On this great Feast of All Saints we are happy to once again announce that we will be hosting an Artist Trading Card swap: For All the Saints!
Artist Trading Cards are tiny pieces of original artwork that are created for the purpose of trading with others.
Everyone is invited to make and trade ATC's of their favorite saints as we celebrate the Church Triumphant during the month of November.
An ATC is precisely
2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 x 8.89 cm) in size - you can cut your own from larger pieces of paper or buy ready made cards at a
craft or art supply store if you prefer.
Card stock, heavy watercolor paper or any sturdy paper is good. We
usually cut ours from watercolor paper or bristol - a 9x12" sheet will
give you ten cards. Their small size makes them fun and non-intimidating
to work with, and of course a perfect size for trading.
Embellishing the back side of the cards is almost as much fun as designing the front. Additional symbols, prayers, biographical facts or quotes from the saints can be added as desired along with info about the artist.
Artwork can be of any media or combination thereof -watercolors, acrylics, ink, colored pencil, calligraphy - whatever you like.
For the past three years we have been hosting ATC swaps here at Pondered in My Heart, with Marian themed artwork in May and All Saints in November. We have some artists that have been participating since our very first swap and we have new folks joining in each time as well. We know people have connected with each other through the swaps with long lasting friendships and pen pal relationships. My family always enjoys seeing the familiar names and artwork of favorite long time swappers as well the excitement of anticipating new ones. If you always wanted to join a swap, here's your chance. Don't be shy! It's lots of fun!
Artists of all ages, from young children to grown ups, are invited to participate. Artists of all abilities are welcome, but everyone is encouraged to do good work. Even if you don't think you are good at drawing (I'm not!) (really - just ask my kids!), there are still lots of creative ways to put together a beautiful ATC to delight someone else and honor the saints. You can look at posts from our previous swaps or visit around the internet for loads of ATC inspiration.
The swap will work the same way as our other swaps have. Here are the details:
- Each participant will create five ATC's to mail out and will receive five different cards from five different artists in return.
- Everyone will send their cards to me. I will sort them out roughly by age group/ability of the creator, and then mail the cards back out to their new recipients. When you mail your cards to me, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope that I can use to send your new cards to you. (Note: as I collect all the cards and do the exchanging, no one else will see your full name and address unless you choose to put your personal info on the backs of your cards.)
- International swappers are most welcome! It's always extra fun to receive cards from a far away place.
- The swap is open to all ages. This is the perfect opportunity for parents to sit down and create some lovely artwork alongside your children.
- Each card should be labeled on the back with the creator's name and however much info you'd like to share - age (for the kids), date, title of the piece, media used, and location if you like. Some participants look to connect with others for possible pen pals and the like, so you are welcome to include more personal info if you wish, but it is not required.
- If you are interested in participating please send me an email at kimberlee (at) beadsofmercy (dot) com, and put ATC swap in the subject, and I will send you further information. Anyone can join in and definitely the more the merrier!
- Please mail your cards to me postmarked by Monday, November 19th
If you have a blog, please feel free to spread the word and you can grab this image if you like: (thank you Anna Ruth!)
