As I shared last week, I decided to do another Index Card Art Project and you’re invited to paint along!  I did one in 2019 with two of my art buddies from Instagram – Michelle Wooderson and Paige from Open Field Mercantile.  We started our oil painting journeys together and have stayed in touch and checked in through the years.  I cannot tell you how amazing it was to have two other artists who were brand new to oil paints to talk to.  We could ask each other questions, share what we learned, exchange feedback on our work, and encourage one another.  Having books and video tutorials is awesome, but it doesn’t replace the ways you can grow in a digital “sewing circle.”  Michelle and Paige are going to paint along with the 2025 index card art project and, if you want to be a part of it, you can join us.  In addition, one of my other artist friends, Stephanie Lee will be sharing her index card art along the way.

As a bit of a technical note, we aren’t actually painting index cards.  We’re painting index card dividers.  #indexcardartproject flows off the tongue a little easier than #indexcarddividerartproject (I had to think really hard to type that out), so we ditched the clarification in the hashtag and title.  The dividers are thicker, made of pressboard, and come in cream, blue, and green, and you can even find salmon.  The numbers, letters, months of the year, and other tab labels give the final works a bit more character, too.  We’re celebrating that we’re painting something that isn’t a typical art substrate.  We’re turning boring office supplied into art.

You can find vintage index card dividers on Etsy and eBay, but you can also get new ones on Amazon.  I purchased a pack of blue alphabet dividers to use for my paintings.  THESE are the ones I’m using.  To get the cards ready to accept paint, I apply two coats of gesso.  THIS is my favorite brand of gesso, but you can use whatever you have on hand or have easy access to.

I will be using oil paints for this index card art project, but you can use whatever medium you want.  It’s just about making art!  The tutorials I make will use oil paints as well.  If you’re new to oil paints, here is a supply list to get you started.

My recommended beginner palette – 

• Ultramarine Blue (Gamblin) – $13.42
• Burnt Sienna (WN) – $14.00
• Yellow Ochre Light (WN) – $13.50
• Cadmium Yellow Medium (Gamblin) – $28.00
• Flake White Replacement (Gamblin) – $9.75

Other supplies – 

• Gray Paper Palette
• Liquitex Professional White Gesso
• A mix of flat synthetic and hog’s bristle brushes.  I get most of my brushes from Rosemary & Co. but brushes are very personal, so you’ll have to test some out to see what you like.
• Gamblin Gamsol
• Airtight Solvent Container
• Paper Towels
• Baby Oil & baby wipes for clean-up
• Murphy Oil Wood Soap (for cleaning brushes)

Here is a video tutorial showing how I apply gesso to the index card dividers and I also chitchat a bit about the supplies I suggest for beginners.

As far as the subject, you can paint whatever you want!  The last time we did this project, we primarily focused on master studies, but I think I mixed in a few of my own references.  I did stick to landscapes since I wanted to focus on composition and color mixing for landscapes specifically and I think I will do that again.  If you need some reference photos to work from, you can find free and royalty-free reference photos at Artist Reference Photos.  In the videos I make for this project, I’m going to use references from that site as well as some master Impressionist works.

Maybe we’ll even do a live video as a part of this project, but we’ll see!  I hope you’ll join us or, at least, follow along.  I will sell all of the index cards when they are completed.

If you feel called to, come join in on the Index Card Art Project 2025, and share your work with us on Instagram by using #indexcardartproject and tagging @missmusardseed, @michellewoodersonart, @openfieldmercantile, and @stephanieleemaker.  

PS – Several people have asked when we’ll begin.  There really isn’t a set start date, like a monthly art challenge, but I will post my first video tutorial next Monday and you can join in at your own pace.