Making, collecting and selling Artist Trading Cards
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My Personal Introduction to Artist Trading Cards
I was browsing around in the art categories on Ebay and kept seeing reference to ACEO. I had to find out what it was. It is actually an art format, sized the same as the ubiquitous Trading Cards so beloved by kids of all ages. That is 2.5 X 3.5 inches exactly. The acronym stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals. It could be in any media at all and had been started on Ebay around 1996. Anyway, I had always prepared for my painting by doing several small sketches to get right the composition / colour / etc and found that this size format was a natural for me. I tentatively put the first listing of an ACEO painting on Ebay and WOW it sold!!! Fantastic!!! I had soon sold around 50 of these little miniatures and felt great.
That first aceo painting was a scene from Portmeirion in Wales where the exterior scenes for the TV programme The Prisoner was filmed. Remember Patrick McGoohan, Prisoner Number 6. This was the rear of his circular house in the village. (see picture above).
You can see more of my art on my blogs Painting With John and Artyfax, the trials and tribulations of a leisure artist.
I hope to give an account of the history and potential of these wonderful little works of art, they are a great way for anybody to start their very own art collection. They are fun, affordable and a real insight into the work of any artist that you like. Further to this I will talk about the making, collecting and selling of ACEO's.
My own personal collection of works by other artists is several hundred, but I think that this will grow substantially in the future. Why not try it out?
I originally wrote this lens specifically to cover art cards which were made for selling and so the term ACEO is used throughout the lens. However, I now recognise the similarity between these and art cards traded and indeed the only difference is that one is sold ( ACEO) and one is only ever traded (ATC). Therefore it should be taken as read, that whenever the term ACEO is mentioned in this page, it refers to either form of artist trading cards. I will gradually rewrite this anomaly out of the lens as it is modified.
please note the copyright of all images is the property of the original artist, unless otherwise stated all art and photographs are by Artyfax
Table of Contents
If You Are Short Of Time, Go Straight To The Desired Section
What is an ACEO?
The ACEO format

Collectors often come up with their own devices or simply use a favourite box ( of the right size of course) and I have even heard of them being used as dolls' house art.
It is a format that started back in 1996, and soon grew into a very popular collectible area. A search on Ebay.com for ACEO can bring up 3-4000 items (rather less in the UK as you might imagine being a much smaller market, but we are getting there) with aceo's available in so many different media it soon becomes confusing. Watercolor, oil, acrylic, pencil, collage, photographic images, computer generated images..... the list goes on.
ACEO's are a really inexpensive and fun way of starting your own original art collection.
Alternatively, for those with an artistic bent, art cards can be traded with other artists, almost always as originals or "one-of-a-kind" (OOAK). This was thte original means of dispersal when the format was introduced, see a short history below. When traded they are called ATC's , short for artist trading card.
My ACEO's on You Tube
A Portfolio of ACEO paintings by myself on YouTube
More ACEO's on You Tube
A further selection of some of my ACEO waterclours
Some of my favourite artists' sites on Ebay
I have at least one work by most of these guys in my own collection of ACEO's
I am not selling on Ebay at the moment, and have given up my Ebay shop, please watch this space for news of developments on Etsy.
- ARENA-CREATIONS
- Immortalising Dreams, Moments and Memories........... Artist, Gaynor Lewis shows her endless inspiration and expression through her artwork. Bringing extra to your life through art - Original artwork, prints, greeting cards, gift tags and commissions.
- Aartless ACEO Gallery
- ACEO Originals, Limited Edition ACEO Prints, Postcard and other Small Format Art by JAN VALLANCE. Direct from the artist. Cats, Portraits, Landscapes, all in Jan's instantly recognisable and individual style.
- Naj - My Depictions
- Internationally selling UK based artist. Sells promotional samples of small format art, undertakes commissions for art work such as portraits, pet portraits and other custom art commissions, including canal art.
- Round the Cauldron
- I was raised in California but I now call Scotland my home. My two biggest inspirations are my children and my love of nature. I have been an artist for as long as I've been able to hold a pencil, working mainly in Graphite and Watercolour.
- Mareens Art Gallery
- *Contemporary Art* This Gallery is all about the art created by Mareen Haschke. Purchase ACEOs (Art Trading Cards), Fine Art Prints, and Originals such as pastel drawings and acrylic paintings directly from the artist.
ACEO Links On The Web
just a small selection to wet your apetite...
- A painting a day
- From Shanti's world of watercolour, A painting a day seems like a wonderful target. A great way of building up a real expertise. Why don't I do it?
- all you need to know
- Probably the first and last link about ACEO's you should need.
- Entry in Wiki
- A highly debated offshoot of artist trading cards are the "art card, editions and originals" (ACEO). ACEOs originated when some artists began to create cards to sell on eBay, in addition to trading among themselves. The selling of these cards is a sore point with some ATC purists; however the practice is not unprecedented: trading cards in other areas such as sports have also been traded and sold.
- Art in your pocket
- Basics of ATC's ( Art Trading Cards)which are the equivalent of ACEO's but are traded rather than sold. And importantly, many different ways of making them. Materials and techniques.
More ACEO Artists on the web
another list of links to fantastic artists
- Affordable art - Ken Gillam
- Ken Gillam is a Marine and Landscape Artist based in the South of England working in Watercolour and Acrylic. This site features some of his Miniature Paintings.
