A guide

What are Artist Trading Cards?

Everything you need to make your first ATC and trade it. For their close cousin, sold rather than traded, see What is an ACEO?

Artist Trading Cards, or ATCs, are miniature original artworks, exactly 2.5 by 3.5 inches (64 by 89 mm), made to be traded with other artists and collectors, never sold. Each one is a small piece of art in its own right: painted, drawn, stitched, collaged or printed by hand, then swapped one for one with someone else's card.

They're the size of a playing card or a sports card, which is where the name comes from, and that small format is the point. A card takes an evening, not a month, so you can try a new medium, play with a theme or make a run of five, and still have something finished to send. In return, you get someone else's work to keep.

Where ATCs came from

The movement is usually traced to the Swiss artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who made a large collection of small cards in Zurich in 1997 and invited visitors to his exhibition to trade for them with cards of their own. The idea spread through art groups and, soon after, online communities, and it has carried on ever since: a way for artists to share work directly with each other, outside galleries and shops.

The rules

There are only a few, and every ATC community keeps them:

• The size is fixed: 2.5 by 3.5 inches, in portrait or landscape. Anything else isn't an ATC.
• ATCs are traded, not sold. A card is swapped for a card. When artists sell work in the same format, those are called ACEOs (more on those here).
• Any medium works: watercolour, ink, acrylic, pencil, collage, textile, printmaking, photography, or several at once. What matters is that it's your own work, made by hand.
• Sign the back. The back of the card usually carries the artist's name, the card's title, the date and a way to reach the artist. If you make a set of the same design, number it too, as in "2/5".

How to make your first ATC

1. Cut your card. Start with heavy paper or card stock, such as watercolour paper or Bristol board, cut to 2.5 by 3.5 inches. Pre-cut blank ATC cards are also sold in most art shops.
2. Pick a theme, or don't. Many swaps have one, like a season, a colour or a single word, and a theme is a good way past a blank card. Otherwise, make whatever you like.
3. Make the art. Work right to the edges or leave a border; either is fine. Let it dry fully before handling.
4. Finish the back. Add your name, the title, the date and, if you'd like, your social media or website.
5. Protect it. A clear sleeve keeps a card clean, and a stiffer holder keeps it flat in the post.

How ATC trading works

Trades are one card for one card. Two people agree on a swap, each mails their card to the other, and each keeps what arrives. There are a few common ways to do it:

• One-to-one trades: you see a card you love, offer one of yours for it, and if the other person agrees, you both post your cards.
• Themed swaps: a host sets a theme and a deadline, everyone makes a card, and the host pairs people up or sends the cards round.
• In-person swaps: art groups, conventions and classes, where cards change hands on the spot.

Mailing is simple: a sleeved card between two pieces of stiff card, in a plain envelope, travels well with a standard stamp in Canada and the US.

Trading ATCs on The ATC Hub

The ATC Hub is a home for the ATC community in Canada and the United States, built to make one-for-one trading easy and safe. You photograph your cards and list them, make and answer offers, and mail your trades with deadlines everyone can see. Every trade earns credits, traders build a record and a Rank, and the trade guarantee covers a card that never arrives. There are member-run swaps and a monthly themed challenge, and trading is free.

Common questions

Are Artist Trading Cards worth anything?

ATCs are made to be traded rather than sold, so their worth is in the trading: a growing collection of original work from artists you've met through the cards. Collectors who want to buy small original art look for ACEOs, which are made to be sold.

What's the difference between an ATC and an ACEO?

They're the same size. ATCs are traded, never sold; ACEOs ("Art Cards, Editions and Originals") are made to be sold. What is an ACEO? explains more.

Do I need to be an artist?

No. Many people make their first card with no art training at all. The format is small enough to experiment, and trading communities are welcoming to beginners.

Can I use digital art?

Yes, if it's your own work and you print it yourself onto a card of the right size. Art generated by AI isn't accepted on the Hub, or in most ATC communities.