Wall Art Dec. 2017 Scenic/Nature US Only

Because of work and school I haven't really been able to create anything for months. Finishing up my Christmas presents Thanksgiving weekend felt great (they were sitting around since July 😑)! So since the semester is wrapping up, I thought I'd treat myself to a full day (or more) of crafting once finals are over and figured why not make a swap to go along with it.

Okay, now for the particulars:

You will be making a piece of wall art (details to follow) and will be sending at least 3 sentences describing your piece ( also details to follow).

Wall Art

This is a piece of art that is intended to be framed and put on a wall. We are going to be sending these unframed, but they still should be of a size to fit in a standard sized picture frame. The minimum size art for this swap is 5x7 inches (you may send larger if you wish). Please ensure that the piece you make has about a quarter inch "flat" border so that it can be put in a picture frame (we can always remove glass from a frame, but the frame itself needs a place to sit). Part of the swap requirement is that it will fit into a standard frame, so please plan accordingly! (Remember, you aren't mailing the frame, unless, of course, you want to.)

The theme of this wall art is scenic/nature. Your scene should have some depth, whether in literal layers or with movement and feeling.

You may use whatever medium you are comfortable with as well as utilize any style or technique. For example, I'm a papercrafter, so I will be using a variety of different papers, diecuts, ephemera, maybe a bit of paint. If you are a pen and ink artist, that is actually kind of wonderful because I can't do that! Welcome!

"Sticker Slapping" is NOT allowed here! Please do your best work to make something that will look beautiful on your partner's wall. Stickers as an accent are fine, but we're looking for time, thought, and effort here, not a pretty piece of printed paper.

Please make sure your piece is on a sturdy piece of paper or better. (See shipping instructions below).

Which brings me to the second part of the swap, the 3 sentences describing your piece

This is to hopefully weed out folks who want a pretty piece of art without putting in the effort, while also leaving room for people who aren't super artistic (ME) to explain that for us, it is art (think poor Van Gogh who only sold like one piece while alive because no one understood his art☺).

What I mean is that for me, I will describe the hour or two looking at images and cutting them out with my Cricut, the frustration of tiny pieces (if applicable), what look I was going for, etc. I can't believe a sticker slapper is going to spend hours in a store looking for whatever they're looking for and have really thought through the artistic process.

Information that must be included in your 3 sentences (feel free to write more!) is the season portrayed, your inspiration, materials used, techniques used, the feelings that your piece should convey to the viewer

Optional items include any symbolism, a title, or really anything you want to say about your piece!

Administrative Stuff

US only due to potential postage. Feel free to host an international version, but I do ask that you cite me if you literally cut and paste this swap's description.

SHIPPING: Theoretically this swap can ship for a single 1 ounce stamp! However, another swap requirement is that your piece arrives in good condition! Use your best judgment! Do not fold your piece. Ideally you should send it either in a bubble mailer or with chipboard to keep it from getting crunched in the mail. Poorly packaged pieces are no excuse! Neither is postage due!

There is plenty of time to put this swap together, so late sending is really not acceptable! School starts again in January, so I can't be waiting around to angel (see below).

You must have at least 20 rated type 3 swaps (no newbies this time). No 1s to current swappers allowed. No 3s within the past year are allowed. I will be looking through comments to find any hint of late sending even when you've been given a 5+. I will also be looking for any hints of sending poor quality swaps. I plan to spend a few hours on my piece and I want to ensure a safe swap for us all.

I will angel any swaps that are either not received or that don't meet the swap requirements, once you have rated a 1 or 3 respectively. I am taking responsibility for deciding if someone will send something nice based on their profile alone. However Before I angel, I will require the recipient send me a photo of the piece and the explanation and I will make the decision of whether the recipient is just being too picky!

Hopefully I've covered all the bases! I don't mean to sound strict, but this swap could become a disaster without a steady hand. I PROMISE that I will be fair when it comes to questions of artistic talent! Stick figures can be awesome! (see: XKCD)

I'm happy to do a private swap with anyone using this swaps parameters with a send date no later than Dec. 31.

OKAY! To recap: 1 piece of wall art, 1 description of that art, no sketchy people, send on time, don't be too harsh an art critic though! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me or leave a comment!

Phew! I'll go back to work now!