- Joined
- Feb 10, 2003
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- 7,174
Another month, another ATC swap! Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are small crafts that are freely exchanged between individuals, around the world, usually via snail mail, as an exercise to interact with other artists and experience/collect samples of their work. Basically, you "claim" the most recent participant before you, select one of their listed themes as the subject matter for the card that you'll subsequently make for them, and then post your own preferences for an ATC, so that the next person who comes along can do the same for you.
This "Your favorite Calvin & Hobbes scene" themed one was for a woman in Vermont. I used Bill Watterson's original art as my still-life reference models when I drew them. Considering how incredibly self-centered Calvin is, if he was the one making an ATC, Calvin would probably completely ignore his swap partner's list of themes and just draw whatever he wanted to, thus, the joke on the back was born.
The woman I made said card for for also collects/crafts with cat whiskers, and, several months ago, she asked me if I'd try to collect some of my cat's shed whiskers for her, which I did, and I made this little cat-themed envelope for them, using a magazine ad for cat litter, and sent them along with the ATC.
This "frogs" themed ATC was for a fellow Michigander. I used some photos from a couple of animal books as my models here when I drew/painted as well.
On its' way into the envelope, the Azure Poison Dart Frog almost got cannibalized by one of its rubbery cousins, but I broke up the would-be dinner party and sent the ATC amphibian safely on its way. Considering that it was a poisonous frog, I probably saved the green one from a terminal case of indigestion anyway!
The woman that I made the frogs card for crafted me this super-awesome miniature Ouija Board in exchange, for my "a functional ATC board game" theme! She reproduced the box top/bottom, instructions, everything (the board is playing card-sized)!
This "Your favorite Calvin & Hobbes scene" themed one was for a woman in Vermont. I used Bill Watterson's original art as my still-life reference models when I drew them. Considering how incredibly self-centered Calvin is, if he was the one making an ATC, Calvin would probably completely ignore his swap partner's list of themes and just draw whatever he wanted to, thus, the joke on the back was born.
The woman I made said card for for also collects/crafts with cat whiskers, and, several months ago, she asked me if I'd try to collect some of my cat's shed whiskers for her, which I did, and I made this little cat-themed envelope for them, using a magazine ad for cat litter, and sent them along with the ATC.
This "frogs" themed ATC was for a fellow Michigander. I used some photos from a couple of animal books as my models here when I drew/painted as well.
On its' way into the envelope, the Azure Poison Dart Frog almost got cannibalized by one of its rubbery cousins, but I broke up the would-be dinner party and sent the ATC amphibian safely on its way. Considering that it was a poisonous frog, I probably saved the green one from a terminal case of indigestion anyway!
The woman that I made the frogs card for crafted me this super-awesome miniature Ouija Board in exchange, for my "a functional ATC board game" theme! She reproduced the box top/bottom, instructions, everything (the board is playing card-sized)!