VOX Sacramento

Artist Trading Cards, commonly called ATCs, are individual miniature pieces of art. There is only one rule for making them, their size, which measure 2.5 by 3.5 inches, which is also the same size of baseball cards and most playing cards. 

Most ATCs are made on a base of cardstock, but you can also use thin cardboard, watercolor paper, mat board, balsa wood, metal, plastic, even embroidery canvas, fabric, felt or woven yarn. Artists use a number of different techniques and media on their cards well, including pencil drawing or pen & ink, colored pencil, watercolor, acrylic or oil painting, collage, mixed media, calligraphy, beadwork, rubber stamps, printed digital art, basically anything you can imagine artists using in their work.

A lot of ATC artists will often sign their name and date the back of the cards and sometimes include a title for the card and contact information. Many ATC artists trade their cards at face-to-face trading sessions, which gives people the chance to meet new artists and see and collect different kinds of art. But trades can also be conducted on-line and there are many online communities devoted to allowing their members the chance to collect art from ATC artists all around the world!

Sound like fun?

ATCs are really a simple form of art that everyone can try, even kids.  There's more to tell and more to learn.  Come to the ATC workshop and get the opportunity to make  a few cards of your own. 

We'll share some samples and show you a few basic techniques and then everyone will get a chance to make a few cards. Afterwards, we'll have a swap session.  One of the best things about ATCs is that they're not only free to trade but they're also a great way to use up little scraps that you might otherwise throw away, so think of them as a medium for recycling and reusing too.

 

(images from Russ' flickr page, check out the others!)