Still working on the topic, beautiful.  This time I am reflecting on making art cards for greeting card use that are beautiful.  To make them beautiful for the receiver the central image must be clear with great color and the rest of the card must complement or contrast the colors in the image.  To me, the appearance must be beautiful but the cards must also symbolize me in some way, adding another layer of beauty for me.  Also, my cards need to be a reflection of my art interests.

The set of cards I created this weekend had a butterfly as the central image.  Butterflies symbolize personal transformation and growth.  As catterpillars, they are bound to the ground level, inching along taking care of their basic needs, namely eating to prepare for their next stage in life.  Then they create the chrysalis and become a pupa whose job is to transform into a butterfly.  As butterflies, they are no longer bound to the ground but can fly.  They have changed in focus — not just eating, but pollinating plants in the process, and being a thing of beauty.  I had taken some photos of a butterfly on a flower and decided to use a photo as the central image.

Purple is my favorite color and I tried to incorporate some purple into each card.  I have a variety of purple paper in my supplies, prints and solids.  No two cards are the same, though I am investigating how to copy the cards I make.  But the originals are one of a kind.  Balance and complements and contrasts become the guiding design principles.  Here are a few of my finished cards:

To add to the beauty and personalize the card, I will stamp “Thinking of You” or “Thank You” or whatever the message is onto vellum in a coordinating color and add the strip to the front of the card. 

So I think the cards are beautiful and I am giving beauty when I give someone one of these cards.