What is ACEO?

ACEO: A world of miniature art!

It was only a few years ago that I discovered the ACEO. I accidentally came across an item labelled as 'ACEO' while browsing eBay to see how other artists listed their work. Naturally I was intrigued so I clicked to have a look. I couldn't believe that the painting I saw was the same size as a trading card!

From that moment I've been hooked and this lens has been put together to spread a little more information about these miniature works of art. It's aimed at both collectors and artists with handy tips on where to buy and sell, what kinds of medium you can use and even what kinds of brushes are best used. You also get the chance to see some of the hundreds of ACEOs I've created over the past few years.

Contents at a Glance

ACEO - A World of Miniature Art

ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions and Originals" and they are being created and collected by artists and art enthusiasts around the world. The best part is, being only a few inches in size, it makes it possible for those of us who don't have a whole lot of wall space to become art collectors.

No matter what your taste, there are ACEOs being created all over the world just for you! Watercolour, acrylic, pencil... folk art, realism, surrealism... animals, portraits, landscapes... the styles, mediums and subjects are limitless.

A word of warning! Whether you are creating them or collecting them, ACEOs are highly addictive. Since discovering these miniature masterpieces just over 2 years ago, I have lost count of how many I have created.... the exact figure is somewhere in excess of 200!

In the Beginning...

Up until a few years ago there was no such thing as an ACEO. There was and still is however, the ATC or Artists Trading Card. As the name suggests they are miniature works of art (the same size as an ACEO and standard trading cards) which artists trade among themselves. A sort of business card which showcases their abilities among the art world.

It was only very recently (in 2004) that an artist called Lisa Luree (Ebay ID: bone*diva) realised the general public were missing out on fantastic miniature masterpieces and decided to make ATCs available for sale. Since Artist Trading Cards are only for trading purposes, a new name was needed and so the ACEO was born.

Original or Edition

As the name suggests ACEOs are available as both Originals and Editions. Editions are prints and can be Open Edition or Limited Edition.

Limited Editions are prints which are limited to a set number of copies. 100 for example.

Open Editions are prints with an unlimited amount of copies.

Naturally originals tend to be worth more than a print. Some ACEO collectors will only buy originals whilst others may not have a preference. It's always worth making sure that you know whether it is an original or an edition which you are considering purchasing. Thankfully ACEOs are (or should be) all clearly labelled with regards to this.

Buy ACEO Prints on eBay

Ebay is just one of the places where you can buy ACEO prints. Artists from around the world offer their little masterpieces as both Limited Editions and Open Editions. Below are a few of the current auctions for ACEO prints.

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Rules for Making ACEOs

Rule #1: Your masterpiece must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches to be classed as an ACEO.

Rule #2: Ummmm.... that's it!

Surely there can't be only ONE rule?

Ummm.... Yeah! As long as your art meets the size criteria it can be created from absolutely anything! The more common mediums are acrylic, watercolour and oil, and the more common supports are any type of paper but generally anything goes!

The only limit is
your imagination!

Medium and Support Ideas for ACEO Making

It's up to you what you use to create your ACEO. Be creative!

Acrylic on watercolour paper
Ink with a watercolour wash (make sure the ink is waterproof)
Oil pastels
Coloured pencil on black card/paper
Collage
Encaustic wax*
Marker pens
...or even a bit of everything!

* Find out more about Encaustic Wax

Almost Abstract - Encaustic (wax) Painting, what it is and how to ...: Encaustic Painting - How to paint with wax using an iron. Instructions, tips, hints and encaustic / wax painting materials. Including paintings by Chris ...
Encaustic painting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. The liquid/paste is then applied to a ...

Great Quality Art Materials from Amazon

Winsor & Newton Galeria A...

Winsor & Newton Cotman Sk...

Winsor & Newton Designers...

Oil Pastel Sticks 36-pk.

Prismacolor Verithin Art...

The Right Tools for the Job

As ACEOs are on the small side it's important to use the right tools for the job. If like me you prefer using good old paints then a good selection of small brushes are definitely on the list of things to have.

It's also a good idea to use brushes which are suited to the medium you are using. Synthetic hairs are best for acrylic or oil and squirrel/sable hair are best used with watercolor.

