skill and with no design. They have such amazing charm though, and they are rapidly disappearing in favor of manufactured homes and double-wides.

I counted 9 on the list. If norma joins in that will be 10 and with sveta joining (her name is not on the list yet) that's 11 - does that sound right? Kay said we had 2 more days of sign-up time - y'all come on and join in!

Sveta! I'm so sorry! I knew you were joining, but somehow I missed putting your name on the list. And welcome of course! Also welcome to you too Norma. I'm glad you made it back in time to get in!

I wish I was better at drawing "plein air", but since I'm not, I went and took a ton of photos at the university/high school we live by, and was going to start this weekend, while my husband and kids went camping. Well, imagine my surprise, when I went to get it to download the pics, the camera had gone camping too!

How very annoying!

I'm not good at plein air drawing either and I went walking yesterday to take pictures of nice houses around here but I wasn't gonna just sit in front of a house and start to draw, people would be like what are you doing drawing my house. So I took pictures instead. When I went walking I somehow ended up in trails in a forest it was awesome.

Love that! We have some nice little trails around here, but your comment made me wish I lived in Canmore, Alberta. What a gorgeous town that is for walks.

I love trails I don't think there is many here though. And my town isn't it super great but it's alright. I went back yesterday with my boyfriend and we went biking there. It was so bumpy full of roots from the trees but it was pretty fun.

Hi, Shanna and all the others!

Am I too late to sign in? I was really waiting to the last minute, because I can't commit to do twenty cards, but a dozen is quite manageable. Unfortunately, yesterday I forgot to send my mail, so I skipped the deadline.
If it's too late, don't worry; I will enjoy the trade anyway, watching your posts.
Claudio

Hi Claudio, I wasn't able to be on last night to close it up, so as host I am making the call that you are officially in! Thanks for joining!

Ok all! We are officially started, and we each have to make and send 11 cards. Please pm me your addresses, I was not in the last few trades, and I don't think that I have all of them. Feel free to send the cards to Jazz and myself in the same envie to save postage. Have fun everyone!

I'm already learning so much from this trade ! I research the history of the buildings I'm photographing for reference, with most of them being public buildings or churches, so the info is relatively easy to find. It's fascinating ! I'll share some of what I learned by writing bits of info on the back of the cards

Well, Montréal is an incredible city to draw, full of old buildings with classic european architecture; each time I go, I fall in love with the city and I would like to have more time to stay and draw it.
Claudio

Everyone, Frithy pm'd me shortly after the trade closed. Would any of you object to adding her still? I have no problem with it at all, but I don't want to break rules or offend anyone that wants to keep it right where it is. If you have an opinion either way, please pm me, so that feelings will not be hurt, and I will post the final decision by tomorrow night. I will be sending out addresses right away, I'm still waiting for one or two first.