MY Latest ATC (Artist Trading Card) Haul

ATC's are addictive little works of art that anyone from age 2 to 102 can enjoy making. They measure 2 1/2" - 3 1/2". In our last installment, I showed you the fiber Artist Trading Cards I made from mostly vintage neckties, jeans, and an upholstery sample book. 

Now I'll show you the cards I traded them for. My ATC group is a group of incredible, kind, generous, and talented people, artistically, professionally, and personally. 

Jason Ashimoto reported that he is playing around with a woodburning tool. He used it to sketch out this exquisite, ethereal tree, and painted in the colors. 

Jenny Goto makes art using Japanese mineral pigments. This dreamlike haze features flecks of shiny gold, the little specks of which unfortunately didn't show up well in the picture. It's like a heavenly cloud.

John Tallacksen is an astonishingly gifted young artist and printmaker who devotes his professional time to helping underprivileged youth. This is one of his tributes to pioneering printmaker Charles White. It's a pencil sketch. 

See more of John's intense work on his Facebook page, or at JohnTallacksen.com.  He will participate in a group show on March 18, 2014, in the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.

John T. Watson's packs a lot of social commentary into a small space. The title of this one is "Purse Snatchers." It reminds me of driving across California freeways - mall after mall, the same eight stores in every community. Fortunately, one of them is a Jo-Ann Fabric. (I'm an anti-materialist, except when it comes to material.)

My friend Marian loves to work in collage. This is a hymn cut from an actual book, and the face is done with packing tape transfer (Simple tutorial.) I love the balance and the intensity. 

The frustrating/great thing about packing tape transfer is that it misses some spots, often for a wonderfully aged effect (and occasionally, of course, the inevitable failures, on the way to success.)

So that's my haul. I lucked out, don't you think? Every one of them is a mini-masterpiece. If you want to see what these same artists made for our last exchange, go here.  

Exchanging ATCs is a wonderful experience, especially if it's done in person. If you're interested in exchanging ATCs, in real meetings, or onoline, here are some suggestions:

• Ask at your local art, craft, and/or scrapbooking store.
• Go to http://www.atcsforall.com/. There are loads of online challenges, contests, etc. 
• For in-person swaps, check Meetup, at http://artisttradingcards.meetup.com/. Type in your zip code and see what's nearby. 
•  Go to groups.yahoo.com/ and type "Artist Trading Cards" in the search window. Some groups trade through the mail; others arrange face-to-face meetings in specific cities.
•  Check out another list of local exchanges at Artist-trading-cards.ch/events.html.