Mar 04 2009
Artist Trading Cards (ATC) Fun Small Art!
What is an ATC? It is an Artist Trading Card.
We all know about baseball cards and other sports cards that are traded and collected, right? Well an ATC is the same size, and is traded and collected, too. They are often kept in clear pages with pockets, in a binder, similar to baseball cards.
The big difference…ATCs are original works of art, in miniature, and they are seldom sold. (The purists like to say “never sold”)
I have been involved in ATC swapping for a few years, off and on. I have a binder with wonderful miniature works of art sent to me by people I don’t know, but who have fondly filed my artwork in their binder.
How do you make an ATC? Using card stock or heavier cut a rectangular card, 2.5 x 3.5 inches. Some artists use a playing card (the wider of the two sizes – poker cards, I think) Using any, and often many, art and craft techniques, the creator creates! Often a theme is followed in conjunction with a group trade. I have traded in many catagories including: Up, up and Away, Lilies, Home, cards made using food packaging, Butterflies, and more. Random subject trades are also quite popular.
I plan to write about ATCs once a week. If you are interested in a trade of 1, 3, or 5 cards, just post a message to this blog, with your contact info.
Keep creating!
Ann