Great Value Brushes

You don't have to spend a fortune on brushes!

There are plenty of websites out there with fantastic quality brushes suitable for ACEO painting.

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JAXHAIR DETAIL BRUSHES

Great value and fantastic quality brushes ideal fo more...0 points

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RAPHAEL ACRYLIC BRUSHES SEPIA FLAT SHORT HEAD (GUSSOW) SERIES

A great range of flat acrylic/oil brushes for quic more...0 points

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DA VINCI FORTE OIL & ACRYLIC BRUSHES - ROUND

Excellent round brushes for acrylic or oil ACEOs. more...0 points

ACEOs can be of any subject and any style!

The best part about ACEO is that just like larger artwork, they can be about any subject matter and in any style you want.

Fantasy, cats, landscapes, portraits, mermaids, unicorns, fairies, dogs, architecture, seascapes.....Folk art, outsider art, pop art, realism, surrealism, impressionist, pointillism, abstract.... the list goes on.

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Did you know?

That at any one time there can be over 5000 ACEOs listed on EBay!

More ACEO Examples

A collection of lenses which showcase ACEOs, some of which are for sale.

Cats ACEO on Ebay

This is just a page to make it easier for you to monitor all the cat ACEO in one page. How this works All the aceo are taken from ebay in real time so that you wont miss any auctions. Some categories might not have auction at certain time, so you m...

ACEO Pet Portraits in Pencil

ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions & Originals. They're an art form that originated on eBay. An ACEO is ALWAYS the size of a standard baseball card: 2.5" x 3.5" I've been creating ACEOs since late 2006. They're a great way to try out a new techniqu...

How I make Miniature Art ACEOs by Melody Lea Lamb

I create miniature paintings called ACEOs of cats, birds, rabbits and fantasy beings. Each miniature painting is always and only 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. I sell these miniature art gems from my Blog, and on Etsy. I also make high quality Archival pr...

Horse and Animal Miniature Art by Delia

I have been painting miniature paintings for over 20 years, the smallest being 2" x 2" acrylic paintings and 1" Rocks, then for the past two years I have painted the popular collectible ACEO cards 2.5" x 3.5" " the acron...

Displaying ACEOs

Framing

One way of displaying your ACEO is to frame it and hang it on a wall. The example to the left is of one of my ACEOs in a wooden frame with 2 mounts.

There are a lot of different styles of frame available on the market to choose from, and recently a lot of smaller sized frames have started to emerge....Or maybe I've just never noticed them before! There's oak, metal, plastic, glass, thin, deep, wide, bevelled. Frames which display 1, 2, 3, 4, or even 9 together! Of course it's entirely up to you how you frame them and the possibilities are endless.

Display Books

If you are an avid collector then framing may not be such a good idea. Eventually you'll run out of wall space so a good idea here would be to frame a few and store the rest in a regular trading card display book or folder.

As ACEOs are the same size as trading cards they are ideal and you can either buy a ring binder and buy the display wallets/sleeves seperately, or buy ready made display books. Either way, both consist of PVC-free plastic pages which can hold 9 ACEOS each.

Some ACEO Framing Ideas to Get you Started

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10 Wood Frames in a Box - Black

Set includes: one 8x10", four 5x7", thre more...0 points

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Decorative Oak Wood Photo Picture Frame With Metal Bar 4X6

This decorative oak wood picture frame with metal more...0 points

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3 x 5 Inch Italian Wood Picture Frame

All Tizo wooden frames are hand crafted from highe more...0 points

Unique Ideas for Displaying ACEOS

Some rather clever and unique ACEO display ideas from other lensmasters

ACEO Cordelette Hanger for Card Display

A new and easy way to display your ACEO's. Do you have some beautiful ACEO cards in a drawer or no album to put them in? Consider hanging them up the simple way. The cordelette is handy enough to put anywhere and you have instant display and enjoymen...

Framing & Displaying your ACEO's and ATC's -Miniature Artwork

Do you enjoy Collecting those adorable miniature pieces of artwork called ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals) that are the hottest collectables on Ebay now? Are you an artist that creates ACEO's and ATC (Artist Trading Cards) and just wants to f...

