How to Make Artist Cards
Artist cards, also known as artist trading cards (ATC), began as "a collaborative cultural performance" in 1996-97 by Swiss artist, M. Vänci Stirnemann. In response to elitist art critiques and commercial marketing of art, Stirnemann exhibited 1,200 small artworks in a gallery. Each artwork was given away when the show closed. The non-discriminatory ATC movement rapidly caught hold. Today the movement continues to grow as individuals worldwide make original art cards and swap them one-for-one through exchange groups.
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Things You'll Need
- Exchange group
- Card stock, poster board or tag board
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors or paper cutter
- Art supplies of choice
Instructions
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Creating Artist Cards
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1
Locate an exchange group. If the group meets face-to-face, determine its meeting schedule and ask about whether the group uses themes in its work. If the group meets online or through a mail-in process, verify submission deadlines and ask about the use of themes. Some specialty groups create editions of multiple cards to exchange.
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2
Select a "ground" for the artist card. Materials like card-stock, poster board or tagboard provide superior "grounds" for artist cards. These materials are easy to cut, offer durability and have good work surfaces.
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3
Use a ruler and pencil to carefully measure and lightly draw a 2.5-inch by 3.5-inch rectangle on the ground material. This standard artist card measurement fits plastic trading card sleeves and most trading card storage boxes.
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4
Use sharp scissors or a paper cutter to cut out the rectangle. A neatly cut ground contributes to a better finished product.
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5
Choose art supplies to draw, paint or collage the ATC. Since the intent is to avoid both elitist critical review and the marketing of art, do not spend an extraordinary amount of time designing each card. If assembling a collage, the thickness should not impede storage in a plastic trading card sleeve nor should the collage extend beyond the card's surface area.
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6
Write your name, the date and title of the ATC on the back of the card before swapping it. Some artists like to add the city or country of origin or cite the medium used. Other artists add personal notes, a line of poetry or a brief quote that further explains the artwork.
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Tips & Warnings
If planning to make more than one artist card, make an accurate template to trace, rather than measuring each card.
