ATCs - Altered Trading Cards

I often hear paper artists discussing ATCs (artist trading cards), and mentioning that they got their start a little over 10 years ago. While the current ATC craze did start about 10 years ago as a means for artists all over the world to share their work, the history of the ATC is much older.

Almost 500 years ago, artists began trading "cards" as a way to showcase their techniques, to advertise, or to use as a calling card or a business card. In the 19th Century, the popularity of ATCs grew tremendously when the Impressionists traded (and sometimes sold) ATCs in exchange for art supplies or rent.

In the beginning, the cards didn't have a standard size, although they were supposed to be smaller than what is today a standard postcard. The front of the card contained original art, and the back contained information about the artist - an advertisement or resume of sorts - and the artist's signature.

The ATCs we know today have a standard size - 2.5 X 3.5 inches - which is the same size as sports trading cards. The base material is usually cardstock, but artists will also use wood, fabric (stiffened), clay, metal, acrylic, plastic, etc. Artists may use any media (paper, watercolors, stamps, digital art, oils, textiles, pencils, etc) on the front of the card. The back of the card should contain the artist's signature and date. If the card is from a series, the artist usually notes that, too.

The only "rules" of the current ATC movement regard the size of the cards (as noted above), and the fact that the cards are not to be sold, only traded. However, there are artists who do sell their cards (If you search ebay, you'll find a bunch listed!) and point out that early ATC artists would sometimes sell their cards.