ACEO Framing and Display Items on Ebay

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Ideal for ACEO Sellers and Collectors

Whether your collecting or waiting for someone to buy, protector sleeves are ideal for keeping your ACEOs clean!

Ultra Pro Collector's 9-Pocket Portfolio Album - 10 pages

Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 07/05/2009)

10 (Ten) Packs of Ultra-Pro #81738 Pack of Easy-Grade Card Sleeves - Penny Soft Sleeve (10 pack Lot - 100 Sleeves per Pack)

Amazon Price: $11.97 (as of 07/05/2009)

100 Soft Sleeves / Penny Sleeve for Baseball Cards & Other Sports Cards

Amazon Price: $3.88 (as of 07/05/2009)

ACEO Supplies

It's easy to get started with ACEO creating. Find everything you need here!

ACEO supplies

Find everything you need here to create your own original ACEO art cards from blank pre-cut ones in a wide range of colours for all types of media, altered art collage supplies to protective sleeves and toploaders to show, store, protect and sen...

Latest ACEOs in the Blogosphere

Ulixis Crafts: ACEO-X - an Art Card Swap: After only a little bit of discussion on the More Meaningful Gifts BnR, I've decided to host an ACEO exchange - ACEO-X (version 1.0)! Anyone who's interested can participate, but you have to be committed to make an ACEO & mail it off to ...
Nicole's Homemade Treats: ACEO Exchange: Let's have some fun!: ACEO stands for "art cards, editions & originals". You may also see them labeled as "ATC" or "art trading cards". Basically, the only rule for these mini pieces of art is that they be the same size as standard playing / baseball cards: ...
Kate Cosgrove: Earth-friendly Art & Illustration: Kate Cosgrove ...: ACEOs of the week: Art Collectables Editions & Ori. More from The Bee Remedy Art from the Heart ACEOs of the week: Art Collectables Editions & Ori. ACEO of.
Kate Cosgrove: Earth-friendly Art & Illustration: Kate Cosgrove ...: As for other artists, Cosgrove advises, "The beauty of the ACEO is there is no wrong way to do it. Don't pay attention to what everyone else is doing - find your own unique style. And never stop experimenting. ...

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Some helpful ACEO links

ACEO - Art Cards for Sale or Trade: Home of ACEO, Art Cards, Editions and Originals. Art Trading Cards by artists all over the world.
ACEO Magazine: To submit artwork for consideration to either ACEO Magazine or Cardaddix newsletter, please send jpeg or pdf high resolution files to ...
ArtCardsWanted.com | Buy, Sell & Trade ACEO/ATC: These are also known as ACEO (Art Cards, Editions & Originals) and ATC (Artist Trading Cards) that measure 2.5" x 3.5" (64 x 89 mm). ...

ACEO & ATC Related Books

Artist Trading Card Workshop: Create, Collect, Swap

by: Bernie Berlin

Amazon Price: $15.63 (as of 07/05/2009)

1,000 Artist Trading Cards: Innovative and Inspired Mixed Media ATCs (1000 Series)

by: Patricia Bolton

Amazon Price: $19.79 (as of 07/05/2009)

Latest ACEO Twitterings

A great way to find out new aceo artists and aceos for sale is through Twitter.

meloearth Jul 5, 2009 @ 3:44 pm

I posted another aceo on FeeBay, a pinkish still life: http://bit.ly/qfepO
MediaMedley Jul 5, 2009 @ 3:11 pm

40% OFF this beach ACEO For the next hr. Discount increases hourly until purchased or it hits 10% of original value. http://bit.ly/4rHOag
ElisaAlvarado Jul 5, 2009 @ 2:09 pm

BUCKEYE, gold & metal leaf ACEO collage on 1000Markets http://www.1000markets.com/products/71312
MediaMedley Jul 5, 2009 @ 2:07 pm

Count Down SALE! 30% OFF beach ACEO. Discount increases hourly until purchased, or it hits 10% of the original value. http://bit.ly/4rHOag
ElisaAlvarado Jul 5, 2009 @ 2:00 pm

SKULL, metal leaf ACEO collage on 1000Markets http://www.1000markets.com/products/71310