ATC's - Artist Trading Cards
All items are copyright 2009 Robinsunne
Get my ATC crafting book here: The Great Library ATC Swap
WHAT IS AN ATC?
ARTIST TRADING CARDS are miniature 2 ½” x 3 ½” works of art.
These are Artist Trading Cards! 
colored text ATCs
I got an old book at a library book sale a while ago and planned to cut the center out of the book to make space for some interior art.
I wondered what to do with the paper I had cut out. I decided to cross hatch over the text with some colored pencils.
When that was done, I cut the papers into the standard ATC size and glued them to some cardstock. 
There was some left over paper so I cut that into circles and rectangles and started arranging them.
Then I went through my stash and found bits of papers, some play money and jewels. I had a good time thinking about money and abundance.
See the faux Lincoln pennies? This was a book about Abraham Lincoln. It all worked out nicely.
Blue copy ATC's
Now here is a fun idea. I am not through exploring this yet. It came about when I color copied a "skinny book" page for a copier based swap, (26 copies!). So for these cards I lay a bunch of interesting, (blue), papers down on my scanner in layers. I printed it out on cardstock. I had cut a 2 1/2 x 3 1/2" window in a scrap paper so that I could move the window around looking for interesting views. I traced out the card shape, added other cut outs, brads, rubber stamps, a little gold pen here and there and Voila! An ATC! An interesting thought here is that if you print out more than one sheet then you could cut out multiples and test out different ways of decorating each one.Here are two more that I got out of that sheet: (Don't forget to use the scraps!)
valentine red copy ATC's
These are in the same construction technique as the blue ones above, except that they are ready for Valentine's Day, and they have clear packing tape - one of my favorite finishing methods. Stickers, cut outs, tape, then brads.
and then...
If all of this seems like fun to you I hope that you will visit my blog http://sunnespot.blogspot.com anytime and visit the Rockport Library when we have Art At The Library. I can't wait to see you there!
This ultimately cool technique is sooo easy!! Tear long strips of masking tape lengthwise and cover a piece of cardstock with the torn strips. Holes, gaps, and raggedy edges are all a part of the look. Rub the edges down. Rub just a bit of shoe polish over the whole page. You will be amazed! We were. We tried cordovan, and also brown, which both worked really well. You could try any color.
Here I have used one of those art materials that is almost too much fun. It is metal tape. At the hardware store it is called heating duct repair tape or something, (back in the painting aisle near the masking tape), and a friend said that at the automotive store it is called muffler tape. It is basically aluminum foil with sticky backing on a roll.
On this card I cut out short bits in odd shapes and covered the surface of the card. Then a friend at an art day gathering gave me this picture of a dragon. We put mountains into the scenery, (cut to shape in metal tape), and I used a blunt-ish pencil to "etch" in the sky texture. I glued the dragon on with acrylic gel medium. Later, when all was dry, I colored the mountains and sky with permanent markers. We like it.
