What Are Artist Trading Cards?

I LOVE making Artist Trading Cards! To me they are mini art gems that are perfect for trading with other artists and giving as powerful little gifts to special people. You will also see them called ATC’s; short for artist trading cards.

These tiny artworks can even be collectible pieces sold by Artists, generally for an introductory price to make their art accessible to everyone, which are then called ACEO’s (Artist Cards Editions and Originals).

Further down in this article you will find a YouTube video showing how I make an artist card with colorful inks and collage, so KEEP READING!

What Makes This Artwork An “Artist Card”?

The one thing all artist cards have in common is that they are the same size as a collectible baseball or Pokemon card - 2 1/2 inches x 3 1/2 inches. It’s excellent that the artist cards are this size because they can then be conveniently stored in the same notebooks, sleeves or boxes as sports and game cards!

How are Artist Cards Made?

There are as many techniques for creating artist cards as there are artists who create them! Here are a few of the types of artworks done on artist trading cards that you might find:

Watercolors,
Acrylic Paintings,
Dry or Oil Pastels,
Collage Art (My FAVORITE 🙂),
Mixed Media Art,
Oil Paintings,
Polymer Clay,
Sewing,
And, MORE…

What Kind of Surfaces Are Used for Artist Cards?

Again, as many surfaces can be used for artist cards as the creativity of the artist imagines! Here are some ideas:

Watercolor or Drawing Paper,
Brown Side of a Grocery Bag,
Manila Folder,
Recycled Fabric,
Artist Primed Canvas,
Black or Colored Paper,
Mat Board,
Stiff Plastic,
Polymer Clay Sheet,
Thin Piece of Wood,
Thin Piece of Metal,
And, MORE…

Many companies make cut-to-size artist trading card surfaces as shown in the picture above. Here are some links to surfaces you may be interested in. As an Amazon Associate I earn from your qualifying purchases.

*Legion Paper Mini Pad Sampler Set - https://amzn.to/3vr9w7J
Strathmore Watercolor Artist Trading Cards - https://amzn.to/3NSAgnT
Inkssentials Gloss White Artist Trading Cards - https://amzn.to/41UbYQr
Crescent Artist Trading Cards Assorted Types - https://amzn.to/3H5PxhD

*Note that there are many types of paper surfaces available from Legion Paper, which is why I included the Mini Sampler Set link above. These mini pads measure 2 1/2 inches x 3 3/4 inches, so slightly taller than the 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches for a regular artist card. I suggest you just cut the excess 1/4 inch off the top of the Legion Paper mini sheets when using them to create artist cards.

What About Creating In A Series?

As an alternative to using single artist trading cards already cut to 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches, I like to create series of artist cards on mixed media or watercolor paper.

Usually I start on a blank piece of 9 x 12 inches paper randomly painting in watercolors, acrylics, or both. This is a great way to loosen up and experiment with your lesser used paints and art supplies… or your favorite ones!

When I feel like I have a good base of imagery down on my full piece of paper, then I measure off multiple 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches sections with pencil. Once these sections are marked, then I make decisions to finish off each individual card, including adding extra paint, mark making and adding collage elements.

As a side note, one of my favorite collage elements is vintage postage stamps and you will see many of them in not only my artist cards, but in even my large fine art pieces. 🙂

There’s such a satisfaction in cutting up the resulting artist cards series! ✂️ The left over edges that are cut off are perfect for creating book marks or is nice paper for testing out paints.

Here are some links to my favorite 9 x 12 inches paper pads. As an Amazon Associate I earn from your qualifying purchases.

Canson XL Watercolor Paper 9x12 Inches - https://amzn.to/48wAtFO
Canson XL Mixed Media Paper 9x12 Inches - https://amzn.to/3Hgued1

Making An Artist Card Video

Here’s my YouTube video that steps you through creating an individual artist card. Enjoy! 🎨

Learn how to make an Artist Trading Card with Bombay India Inks and Collage.

Here is a list of the paints and accessories I used in the YouTube Video. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Bombay India Inks Set 2 - https://amzn.to/3TWmsgh
Bombay India Inks Set 1 - https://amzn.to/3tMepb5
Bombay Iridescent Calligraphy Inks Set 2 - https://amzn.to/3tHPjds
Bombay Iridescent Calligraphy Inks Set 1 - https://amzn.to/48FJ5cP
Pebeo Acrylic Mat Gel Medium - https://amzn.to/48pAo6F
Pebeo Acrylic Gloss Gel Medium - https://amzn.to/3vsLvgH
Plastic Droppers - https://amzn.to/3SajW4o
Palette Paper Pad - https://amzn.to/47m9lI1
Ceramic Slant Palette - https://amzn.to/3RLEpLH
Princeton Select Artist Brushes Set - https://amzn.to/3tKSrVU
Palette Knife Set - https://amzn.to/3H9ZACb
Speedball Dip Pen Set - https://amzn.to/3U8HWXp
Small Plastic Jars for Dip Pen Inks - https://amzn.to/3TXTn3I
Trading Card Plastic Sleeves - https://amzn.to/4aNZttO
Scrap Pack Collage Papers - https://amzn.to/47v4d4q
Black Ink Exotic Paper Pack - https://amzn.to/47oFv5W
Sakura Micron, Brush & Gelly Roll Ultimate Starter Set - https://amzn.to/3tybm6o
Ranger Heat It Tool - https://amzn.to/3HgjhYV
Arteza Heat Gun - https://amzn.to/48nGggR
General's Brush Cleaner - https://amzn.to/48onbeq
Isopropyl Alcohol - https://amzn.to/41QrQTT
Plastic Fine Mist Spray Bottle - https://amzn.to/4b8Jff1

🎨🎨🎨

If you would like to see other paints, mediums and art supplies that I recommend, click below to go to the Supply Links page on my website:
https://www.dietzart.gallery/supply-links

It’s fun to find interesting small frames to show off your mini artworks. One of my favorite places to find these types of frames are my local thrift shops… The frame below is from my local Church thrift shop!

Check out and purchase my artworks on Etsy here: 🎨 https://www.etsy.com/shop/TristinaDietzArt

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