ATC's - Artist Trading Cards - Revisited

I originally posted this in July of 2013 but I wanted to share it again. These are still around and still fun to make.

Have you heard of ATC’s? Artist Trading Cards?

They have been around for quite a while. I checked YouTube and found a video by Jerry’s Artarama (art supply) that gave the history. In 1997 a Swiss artist did a show creating 1,200 miniature paintings that each stood on its own, but when put together made one painting. At the end of the show he emailed his Swiss friends and colleagues and told them he wanted them to have a part of this installation. He had stipulations. They each got a piece but had to trade him for one of their own. And the size had to be 2 ½ x 3 ½ inches. That’s how the idea got started.

Artist Trading Cards can only be traded or given away. They are not supposed to be sold. Though some people may be ignoring the rule and selling them. The size, 2 ½ x 3 ½ inches, is the only requirement. 

Many of the art supply manufacturers now offer packages of pre-cut cards to be used for ATC’s. There are lots of videos on YouTube showing different designs. You can paint, draw, collage, etc. Or just do doodles. There are groups on the internet for trading. You can also just trade with your fellow artists. But anyone can make these. They are as simple or as complicated as you want to make them.

I decided to make a few and start my own collection. So I cut some watercolor paper (130 lb) into the right size for making ATC’s.

I started by doing watercolor washes on them just to give a little background to inspire me with ideas for what to put on them. I kept adding splatters and paint to brighten them up.

On the blue one I used one of my fish stamps with black dye ink. For the plants I used a Sharpie fine point permanent marker.

 

For the yellow one I drew a water scene. My reference was a small painting I did last year. It created a nice little mini piece of art. I used the Sharpie fine point permanent marker for the drawing.

For the green one, well I drew a semi abstract landscape, that I did not like. So I covered it with some nice semi sheer tan paper, then added some strips of cardstock that had been inked and painted. They created a great background for the vellum piece with the words. An embossed butterfly from my stash completed it nicely.

For the red one, I glued on a piece of a transparent sheet that had been colored with alcohol inks. I used ModPodge over the entire card because I wanted the whole piece to be secure. I put the ink side down. The alcohol inks come off on your fingers so they would smear if I tried to put glue on and add something over it. Then I added tissue paper stamped with the hearts. The stamps are ones I carved some time ago. I normally use them on polymer clay for necklaces.

 This was a fun, and messy, project. I enjoyed creating the miniature pieces of art. I plan to make a few more while I have the supplies out. In fact, I really like the idea of other artists, using the ATC’s as business cards. It’s a wonderful way to make yourself memorable as an artist.

They are really fun and take up very little room (unless you make lots and start trading for a collection). This is a really easy project and I think the kids would have a great time doing mini art to trade with their friends. Some glue, scraps of paper, watercolor paints and markers, cardstock, and even beads, ribbon, charms, and some rubber stamps make for some great summer fun. People also do them out of fabric and create sewn pieces. 

Also check out Google Images for Artist Trading Cards for neat ideas on subject matter.

Til next week. J

Terri

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