Do you make and exchange ATC or Artist Trading Cards? Have you made an ATC before?
I’ve been making ATC since probably 2015. I learned about this via swap-bot.com when I joined in 2013. I’ve been curious about these and got the courage to sign up for some international swaps. These were quite fun, and I regret not making extras for each card I made for my collection. So, there are other variations for the standard ATC (2.5×3.5 inches). One is called inkbox cards, which are square 3×3 inches and have rounded corners, just like the Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads, hence the name. The lesser-known one is the ATC coin, which is 2.5 inches long.
So lately, @jenniferwilkinpenick shared an opportunity to do an ATC swap on her Instagram. I put my name out there and have received quite a few responses. I’m sharing the mini-makes I just posted today.
Since I was swapping with several artists, I created a master board for my base. Here are the 3 masterboards I made.
Each one has layers of collage and acrylic paints, then topped off with some marks and some Tim Holtz Texture Pastes in black and white (so far, this is the one I love to use).
After slicing up the masterboards into ATC sizes, here is what I have.
I customized each card for my partner with varying elements and details and spent time coloring in the paper dolls.
I made a short video of the ATCs.
I just realized, though, that putting together the envelope, addressing each, and adding the stamps took me longer than expected. But they are finally off. And the great thing about the postal service in China is that they don’t take breaks even on major holidays like Chinese New Year!
(That’s me above, struggling to hold all the mail in one hand and trying to take a photo.)
Can’t wait for my swap partners to receive their #happymail.
As always, thank you for stopping by.
