What are ATC's?

ATC stands for Artist Trading Cards . They are miniature work of art, that artists are swapping around the world since a long time ago.

Although some people credit  the origin to M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who began trading sessions in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1997, it is possible to track miniature art trading  back earlier.

Impressionist  artists used to made small examples of their work to trade with other artists and learn from each other.

Card size is restricted to 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches (63mm x 89mm). They can be produced in different media, including hand-drawn (pencil, markers, ink), hand-painted (watercolour, acrylics, oil), collage(paper cuts,  found objects, old book pages), or even metal and cloth.

As their name suggests,  they can only be traded. When  sold they are called ACEO’s … however that is a subject for another post.