An Introduction to ATCs!

A Brief Introduction to ATCs

M. Vänçi Stirnemann is generally regarded as the father of Artist Trading Cards. 

He began making 2.5” x 3.5” works of art in 1996, and exhibited 1200 cards in his bookshop/gallery in 1997. The exhibit was called A Collective Cultural Performance. The first ATC trading session took place at the end of the exhibit. (Zurich, Switzerland April 23-May 31)

Don Mabie brought the idea to Canada,  and trading sessions have been held in various communities ever since.

NOTE: This information came right from Wikipedia. I highly recommend you read that article some time!

Making ATCs could be considered a form of “Performance Art.” The art is completed when a card is traded! 

I hope the “Art For All” event at the Topeka Art Guild gives many people a chance to make and trade ATCs.

ATC: The Rules

There are only two rules for an ATC:

• An ATC is  2.5” by 3.5” 

• An ATC is never sold.

2.5” x 3.5” cards made for sale
are called ACEOs!

“Trade” vs “Swap

I use the word trade for an exchange that happens when two people agree to trade cards, in person or online.

A second kind of card exchange is called a swap. Swaps can be organized in many different ways.

Often, a swap host will announce a theme and a deadline. Artists mail cards to the host and the host decides which cards go to which recipients.

Trades or swaps can also be “blind.” Each person gets a surprise.

ATCs can be gifted. They are usually called “RAKs.” (Random Acts of Kindness.)

ATC Terminology

Traders have many acronyms, and it is fun to be “in the know….”

ATART: All Types of Art 

A-Thon: a group of artists getting together for a select number of days to create a certain type of art. The cards are posted and traded to other players in the thread. (from ATCsForAll.com)

ACEO: Art Cards Editions and Originals (These are sold)

AKC: Artist Keeping Card: my own abbriviation for the cards that I make and cannot part with! Usually I keep the first successful card with a new medium or technique!

Back of the card: The artist’s name and the date the card was created should appear on the back of a card. Many people also include their city, state, and country. URLS, Instagram names, and email addresses are often included. It is also nice to give some information about the media used to make the card, but this is not required. DO include credit if you copied an image made by someone else.

Copyright: This is a tricky issue. Since ATCs are not sold, many people copy anything they can find on the internet. Although they are not likely to be “caught,” artists should respect the intellectual property of other artists.

Credit: However… artists often learn by copying or making “studies” of other works of art.  Here are some examples of good “credit lines:”
  “Inspired by Monet’s Waterlilies”
“Based on a popular tattoo design by x”   “Drawn from a photo posted by X on Pixabay.”

HD = Hand-Drawn

HP = Hand-Painted

PAT: Pick a Theme

RAK: Random Act of Kindness, in the ATC world, it usually involves sending a free card to someone… for ANY reason!

Series:  A number of related (often nearly identical) cards. It is considered polite to let other traders know a card is a part of a series.

Sleeves: Most traders expect to receive cards in protective plastic sleeves.

Triptych: - A grouping of three cards, often joined together in some way that, when folded out or opened, reveal a whole picture.

WIP: Work in Progress

Additional Resources

The original ATC web site:  https://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/

The Wikipedia article I quote in most of my mini-publications: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist_trading_cards

The oldest active ATC group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ATCpage

My FAVORITE ATC group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/atcartisttradingcards

A very fun ATC site that features trade opportunities plus organized host-managed swaps: https://atcsforall.com/