I had my first go at making Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) last week after talking with some fibre art friends. We are going to try to get some friends interested and start a trading group through the local Art and Craft Society.
ATCs are business card size works of art that their creators
swap with fellow artists.
Although the
ATCs are limited in size they can be portrait or landscape in orientation and
the can have squared off or rounded corners.
ATCs can be
made in any media using any materials. They can be hand drawn or painted,
digitally collaged, embroidered, quilted
or appliqued. You can use paper, paint,
thread, fabric, metal, or wood. They can be
embellished with buttons, sequins, lace, beads or words.
What you put
on an ATC and how you decorate your ATC
is only limited by your imagination.
There are only a few really important rules to follow when making ATCs
- They must be 2 1/2” x 3 1/2” (6.4 x 8.9cm.
- They must be traded NEVER sold
- They must have the artists information on the reverse
Here is my first set of eight cards inspired by lyrics from some Christmas carols. I made two for each lyric, one portrait and one landscape. It was interesting to try pairing the designs but making each a little different.
And here is some more detail of some of the ATCs. Firstly, "Angels Singing".
And here is "Joy to the World".