Dangerously Addicted to Artist Trading Cards 

How to tell if you need help.

• dining room table? what dining room table?! That's my studio!
• You have an instant messanger always open so you can quickly buzz a buddy when you're stuck on some project.
• You adjust your travel plans to hit up every single crafts store enroute to your destination.
• You don't clean or cook.
• You only leave your studio to check the mailbox or make a quick run to the crafts store.
• You don't recognize your own children.

Dangerous Ideas 

Some radical stuff going on here, approach with caution!

ArtEd Online: Artist Trading Cards: Resources on the Web

ATCs are infiltrating our schools! This pdf has basic info and links for using ATCs in the classroom. Way to go!

ATC Quarterly

Lookie here, a whole zine devoted to ATCs that comes out, well, quarterly! A tad bit expensive though...

atcs: a multi-media competition

Only a couple of weeks left to enter this... but why not?! Gosh, I could really use a sewing machine worth $1000., couldn't you?! (entry date has now passed but go poke around!)

CraftyPod #21: Artist Trading Cards, with Judy Corona

I really love digging up interesting stuff for this section! CraftyPod is a series of podcasts for crafters (duh). This episode (what else would they be called?, I don't know the lingo) is devoted to ATCs. The blog entry has a brief summary and a bunch of links. Enjoy!

Meetup: Artist Trading Cards

Do you want to meet other people, IN THE FLESH, that share your addiction? You know you do!

PlainCards

I'm excited about this! Read and be excited too! How about making a whole slew of cards around one theme? Scan the little devils and make a whole deck of playing cards! Here is the software and cardstock to do it! My brain hurts with the possibilites.

Dangerous Image Sources 

If you do collaged or altered art style ATCs then I hope you have printer ink or toner!

Old Postcards

Huh? Trust me. No, really. If like doing your cards in the collaged, altered art or scrapping style then this site is for you. You'll find so many vintage images your eyes will glaze over. Print images with a laser printer so the colors don't run and/or so that you can use them for image transfers. Note: I could not find a copyright notice on this site.

Postcardman

If I can be serious for once. Seriously. This site is a goldmine of absolutely fascinating vintage images. Note: This site has a copyright notice so you must ask permission before using any images.

Retrospection

Yet another vintage postcard site. You can't have just one! Note: I could not find a copyright notice on this site.

Dangerous Techniques 

Don't try these at home all alone... get a group of friends and addict them too!

Background Stamps

Don't read this tutorial... especially if you want to develop your own original style! You'll just want to go out and purchase craft foam, rubber cement and paint, or raid your husband's workshop for wood blocks. If you really must do this just make the stamps smaller so that they fit ATC's and your family won't notice them laying about in strange places. (tutorial not specifically written for ATCs)

CedarSeed: Art in your Pocket: ATCs

I'll steal a line from the site to describe this link: "This article is both a primer and an idea bank intended for those who wonder what an ATC is and how to make one." I couldn't have said it any better myself. Lots of ideas here to get you started or if you're in a rut.

Michaels: ATC Project Ideas

I betcha can't leave a Michaels craft store without buying anything! And I betcha you won't leave the site for hours and hundreds of dollars later. Scroll down to the bottom of this short article for a link to ATC project ideas. Most of these are scrapbook style and are great for getting your feet wet. Don't get soaked, you can modify these projects for what you have on hand. Also check out the Papercrafts section for more tips and techniques that are also adaptable for ATC's.

Mirkwood Designs Templates

Do you really need a template for an ATC envelope or a cutting diagram so that you can get as many cards as possible from a piece of cardstock? You don't need any of the other templates here for that matter. Oh for goodness sake, do stop drooling. It's unattractive.

Paperpourri: 5 Layer Collage for ATCs

Intimidated? Overwhelmed? New to altered art style collage? Just breathe and try this step-by-step tutorial to get you started. You can easily substitute the materials listed for what you have on hand.

Two Peas in a Bucket: Grow Old Gracefully

Grow Old Gracefully? Give me a break. But if you want to learn some tricks to give your cards an aged look that could fool your great-grandmother then go here. (tutorial not specifically written for ATCs)

Dangerous Groups 

Don't Go There! It's For Your Own Good!

ATC Trading Ring

This site is slick! It is part of the larger ArtCardsWanted.com site. They trade in a rather different way. I'm going to give it a whirl.

ATCards.com

The Artist Trading Card Forums. This site is bad for you. You will sign up for too many swaps.

Artist Trading Cards: A Collaborative Cultural Performance

I think, and I do try not to... because it hurts, anyways, I think this is the orignal ATCs site. Not much going on here at the moment, the site seems on hiatus it is updated so infrequently. I think the only currently active project is the Sister Trading Cards - STC and I'm not real sure about that. It is worth visiting the site for the galleries. This is an observation of mine but I think international artists tend to do more orginal art or cutting edge collage. Here in the US we tend to do more of an altered-art or scrapbook style card.

Nervousness.org

A forum about mail art. Unless you have been involved in a rare and wonderous thing know as a swap-meet you are sending and receiving swapped ATC's through the mail. So... they are mail art! Hint: make the envelope a piece of mail art too. duh!

Swap-bot

This site is equally bad. Not only will you sign up for more ATC swaps but you will sign up for other arts and crafts swaps that you don't really need to be doing either.

Dangerous Feedback 

Bring it on!

VintageNiki Great lense! I'm creating a lense all about vintage mixed media collage come and check it out and rate me. Posted May 23, 2007