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Why?
Why?
My name is LuAnn Pepperwood and I have been an ATC artist since 2020.
I am also a writer, a webmaster, a teacher, a grandma... and a bunch of other things that don't need to be mentioned here.
Shortly before my seventy-first birthday, I decided that it was time to write a book. I would title it
A Year in the Life of an ATC Artist. The book would be filled with illustrations and stories and information-that-would-appeal-to-an-ATC-artist.
I was excited. I started creating a layout in Pages.
Then I changed my mind. A website is so much easier to manage. So here we are.
There are two main parts to this website. The first part is linear: a month-by-month description of what I made from September 2025 through August 2026. The second part is a resources section.
CHECK OUT THE MENU!
The menu allows my visitors to choose which part they want to see.
(It's on the left if you are on a phone. It's on the right if you are on a desktop computer.)
Why now?
Why now?
After making and trading ATCs for almost six years, I determined that I am somewhat an expert on the topic. Seriously, take a look at what Google AI has to say about me:
Why Me?
Why Me?
I am not sure how Google got the idea that I am a therapist, or a fine arts major, or a medical professional of ANY kind.
There are five key aspects in my profile. Three are correct. Two are not.
Art Focus IS correct. I make ATCs.
Profession is not correct. I've been a teacher. I've been a trainer. I've worked in computer support. I've done desktop publishing. But I've never been a therapist.
Location is correct.
Community Involvement is correct. I was the webmaster for the Topeka Art Guild for a year. I have been a volunteer at the Alice Sabatini Art Lab since it reopened in September of 2024.
Background: is not correct. I do have a minor in Art Education, but I have never been in medicine!
Why Not?
Why Not?
Why not spend some time with me? If you love art, this is the place for you.
I started working on this site on December 22, 2025. As I re-do the Home page on December 29, I thought the site could use a better introduction. I plan to include a great deal of background information, a HUGE number of instruction pages, and, of course, more of the monthly pages. I hope you will join me on my creative journey.
It all starts with the September page.
Month by Month Check-In
Month by Month Check-In
I made forty-four ATCs in September. It was great to be "back on the board" and communicating with other ATC artists. I traded twenty-three of those cards. I added four cards to my AKC collection. But that leaves more than one card for each day of the month. I hope some day to do an exhibition of A Year in the Life of an ATC Artist. So I am off to a good start!
In September, I made my final monthly journal. I used the-unfortunately-named-app-called-Pages on my Mac.
(It sounds just fine when I say "I made this image with Procreate.." It sounds weird to say "I made this journal with Pages.")
When I decided to create A Year in the Life of an ATC Artist, three months later, I took a lot of screenshots from that journal.
The layout of the September page does not match the rest of the site. I considered starting my "Year" in October instead, but the September start gives the most REAL picture of my life as an ATC artist. Frequent course changes. Ups. Downs. The very real life of this particular artist.
Since I have always saved photos of each ATC, it was easy to make the October page. Thirty-one days of Inktober. Thirty-one photos to insert onto the October page.
November was also easy to convert into a web page. There were two ATCs for each day.
By December, I was beginning to tire of the word prompts. In order to keep myself motivated, I decided to post my ATCs to a web site. I was really exciting, and within a few weeks I had inserted my photos from September through November onto the individual pages of this website.
The December page uses the layout that works best for displaying ATC images: Three across, alternating colors for the "rows." This doesn't show up on smaller screens, but it looks pretty good on my great big Mac desktop screen! It's also good on my iPad!
By January, I was organized and inspired to make this web site a great resource for other ATC artists. I finally figured out that taking SQUARE photos would save me a lot of time with the layout. I made myself a list of "prompts." I started adding the "Resource" pages.
I decided to honor Black History Month.
It was hard... but I learned so much.
In March, I just played. The March page has some "rescued" cards, two digital cards, four black and white sketches, and a LOT of experimenting with different art materials!
In April, I bought a set of black and white acrylic markers, loved them, and then bought a set with sixteen more colors. So most of the ATCs in April involved playing with my new aret materials! I also bought a set of Charvin Water-Soluble Pastel Painting Sticks. ATCs are a great way to try out new materials and techniques, but they just might be too small for this particular medium. I only made three ATCs with the new pastels and I think they may b e better suited to larger paper. (Large!?!?! I haven't made anythign large in years!)
I stitched a few ATCs to start the month of May. Then I dabbled with other media, including Inktense pencils, Pigma Microns, and acrylic inks. I re-joined the Topeka Art Guild, and made a display to encourage other Topeka artists to try ATCs. It was a fun month!
This was probably my most exciting month, just because of the variety of cards I made. I started out with the 2026 Pride card, which I offered freely to anyone who wante a PDF of the image. Then I joined THREE more swaps. The exploration of acrylic ink topic caused me to bring out the old inks I bought back in 2023. I tried several new techniques. Then I challenged myself with the HD/HP Women's Faces swap. I probably made a dozen reject cards, but I did finally get enough to complete the swap. Finally, I joined a Hand-carved Stamp swap. My first two attempts took place late in June. Next month I will do more. Finally, I circled back to the "How Do We Cope" ATC....
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