Artist Trading Cards Swap

Essentially, there are two ways to swap Artist Trading Cards: by mail, or in person. You can find either type of ATC swap online, though some areas may not have local swaps.

Swapping ATCs by mail: You can find ATC swaps on social sites like Flickr and Yahoo Groups, or through specialized ATC related websites like Atcs For All and Swap Bot. There are many places to choose from, keeping reading to learn more.

Swapping ATCs in person: Finding local ATC swaps can be difficult, so I've composed a list of all the artist trading card groups I know of. (Please contact me if you have any to add!) I also have some tips on finding local ATC swappers to arrange one-on-one swaps with.

Here's a really page with more detailed advice on mailing your artist trading cards:
HOW TO: Pack and Mail your ATCs for Swaps

Ideally, swaps take place in person as it follows the original spirit of artist trading cards. According to the official ATC website, "it is important that you meet other people in person to trade - i.e. it is ok to trade by mail or to participate in editions but the main purpose of this performance is the trading session and the personal meeting."

(Image credit: jclarson)

As an active member in a local artist trading card group for over two years now, I can tell you that trading ATCs in person is very often a much deeper, more fulfilling experience than swapping ATCs online. I have formed bonds with my fellow artists that I am quite sure will last for years to come; they are some of my closest and dearest friends.

However, I understand that this is not always realistic as some areas don't have local swaps. You can still make it personal when doing mailed swaps. Simply share a bit of history of the card; how you can up with the idea for it, or what techniques you used, or if you were trying something new. Anything like that that you might chat about if you were meeting he ATC recipient in person. You can write some of this info on the back of you card along with the ATC name, edition, and your contact info. Or if you are sending directly to you swap partner (rather than a hostess, as some swaps arrange things) you can just include this in the note you send.

If there is no existing group near you, you can try and locate some and start your own group or just organize a one-time swap event. But how do you find ATC artists in your area? There are a few possibilities, thanks to the rise of social networks.

First, you can try Twitter's advanced search to find people tweeting about ATCs within a radius of your town or the nearest big city. Don't forget to search on both ATCs and "artist trading cards" as well as ACEOs if you like.

You can also try Facebook - look for fan pages about artist trading cards and post to their wall about your local event or group.

And then there are art and craft related websites and forums. You can trying posting about your local artist trading card swap event on Craftster, Etsy, or AtcsForAll.