- Original ACEO art for sale
- About the artist, Jim Read
As a scholar I was taken to The British Museum and there saw my first nude, a sculpture.
I was entranced by the perfection of the form and the ever changing lines as I moved around it. I never lost the sense of awe I felt then and it is only now in later life that I feel able to commit my fascination to paper.
Artist Trading Cards In The News
Artists are creative people and like to keep up with new ideas.
- Trade you for that Picasso
- Fifth graders incorporated art into Julie Park's reading class Wednesday. Fifth-graders in Julie Park's Elgin West Elementary School reading class recently read about artist Pablo Picasso. They created trading cards, which they will trade with other ...
- The mini movement: From gallery walls to card boxes
- Mike Erb will be participating in this week's artist trading card event at Gallery Connexion on Jan. 20 at 7 pm Tiny hotdogs and hamburgers are cute appetizers for a party. Everyone loves little tropical umbrellas in a drink, even if they pretend ...
- "Lace Valentine" (handmade paper and copper wire) by Laura Merrick Roe
- To celebrate Arizona's 100th birthday this month, ACF will debut the Arizona State Centennial Artist Trading Card Project. Artists from anywhere in the state were invited to create on an unusually small scale?just 2.5-by-3.5 square inches?something ...
- Artsy abode: Residence puts homely spin on art school
- Even the backyard fence is a colorful painting. Some of Hubner's students this week were creating their "artist trading cards" with collages and water color, pencil and acrylic designs. They'll trade their cards with other MAH regulars in February.
History of ACEO's
What and Why
Artists have always painted miniatures for patrons but in September 1996, Swiss artist M Vanci Stirnemann formally identified the concept and format of artist trading cards now known as ATC's. I have also shown above that ATC's are not limited to any particular media but can be created in almost any way that can be envisaged. I have listed and given examples in my lens Making Artist Trading Cards. The original idea was that ATC's should be exchanged between artists and never sold or indeed should not involve the art establishments selling art. However the internet was taking off at this time and this helped to create a popular demand for this format. It very soon became established around the world particularly in the USA thanks to the involvement via the internet.
For more information see:-
Time line for ATC's
ATC Quarterly
Collecting ACEO's
As Opposed To Trading ATC's
For more information on the controversy see, ATC's vs ACEO's The Real Story
Selling Your ACEO's On Ebay
A Quick Introduction
This image is of one of my early watercolour ACEO's sold on Ebay. A good price is difficult but they are fairly quick to complete and if it sells short it is no great loss. take it on the chin and try again with another. There are other on-line sites and I will add some of these very soon to the lens on Selling ACEO's; the next in this series. For now check out the recommended links on the side bar.
read this lens for more detailed informationHow to sell ACEOs on Ebay
Some Featured Items From Google News
- Art Cards In School
- How the use of art trading cards is helping school pupils
- trading with a difference
- A different take on the trading of artist trading cards
Reader Feedback
I look forward to hearing any feedback!
An artist always craves attention, we prefer to be told how great or original we are BUT I am a realist, let me know what you think and if you don't like it ... well I will just use the input to improve on my next piece - thanks
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charlino
Feb 11, 2012 @ 12:49 am | delete
- From one ACEO artist to another, well done. This is a lovely, informative lens about art card editions and originals.
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Milanho
Feb 5, 2012 @ 11:26 am | delete
- Nice lens.
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seosmm
Jan 8, 2012 @ 7:22 am | delete
- Very nice lens!
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Tipi
Jan 3, 2012 @ 7:28 pm | delete
- You have created ACEO excellence here...what an amazing service...blessed!
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KitandCaboodle Dec 30, 2011 @ 8:18 pm | delete
- I love making ACEO's! Great lens! Blessed.
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My Series Of Lenses Featuring Artist Trading Cards
This Is The First In A Series Of Four
making,
collecting,
and selling.
Before I start let me clear up a little bit of "jargon". Artist Trading Cards ( ATC's) were originally created in order that artists could swap with other artists, to share techniques and styles, etc. When It was found that this was a format that could be sold to make money, there was shall we say, a certain amount of resistence to this idea from various groups involved in trading these cards. A new name was coined by the sellers - ACEO ( Art Cards, Editions and Originals), which contained the idea that copies or prints could be made of the art cards. Thus we have three sorts of cards:-
original art cards
limited edition prints
open edition prints
in addition some artists will create a series of art cards, along a theme or even a series of very similar originals. These categories should be born in mind when either buying or trading art cards.
Other lenses in the series and related lenses are given below:-
An Angel's Blessing
This lens blessed by
Squid Angels
KM9999999 on 15th Feb 2011,
TheWhistler on 14th Sept 2011,,
KitandCaboodle on 30th Dec 2011
Tipi on 4th Jan 2012
charlino on 10th Feb 2012
My thanks to all
Who is Artyfax?
My name is John Dyhouse
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You can see all my lenses listed by category on my directory page. Categories include art, atc/aceo, photography, music, song writing, home-cooking, quizes and zazzle related lenses.
by artyfax
I am a largely self-taught artist with a long time interest in the creative arts. After school I studied metallurgy and achieved two higher degrees in... more »
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