Artist trading card
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“Bee Bold” – Mixed Media Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)
I am the author of three middle-grade children's books, and I blog on the side. My favorite topics are movies, writing, and pop culture. When I decided to get back into art as a hobby, watercolors became my go-to medium. Watercolors are nice because it requires the patience to let each section dry before starting a new one. That's great for a multitasker like me because you can do a little at a time, work on something else, and go back to it once that section is dry. You can work on one at a time or on multiple paintings at once, focusing on the latest dry one as the others are in various stages of drying.
Then, I discovered artist trading cards, and I found it to be the perfect type of art to make with watercolors. Artist trading cards can be made of virtually any material. Below is my experience in making artist trading cards along with a history of the art form itself. Artist trading cards were introduced in in an exhibit by Swiss artist, M. Vanci Stirnemann. He created 1, small works of art on 2. At the end of the exhibit, he encouraged others to make their own cards and swap with his.
They did, and artists have been trading cards ever since. True artist trading cards are swapped or given away. Artist trading card ATC swaps are found online or in meetups in cities all over the world. Many store their swaps in sports card binders, and many groups have specific instructions for participating in swaps, including packaging requirements, size, and theme.
Cards can feature any type of image, text, or medium. As long as they fit the size requirements, they are considered an artist trading card. Websites hold contests and feature some of the best examples of the cards that they come across on their home pages. The best part of making the cards is that the artist can make them their own.
Some prefer to include text on every card. Some will only use marker, colored pencils, or fabric. Artists can buy special artist trading card paper at their local or online craft store while others can just cut any type of paper usually heavy paper to the correct size and create multiple cards from one larger sheet. I like the freedom that comes with deciding on a theme for one or a stack of cards. I like to make lists of different trading card themes and refer to this list when I sit down to make them, or if I get an idea before starting, I will work on that and save the other ideas for later.
Because the work space is so small, there is no agonizing over details. Instead, I buy watercolor paper and prep the page with a layer of water which I let dry before I measure it out and cut it to the correct size.
The paper I use is white so that I can make the background any color I want. The first thing I do is paint the card in my desired background color and let it dry.
Next, I start working on the subject of my piece. Most of my cards are character-themed. So, I find a reference picture and start to sketch it out using watercolor pencils. Details must also be judged beforehand.
At least at my skill level, details are not going to show up as well or can even ruin the piece if they are not added correctly.
I tend not to draw faces on my characters and leave shadowing to a minimum. The amount of water used is the biggest challenge. So, excess water needs to be wiped off on another surface usually the piece of cardboard that I paint on before it is applied to the paper.
Otherwise, you can lose all control of where the paint goes. This is also where the patience of waiting for one color to dry before painting over another color right next to it comes in. Once everything has dried, I fill in any details with fine line markers or pens. This is any detail, such as a piece of clothing fabric or the trunk of a tree that is required in order to give the painting texture and depth and helps to make the image come across as clearly as possible. It can be easy to ink the entire picture, but I like to leave some edges without lines so that it still feels like a watercolor painting.
Finally, I like to sign the back of my cards with my initials and number each one in the order that they are made.
I thought about numbering the themed cards separately from each other so that it was clear that they were their own set, but this would have taken some cataloging and recording which would have been too convoluted. I plan to give mine away by placing them in my Little Free Library for patrons to take and encourage them to replace the ones they take with those that they create. I hope this inspires you to make your own artist trading cards and swap them with those in your area or online.
Do you make artist trading cards? What materials do you use? Where do you swap them? Leave your answers in the comments below! Sign in or sign up and post using a HubPages Network account. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites. I didn't know artist trading cards were a thing. Learn something new every day. Love that these are small, manageable projects.
Heck, I might even try it one day. Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend! Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. HubPages and Hubbers authors may earn revenue on this page based on affiliate relationships and advertisements with partners including Amazon, Google, and others.
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Introduction When I decided to get back into art as a hobby, watercolors became my go-to medium. Video on ATC's. History Artist trading cards were introduced in in an exhibit by Swiss artist, M.
My Materials. Making Cards The best part of making the cards is that the artist can make them their own. Preparing the Paper. Evolution of a Halloween-themed ATC. Spider-man card. Marking the back. ATC examples. A Card I received in a swap. Questions must be on-topic, written with proper grammar usage, and understandable to a wide audience.
I make and trade ATCs online thru 3 different Facebook groups. So fun! I enjoy doing watercolor and also mixed media. Sign In Join. Painting Acrylics Tutorials Oils Watercolor. Connect with us. This website uses cookies As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
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Artist trading cards (ATCs) is a conceptual art project initiated by the Swiss artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann in He called it a Collaborative Cultural Performance. The best place to buy all your Artist Trading Card supplies. ATCs like other trading cards are the size of playing cards and are traded between artists.
Join the movement! View our products: Envelopes. Black Board Artist Trading Cards. Bamboo Artist Trading Cards. ATC Sleeves.
I am the author of three middle-grade children's books, and I blog on the side. My favorite topics are movies, writing, and pop culture.
Do you want to cover the elements and principles of art rather quickly for introduction or review? An effective approach is to have your students make artist trading cards, one for each of the elements and principles of art. Give your students each a plastic trading card sleeve that has nine slots.
Artist Trading Cards
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Introduction to Artist Trading Cards – What are ATCs?
They are fun, economical, friendly and exciting. The artist trading card is said to have been born in in Switzerland when M. Since then this small art form has grown very large in popularity and many artists and crafters are embracing the concept. Each ATC should be exactly 3. This is the same size as a standard trading card such as a baseball card and many playing cards. Most are rectangular but some artists do experiment with arched tops etc. The ATC is supposed to be a trading card and so should have a little thickness to it. Even the fabric ones are not too flimsy.
Updated: October 1, Reader-Approved.
An artist trading card or ATC for short is a tiny, original piece of art created with the intention of swapping or trading it with another artist, not selling it. The one rule an artist trading card must adhere to is the size. An ATC must be 2. That's the size of the original collectible sports trading cards.
