Artist trading cards (ATC's)
according to wikipedia, "are individual art miniatures which pass hand to hand. Artists have produced miniatures for trade or self-promotion in many eras and places, and the current trend is growing, due to trading over the internet. The only rule for these cards is their size (2.5 x 3.5 inches, the same as commercial trading cards, such as baseball cards and cards for trading card games). There are, however, certain conventions usually observed by those who make and trade these cards, such as the expectation that they be traded, not sold, and that they be created as unique works or small limited editions of prints. Artists generally sign and date the back, and may also include a title and contact information. The face-to-face trading session is considered an integral part of the concept, although many people find each other via the internet and trade by mail.
Artist Trading Cards are typically made on a base of card stock. However, ATCs have been created on metal, stiffened fabric, plastic, clay, glass, balsa wood, leather, embroidery canvas, acetate, heavy watercolor paper, and many other materials. The art on the cards can be done in any media: textile arts, pencil, watercolor, acrylic, oil, collage, scratch board, mixed media, assemblage, digital art, calligraphy, beadwork, rubber stamps, carved soft block stamps, pen and ink, colored pencil, airbrush, pastels, and many others - anything artists use.
The only standard requirement for an ATC is that its height and width measurements be 2.5" x 3.5", either portrait or landscape orientation. The sky can be the limit for every other aspect of the art.
In the big, wide world of ATCs, there is no thickness limit, either, but people customarily make them thin enough to fit inside the standard card collector pockets, sleeves or sheets".
ATC's are a growing trend in the papercrafts world, so you will probably have heard of them already.
there are 2 visual examples of ATC's that i came accross recently in my wanderings accross the world wide web. one is the opening picture on the website of 7 gypsies. they make a ATC spinner, where you can put these cards in to display them.
the other example is ali edwards christmas project, where she scrapped little cards with a christmas theme, and put them in her 7gypsies spinner.
maybe one day soon, we will attempt some cards as a scrap workshop. we'll see. in the meantime, you now know what they are.
love, jacki
SCRAPPIN TIMES
