Artist trading cards (or ATCs) are miniature works of art a little larger than a standard business card (2.5×3.5 inches / 64×89 mm). They are sometimes exchanged between artists in place of business cards or between collectors of these mini artworks. As the size is standardised you can get card-collector sheets with small pockets, a little like for stamp collecting. When sold, they are usually referred to as art card editions and originals (ACEOs). Cards are produced in all types of art mediums. Wikipedia state that “The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland.”
Crescent Artist Trading Cards
If you wish to make these little artworks you can cut card to the standard size or for convenience you can purchase a pack of ready-cut cards. At Jackson’s we sell packs of card for different media: watercolour card, drawing card, mixed media card and chipboard. The card comes in packs of white, black, assorted colour paper or with a pattern printed on one side.
Crescent also make individual sleeves and film to protect your ATC and mounts for framing an individual card or 3 cards in a frame. There is even a self-adhesive board to mount your digital prints on.
In addition to the ATCs Crescent also make small 4×4 inch books ready to be decorated called Chunky Books. Chunky Books are the newest trend in mixed media art. Paint or draw with marker, colour pencil or embellish your Chunky Book pages with fibers, trims, charms, or whatever inspires you. With Chunky Books, you can create every book in your imagination. The Chunky Books consist of four solid black pages throughout, durable, double-sided, sturdy and thick pages – a top-quality art surface, great for layering & embellishing.
Inchies, Twinchies and Rinchies
Crescent Inchies and Twinchies are ATCs smaller cousins. Inchies are 1” squares. Twinchies are 2” squares. The Crescent boards allow you to create either or both. Both sizes are perfect for layering and for embellishments on ATCs, Chunky Books, jewellery, or whatever your imagination creates. Rinchies are round 1” circles that are the next revolution in the ATC trend. Create Rinchies with marker, coloured pencil, or anything that inspires you.
ATCs For All is an Artist Trading Card (ATC) community forum for organising ATC themed swaps you might find interesting.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £39.
Click on the underlined links to go to the ATCs on the Jackson’s Art website.
Great to see these small pieces of art featuring on your blog. I discovered ACEO art cards a couple of years ago when asked by someone who had seen my larger pieces if I had thought of doing Art In Wax @ art card size, since then I have sold many to collectors both here in the UK in the US and Australia.
Thanks, Hazel, it’s good to know they are internationally popular.