Is There a Difference Between Art Cards and Artist Trading Cards
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How I Make and Merchandise Creative person Trading Cards
Laura Smith via Canva
Little Art for Artist Trading Cards (ATC)
When I decided to get back into fine art as a hobby, watercolors became my go-to medium. Watercolors are squeamish because information technology requires the patience to allow each section dry before starting a new one.
That'south great for a multitasker like me because y'all can do a little at a time, work on something else, and go back to it in one case that department 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.
And so, I discovered artist trading cards, and I constitute information technology to be the perfect type of art to make with watercolors. Artist trading cards can be fabricated of well-nigh any material. They're small and crave a steady hand and patience. Below is my experience in making artist trading cards forth with a history of the fine art form itself.
ATC History
Artist trading cards were introduced in 1997 in an exhibit by Swiss artist, M. Vanci Stirnemann. He created 1,200 minor works of fine art on ii.5" ten 3.5" cards. At the end of the showroom, he encouraged others to make their own cards and swap with his. They did, and artists have been trading cards always since.
True creative person trading cards are swapped or given away. If they are sold, they are called Art Cards Originals and Editions, or ACOEs. Artist trading bill of fare (ATC) swaps are establish online or in meetups in cities all over the globe. Many store their swaps in sports card binders, and many groups have specific instructions for participating in swaps, including packaging requirements, size, and theme.
What are the rules for artists trading cards?
Cards tin can feature whatsoever blazon of image, text, or medium. As long as they fit the size requirements, they are considered an creative person trading card. Websites hold contests and feature some of the best examples of the cards that they come up across on their home pages.
My Materials
Laura Smith
My Materials
Laura Smith
Tips for Making Artist Trading Cards
Utilize any materials. Creative person trading cards can be fabricated of well-nigh whatsoever textile. Just purchase the right-sized paper or cutting larger paper into the right size, and it counts as an artist trading carte du jour.
Don't sweat the details. Because the work space is so small, at that place is no agonizing over details. Yous're non going to spend hours on the image so y'all don't have to determine on a theme that you're going to grow bored with or wish you had used the materials on a better idea that comes after. Once you take a stack of bare cards, it's refreshing to know that you can put several ideas downwards on multiple cards in i sitting.
Do you demand to buy special cards? I don't buy creative person trading card paper. Instead, I buy watercolor newspaper and prep the page with a layer of water which I allow dry before I measure information technology out and cut it to the correct size. There's usually a long strip of newspaper left that I like to make into a book mark.
Preparing the Paper
Laura Smith
Preparing the Newspaper
Laura Smith
Whorl to Proceed
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Preparing the Paper
Laura Smith
Getting to Work
The paper I use is white so that I tin can make the background any colour I want. The showtime thing I exercise is paint the card in my desired background color and permit it dry out. If little of the background is going to show or I but want a light layer of pigment or shadow, I'll skip this step and paint effectually the master subject of the card later on.
Next, I start working on the subject of my piece. Most of my cards are character-themed. Then, I discover a reference picture and outset to sketch information technology out using watercolor pencils. It's important to have sharp pencils since the area is so minor. It'southward also important to brand sure the card is dry and then that the pencils don't start to drain every bit they are applied to the newspaper.
Details must also be judged beforehand. At to the lowest degree at my skill level, details are not going to evidence up too or can even ruin the piece if they are not added correctly. I tend non to draw faces on my characters and exit shadowing to a minimum. And so, my cards are more minimalist, at least while I'm in the beginning stages of the fine art class.
Evolution of a Halloween-Themed ATC
Laura Smith
Laura Smith
Laura Smith
Once the penciling is done, I utilise the smallest paint brushes I own to plow the pencil to paint, adding watercolor paints to incorporate colors that I don't have in watercolor pencil form.
The corporeality of h2o used is the biggest challenge. It's easy to get a lot of water on even a minor castor. Then, backlog water needs to be wiped off on some other surface (unremarkably the piece of cardboard that I paint on) earlier information technology is applied to the paper. Otherwise, you lot can lose all command of where the paint goes.
This is also where the patience of waiting for one colour to dry before painting over some other colour right next to information technology comes in. When you're on a roll, it can cause yous to want to keep painting, but having the colors drain through each other can go out a permanent flaw on what would accept otherwise been a nice picture.
Outlining
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 textile or the torso 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. Information technology tin can exist piece of cake to ink the entire moving picture, merely I like to get out some edges without lines so that information technology nonetheless feels like a watercolor painting.
Mark the back.
Laura Smith
Last Stride: Signing Your Creative person Trading Card
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 information technology was clear that they were their ain set, but this would have taken some cataloging and recording which would take been as well convoluted. It's much easier to keep runway of how many cards I've done all together than to worry about numbering each card in the set correctly.
Laura Smith
Swapping ATCs
Considering artist trading cards are not as well known outside of the ATC community, it'south fun to requite abroad cards to those who aren't familiar with them, hopefully inspiring them to outset their own collection with this spontaneous present. I like to place mine in my Piddling Free Library for patrons to take and encourage them to replace the ones they take with those that they create. I also put them inside holiday and birthday cards, especially for kids.
I hope this inspires you to make your ain artist trading cards and swap them with those in your surface area or online. It'south skilful practice for artists and a great way to share art in a charitable way.
Do y'all brand artist trading cards? What materials do you utilise? Where do you lot swap them? Get out your answers in the comments below!
References:
Strathmore Artist
ATCs for All
© 2018 Laura Smith
Ashley on June 23, 2020:
I recently started making and trading ATCs. It is so much fun non but to make but to collect. I have made about 35ish cards and accept traded 15ish. A friend on Facebook introduced me and I have been hooked since. I trade on Facebook through a few groups. I hope to some day trade in person with some artists. I am a huge fan of mixed media and take been working on my skills, which improve with each card.
Leona on August 26, 2019:
I make and trade ATCs online thru 3 different Facebook groups. So fun!
I savor doing watercolor and besides mixed media.
Heidi Thorne from Chicago Area on September 21, 2018:
I didn't know artist trading cards were a thing. Learn something new every day. Beloved that these are minor, manageable projects. Heck, I might even endeavour it 1 day. Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend!
Source: https://feltmagnet.com/painting/My-Introduction-to-Artist-Trading-Cards
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