Artist Trading Cards - What's it all about?

I've been hearing a lot about Artist Trading Cards (ATC) and I am thinking its time to jump in and join the fun! First though, I had to figure out what they are all about, and what the heck you do with them! So I thought I would share what I found with you.

So What is an Artist Trading Card?
Well, its a card, specifically a 2.5" x 3.5" (no bigger, no smaller) art miniature. The idea is to trade these cards with other artists and collect them, just like you did back in the day with your hockey or baseball cards, or Yu-gi-oh cards, depending on your age.

The first rule of Artist Trading Cards is, you must not talk about Artist Trading cards. Just kidding, sorry I love Fight Club ;) But in all seriousness, size seems to be the only real rule, however there are a few conventions that are expected.

I believe the most important convention of ATCs is they are not to be sold. The whole essence of an ATC is that it allows artists to meet other artists and exchange a small piece of themselves and their passion. As always, there is an exception to this, when artisits make what's called 'editions'. (more info on editions below)

Second convention is that on the back of a ATC, the artist writes thier name, contact information, title of the ATC and the edition number (see below for info on editions).

Finally, it's usually expected that an ATC is an original piece of work, not a reproduction. The exception to this, is when an artist has produced a limited edition set or reproductions, calls "editions".

Beyond the above mentioned rules/conventions, the ATC is a pretty open and free medium!

What kind of art should go on my ATC?
Anything you want! That's the beauty! I have seen trading ATCs with illustrations, paintings, paper piecing, photography, digital art, collage, rubbings, stamps, foil, beads, ink... the possibilities are endless really. However, it does make sense to stay inline with your style of art, and what type of art you are promoting, but don;t be scared to experiment! It's only a small piece of cardstock really, if you mess up, start again!

Explain Editions or ACEO (art card editions and originals)
ACEOs came about when some artists decided to reproduce limited editions of some of their cards to sell. ATC enthusiasts seem rather split on this concept. Some feel it's great, and no harm, while others think it goes against the essence of ATCs and s nothing but a cash grab. I myself have no problem really with people doing it, but I probably wouldn't ever buy one. It kind of takes the fun out for me.

Here are some great examples of ATCs I found on Flickr! If you have ATCs, feel free to send me a photo of it and I will add it to these examples! Send your image and link to tanybug [at] gmail.com.





**In addition: shortly after posting this, I found this really neat seller on etsy (smile4katie) who makes custome mats for displaying ATCs! It's brilliant really, and so I wanted to share this too. She has lots of options for display but this is one of my favourites: